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“Are you out of your mind?” she asks, incredulous. “You really think that would work?”
“Maybe.” I shrug, finally releasing her arm. “But at least it’s an option worth considering. I won’t let you slip through my fingers, Annalise. Not without a fight.”
As I watch her process my words, I can’t help but feel a strange mixture of desperation and hope. This may be our last chance to salvage what we have—even if it means sharing the woman I love with my own brother.
I watch the conflict play across Annalise’s face, her green eyes clouded with uncertainty. She bites her lip, a nervous habit I’ve come to find endearing, and finally speaks up.
“Even if I were to consider this…arrangement,” she says hesitantly, “it’s not exactly…normal.”
“Normal?” I scoff, my jaw tightening. “Since when have we ever been normal, Annalise? We’re bratva—normal isn’t part of our vocabulary.” I take a step toward her, my blue eyes locked on hers. “Besides, who cares what’s normal? I want you, and I know you care for both me and Nikhil. If this is what it takes to keep you in our lives, then damn the consequences.”
As silence envelops the room, I can practically hear the gears turning in her head. She appears torn, caught between her desires and societal expectations. I reach out and grasp her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. Her body trembles beneath my touch, and I can see the vulnerability in her eyes as she finally opens up.
“Dammit, Cassius,” she whispers, her voice quivering with emotion. “There’s something else…”
“Tell me,” I demand gently, sensing the weight of her unspoken words.
“Fine.” She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. “I…I slept with Damian.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I’m left reeling. I laugh, a bitter, incredulous sound that feels foreign even to me. “You’re joking, right? This is some twisted attempt at humor?”
“Trust me, Cassius, I wish I were,” she replies, her voice choked with tears. “But it’s the truth.”
My laughter dies down, replaced by a cold fury that sends a shiver down my spine. How dare he touch her—how dare he lay his hands on what’s mine? My knuckles whiten as I clench my fists, the urge to make Damian pay for his betrayal consuming me from within.
The air in the room grows heavy with tension, suffocating me as I force myself to swallow the burning rage that threatens to consume me. Annalise’s tear-filled emerald eyes lock onto mine, pleading for understanding and forgiveness. “Cassius, it wasn’t…it wasn’t like that.”
“Wasn’t like what?” I demand, my voice barely above a whisper, as every nerve in my body stands on edge. “You need to tell me everything, Annalise. Did you want it? Was this something you desired?”
She shakes her head vehemently, her wavy brown hair dancing around her face. “No, Cassius. I never wanted that…I mean, not until that night. It just…it happened so fast, and he made me feel…”
I clench my jaw, struggling to maintain control as her words wrap like a vise around my heart. The thought of Damian taking advantage of her innocence sends a shudder through my veins, igniting an inferno of fury that not even the iciest depths of Siberia could extinguish.
“Do you like him too?” I hiss, raking my fingers through my dark blond hair in frustration.
Her gaze remains fixed on the floor, unable to meet my eyes. “I don’t know. No?”
I can feel the fire of my anger blazing in my chest, threatening to consume me whole. Damian, my own brother, used Annalise—this beautiful, strong woman who has become the center of my world. I can’t contain it any longer; I spin on my heel and stalk away, each step fueled by my rage.
“Wait! Cassius!” Annalise calls out, her voice tinged with desperation as she follows closely behind me. The sound of her footsteps echoes through the empty corridor, a testament to the storm that brews between us.
“Please,” she begs, reaching out to grab my arm. “Don’t do something you might regret.”
“Regret?” I snarl, shaking off her grip. “What I regret is not seeing Damian for who he truly is sooner.”
“Tell me what you’re planning to do,” she pleads, her emerald eyes searching mine for answers. But all she’ll find within me now is darkness, an abyss of fury and betrayal.
“Damian will pay for what he’s done,” I say ominously, my words dripping with venomous intent.
She opens her mouth to say more but I cut her off. “Enough,” I growl, my tone harsher than ever before, as I push open Damian’s office door. The scent of leather and dark wood fills my nostrils, a sensory reminder of the man who has caused so much turmoil in our lives.
“Damian,” I call out, my voice laced with venom.
He looks up from his computer, his piercing blue eyes widening in surprise at my intrusion. For a moment, he simply stares at us, assessing the situation.
“What the hell, Cassius?” Damian snaps, irritation quickly replacing his initial surprise. “You can’t just barge in here like this. We have rules, remember?”
“Rules?” I scoff, my rage bubbling to the surface once more. “Like the ones you broke when you slept with Annalise?”
