Page 15 of A Sinful Gravity

I leaned against the window, rubbing my brow, plotting her exit route to dodge the crowd.

"She's not like that, Cassian," Sloane looked up. "She just... I think she's having a bad day. You know how these rich girls can be..."

"Sloane," I raised a hand, cutting her chatter. It grated.

She stopped.

"Head home," I said. "Dress and styling on the company tab. Don't mention tonight."

"Boss—"

"Go. With my driver. Stay out of sight. And from now on, it's Mr. King. Not Cassian. Know your place."

She bit her lip, stared for two seconds, then nodded. "Okay."

Her sticky fruit scent faded. I exhaled hard, fixed my tie, and stepped back into the party crowd.

Stephen still needed handling. I slapped on the fake smile, moved under the bright chandeliers.

Good thing the lockdown was quick. No big fallout.

The party dragged on to 3 a.m. I flashed a grin, said bye to Stephen, then bolted to the car. The black beast tore through the night to my house.

At the door, the house was dark. That dead silence hit me with unexplained panic, but I started analyzing.

Luna's outburst tonight—no excuse, whatever the reason. Total loss of control.

She'd wrecked everything in front of that crowd, at a crucial social event. All those business ties I'd built—nodes I hadn't cracked yet. She didn't get it. She never did.

Even if I was wrong too.

The living room was silent. Upstairs, faint sounds—like packing.

I pushed into the bedroom. Luna sat there, suitcase open by the bed.

Faint tear tracks on her face. That crumpled gown was trashed in the bin.

My eyes caught the red marks on her pale arm, the wrist bruise. Shit, she was hurt. Because of me?

It sliced my heart like broken glass. Cassian, what the fuck had I done!

"Luna, listen," I kept my voice low, steady. "About earlier—"

"No need, Cassian." She didn't even look, just stood and packed calmly. It bugged me.

"Your hand..."

"I said no."

"Still sulking?" I tossed my keys, yanked my tie, and strode over. "Luna, look what you did today. Yanking like a maniac in front of everyone. You think that's fun?"

"Yeah, sorry about tonight. I didn't check on you first."

"Cassian." She tried to interrupt.

"But," I ignored her, had to finish. "Your stunt at the party was out of line. Sloane messing your dress was her screw-up, but in that setting—"

She turned.