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“Then why the fuck am I here?”

“I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realized that your family is about to crumble,” she grinned, standing. “You know, it’s so funny that you mentioned Farina men being a gift and a curse. Your father was certainly the latter when it came to my mother.”

Cassius burst into laughter. “You’ve been pressing me because your mother had her feelings hurt by my father? News flash, Iris, she wasn’t the first, and she damn sure won’t be the last.”

Iris’ face was ice as she planted her hands on her hips. “Your father was so charming that he had her convinced she was the only woman that he saw, despite her knowing that he was married. And despite her knowing he was poison,” she began to pace. “Even at such a young age, I knew that he was no good. And when he left her, finally, it broke her.”

Cassius’ voice stayed flat. “And this is relevant to me, how?”

“I watched her continue to wither away into nothing until she finally cracked and killed herself. I came home at eight years old to find her next to a bottle of pills.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Iris laughed. “Save your condolences. You’re the last person I need them from. Your father did everything he could to cover up their affair, even going as far as to pay for her funeral, fooling everyone into thinking he was a savior stepping in to save the day. But he forgot one loose end. Me.”

Cassius watched her calmly, impatiently waiting for her to get to the point. “What no one knows is that because my mother couldn’t talk to anyone else about her relationship, she would talk to me. About how her mafia big-shot boyfriend was going to save us and get us out of the slums, and that’s something I never forgot. I’ve spent years trying to tie your father to an organized crime syndicate as payback for him being the reason I lost the person I loved most. So when I learned about the task force, I couldn’t wait to volunteer.”

“Do you plan on getting to the point any time soon or….” he trailed off.

“One of the perks of being part of a task force is that we share information. Like when a federal agent is working off the books to trace a transaction that flagged one of your companies,” she turned to him and smirked.

She’d indeed caught him off guard as Cassius was sure she’d planned, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing it.

“Okay?” he pressed.

“I decided to do a little investigating of my own and lo and behold, found something that would give me a better revenge than I could have ever planned.”

“And that is?”

“That one transaction that flipped your life upside down was very well hidden and for good reason,” Iris leaned across the table to unlock the handcuffs. “If I were your father, I wouldn’t want anyone to know I was the culprit either.”

Cassius’ jaw ticked as he stood. “You’re full of shit.”

“Am I?” Iris raised an eyebrow. “I no longer have a vested interest in you. Like I said earlier, I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realized your family is about to fall apart. I don’t have to destroy your family. You’re going to destroy yourselves.”

Cassius was so pissed when he jogged out of the police station that Aella was momentarily at a loss about what to do.

“You okay?” she asked, releasing the breath she’d been holding as he stalked toward her.

“Nah,” he answered, planting a rough kiss against her forehead. “You mind running me by my parents’ house right quick?”

“Whatever you need,” she said quickly, keys jingling in her hand as she slipped into the driver’s side of the car and turned the engine. “How⁠—”

She fell silent as Cassius put a finger to his lips, signaling that he would fill her in about everything later. Very few words were exchanged between them, aside from Cassius giving instructions on how to get to his family’s home. No sooner had they arrived than he almost jumped out of the car in a rage. Aella nervously followed, a tight pit forming in her stomach as she wondered what was going on.

Cassius used his key to let himself inside and headed straight down the hall to a large room where his father stood behind an imposing desk of dark, polished wood.

“Son,” he looked surprised to see them there. “What are you⁠—”

Aella gaped and brought a hand to her mouth as Cassius hit his father so hard that he nearly went flying across the desk.

“Is it true?” Cassius thundered.

“Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?” Armond demanded, trying to regain his composure.

Cassius didn’t flinch. “Is it fuckin’ true?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Armond snarled, walking around the desk until they were toe-to-toe.