LOGIN~Cassian~I opened my mouth to tease her, but the words died in my throat.Tyla's breathing turned shallow.She let out a shaky sigh, and her body swayed against mine.The playful look in her eyes disappeared. I looked at her and realised she had started sweating."Cassian..." she whispered, as her hands clutched the front of my shirt. "It's too hot. Why is is so hot in here?""Tyla, are you okay? How are you feeling?”Tyla stepped closer until her body was pressed against my chest.She tilted her head back and stared at my lips.A soft whimper escaped her as her fingers slipped into my hair, pulling my face toward hers."You're cold," she whispered, her lips barely a breath from mine. "Let me kiss you. Just a little. Please."My heart slammed against my ribs.Something was obviously wrong with her. But the way she was holding me and pleading with me made her impossible to resist."Tyla, stop. You're not well," I growled, as I grabbed her wrists to pull them away from my hair."I don'
~Tyla~I stood frozen in the hallway, my mind completely blank.I had no idea what to do. Maybe they had made a mistake.I had been an orphan for as long as I could remember.I grew up in the orphanage, spending years fighting just to survive.There was no way I had a biological family somewhere in the world who had simply abandoned me to such a miserable life.Yet those words wouldn’t stop echoing inside my head.All my life, Matthew and his mother had treated me like I was worthless because I had no family name.They looked down on me, constantly reminding me that I didn’t belong in their world, making me feel as though I should be grateful just to breathe the same air as them.And now…Someone was telling me that I had never been an orphan at all.No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it.I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk away from the study door.I couldn't let Cassian or Marcus know I had heard them. I needed to keep my head clear.I wal
~Tyla~The next morning, my fever was completely gone.I opened my eyes and realised the bed was empty. Cassian and Elowen had already gotten up.The bedroom was quiet.I stood up and headed to the bathroom to wash my face.I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday, which looked wrinkled and messy.I walked down the long hallway and took the stairs to the main floor.Before I could reach the dining room, I heard voices coming from the living area.One voice was Cassian’s rumble. The other was a high-pitched woman's voice."Cassian, you can't be serious," the woman said, her voice sounding irritated. "You didn't answer my calls all night. I was worried sick.""I was busy, Linda," Cassian replied. His voice was completely cold and distant."Busy with what? Or should I say, with whom?" she snapped.I paused at the bottom of the stairs.I didn't want to intrude on a private conversation, but to get to the other door, I had to walk right past them.I took a deep breath and stepped into
~Tyla~"No, Elowen," Cassian said immediately.He sounded like it was an outrageous and terrifying idea.“I am going back to my room. You are safe here with Tyla.""No!" Elowen whimpered, her small fingers tightening around my nightshirt while her other hand reached blindly out toward him. "Don't go. The thunder is going to shake the house again. Please, Daddy. Stay."Cassian rubbed the back of his neck, looking completely overwhelmed.He was a man who could command entire boardrooms and control millions of dollars with a single word, but right now, a terrified five-year-old girl had him completely defeated.He looked at the bed, then his eyes shifted to me, questioning."I don't mind," I murmured, my voice still raspy from the fever.I patted the empty space on the other side of the mattress. "The bed is big enough. And Elowen can stay right here in the middle."Cassian stared at me for a long moment. He searched my face to see if I was just being polite.When he saw I was serious, h
~Tyla~My head was spinning so badly I could barely stand.The moment I stepped into the living room, everything felt heavy.I couldn't stop thinking about what Matt had just told me.“Come back for the sake of our son. He is always crying for you.”His words kept looping in my mind.I knew Matt was just trying to mess with my head.I didn't regret leaving that miserable marriage, and I absolutely hated him now.But picturing my five-year-old boy starving and crying because I wasn't there broke my heart.The guilt was so bad I could barely breathe.He had also warned me to stay away from Cassian.He called him a murderer."Tyla?"A tiny voice made me look down. Elowen was standing right next to me, tugging on my clothes."Don't listen to that loud man," she said, her voice was shaking. She looked scared that I was hurt."Elowen, I thought you were asleep," I said softly, touching her head.Suddenly, a sharp headache hit me.I held my forehead, trying to steady myself."I woke up a lit
~MATT~I looked up at Cassian standing at the top of the stairs.The moment I saw him, I felt disgust wash over me, stealing the air from my lungs.The memories I had spent years trying to bury came rushing back.We had once been inseparable.Our families belonged to the same elite circle, and we grew up doing everything together.But the corporate world changed him.The real rift between us began five years ago.After an incident, Cassian locked his heart behind walls no one could break through.He became cold and ruthless. He became so consumed by power.And the only thing that mattered to him were stocks, profits, and numbers.The friend I once knew was gone. And in his place stood a dangerous rival.I couldn't stand the sight of him.And now, he was standing right in front of my ex-wife."Are you doing this for revenge, Cassian?" I yelled, my voice shaking with rage. "Is this your sick way of getting back at me? Do you want to snatch my wife just to prove you are more powerful?"C
~CASSIAN~I stood completely still in the middle of the room. My mind could not process what I was seeing.This was not possible.Elowen had never reacted this way to anyone.She hadn’t acted this way to her private teachers and even to the most expensive doctors I had employed for her.For two yea
~TYLA~Cassian.An arrogant tyrant. That was exactly what he was.I hadn't cared about his deal when he had shown no interest before in that gala.But now that he had finally decided to show up, after we had come all the way here, he thought he could just disregard us?Like I hadn't spent the entir
~TYLA~The other members in the conference room seemed to be quite shocked at Cassian and his choice of sitting, but they couldn’t question him.On the seat where he sat, the man who was supposed to sit there seemed to receive a signal from Cassian, and he quickly moved to sit at the edge of the ta
~OLIVIA~Matt was standing outside in the evening air.He seemed a million miles away and that has been that way ever since the gala.I picked up a cup of warm tea and walked out to the terrace. Matt didn't even turn around when I approached."Matt, darling," I said sweetly, placing the cup on the







