CASSIA
I knew what a date was, even though I had never actually been on one.
And this? This was definitely not it.
There was no cozy table. No intertwined fingers. No soft conversation between me and the man who had dragged me into a ridiculous black halter dress, hauled me out of the house, and threatened to shoot me if I didn't obey him tonight.
I glanced around the vast room, my eyes drifting over the white-clothed tables, and heads of expensive looking men and women seated as I searched for Kairos—my so-called date.
He had abandoned me the moment we stepped in.
I couldn't tell if he even understood what being together meant. Especially on a date. A date he had reminded me about a hundred times today, along with all the rules he had so carefully laid out.
My teeth clenched as I finally spotted him.
He sat a few feet away with a group of men I didn't recognize. Not from my father's circle.
But they carried the same air. Power. Authority. Influence.
