I stared at him, my pulse thrumming against the hand he still held. The gun was no longer at my head, but his gaze was just as lethal.
"I was hiding," I started, my voice regaining its edge. "I…I thought I should prank you. You know, like old times…hehe," I said, my laughter sounding like a cry for help because I didn't remember any talk of Isabelle and Cassian playing 'hide and seek' as children.
"Like old times?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing as he dragged the words out.
"Yeah… old times… you and me. When we were young. Don't tell me you never played hide-and-seek."
I stopped speaking before I blew my cover myself.
What is wrong with me?
He finally released my wrist, though his eyes never left mine.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to one of the chairs. I walked four steps and sat down, my legs feeling like jelly.
"Leave us, Randy," he said to the man he was with, and he bowed.
"I'll be outside, Young Master."
Cassian sat across from me, his eyes still watching me with that terrifying, clinical focus.
"You're different," he said slowly, as if testing the words. I stiffened. However, it only lasted for a second before I lifted my gaze and looked at him squarely.
"Yeah… I hear that a lot," I rasped. "People change," I continued, my eyes defiant even as my soul trembled.
I could see the confusion marring his features.
Did I say anything that gave me away? Why was he looking at me like that?
"A lot can happen in the years since you stopped visiting the mansion."
"Right," he murmured, his gaze tracing the line of my jaw. "The Isabelle I knew used to follow me around the gardens crying if she broke a nail. She was... soft. Brittle."
"Maybe I just grew up," I said, my voice gaining a jagged edge. "Or maybe you just never knew me as well as you thought."
"We'll see," he whispered, his eyes boring into mine.
The tension was shattered by the sound of the door opening.
A waiter began to serve the first course, and I inwardly heaved a sigh of relief since it meant I'd have something to do with my hands and mouth.
It would serve as a distraction.
~~~~
After the most awkward lunch I've ever had in my life, where neither of us hardly ate, I dabbed the corner of my lips with the napkin and smiled at Cassian.
"I know you didn't come to this lunch voluntarily, but you could say we had a lovely lunch, right?" I said.
"We had a lovely dinner?" He repeated… again, and I let out a sigh of frustration.
Why did he keep repeating my words?
"Are you saying we didn't?" I asked back.
"Fifteen years ago," he whispered, standing up from his seat.
"It was a lunch like this. My grandfather, my grandmother, my dad…in fact, my whole family and yours…sat together at a table and made a pact." He put his hands in his pocket and began circling the table, his eyes trained on me.
"It was simple: they would be allies who would look out for each other like blood brothers. The Knights believed the Quinns. Of course we believed them…only for them to disappear when it was time to keep their promise." He came to stand behind me, making me straighten in my seat, the hair at the back of my neck standing on end.
"Until the moment when my father and grandfather fell. Their hope never waned. They believed the Quinns would show up."
He leaned down, his lips almost grazing my ear as his fingers wrapped around my neck.
His hold wasn't tight, but I could feel the pressure.
"So tell me, Isabelle. Why should I believe anything you've just said? Seeing as you came from a family of snakes?"
His voice was calm, so calm that I began to tremble.
"Cassian," I whispered, my voice shaky. "I understand…"
"Tell our families you don't want to get married to me," he cut me off. "Or else I'll end up killing you."
"Cassian, I think…"
"Get out!"
"I…I…"
"Did I stutter? Get out of my sight!" he growled, releasing me and shoving me away.
I flinched, shooting up from the chair as if it were on fire, my legs heavy like lead.
The walk to the door took forever, and my legs nearly gave out beneath me.
I had just opened the door when I froze; two shadows were passing by.
My heart nearly stopped seeing them so close, and before my brain could catch up, I slammed the door shut.
"Lucas, wait. I think it's this room," Vanessa's voice came through, sounding curious. "We should take this opportunity and at least say hello. The hostess said the Quinns are here."
My blood turned to ice as the door began to rattle.
I pressed my back against it and heard Vanessa's voice again. "Isn't this room occupied? What is wrong with the door?"
Cassian's gaze snapped to the door, then back to me. His blue eyes sharpened; it was as if he could see through me.
He stood up slowly, stalking towards me like a predator cornering its prey.
I was trapped between two different deaths, and it was at that time that my brain decided to go on a vacation.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he whispered, coming to stand before me, his hand reaching for the door handle.
"No!" I gasped, reaching out to stop him.
I did the only thing a cornered animal would do: throwing my arms around Cassian's neck, I pulled him down.
I buried my face in the crook of his shoulder, hiding my face from the door just as it began to creak open.
"What the…" Cassian's voice was stiff. For a brief second, his hand hovered in the air…as if deciding whether to shove me away.
"Please," I whispered, my body trembling so hard, I thought my bones would rattle.
"Just… stay like this… Please."
His body turned rigid, he was like a stone pillar against mine.
The door swung open a few inches, causing the light of the hallway to hit the floor.
"Oh!" Vanessa chirped, followed by a small, fake innocent gasp.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't realise… Lucas, we're interrupting a moment."
I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my cheek harder against Cassian's chest. I could hear his heart beating. It was steady, slow, and utterly unbothered, a sharp contrast to the chaos in my own chest.
"Get out," Cassian said. He didn't raise his voice, but the sheer coldness in those two words made the air in the room drop ten degrees.
"Our apologies, Mr. Knight," Lucas's voice replied, sounding tight and uncomfortable. "We were looking for the Quinn matriarch."
The door clicked shut, and the footsteps retreated.
I stayed there for a second longer than I needed to, my forehead resting against the expensive fabric of his shirt, waiting for strength to return to my legs.
They didn't see me. They really didn't!.
But the relief was short-lived.
Cassian's hand came up and firmly gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him.
His eyes were like blue ice, and I realised then that while I had escaped Vanessa and Lucas, I was still very much in the lion's den.
"They're gone," he whispered, his thumb grazing my lower lip. "Now. What the hell just happened?"