CASSIA
I strode down the hallway toward what I believed was Kairos's office. Two guards followed close behind me, clearly trying to stop me from going any farther.
"Get out of my way," I snarled, glaring at the men stationed outside the door.
They exchanged a brief look, uncertainty flickering across their faces. Then they shook their heads. The taller of the two stepped forward.
"Sorry, Miss. The boss is busy and won't be taking any visitors right now," he said politely.
What could possibly be so important that they were blocking the door like this?
Killing someone?
That was the only explanation that came to mind.
I pushed forward anyway. The guards stared down at me like I was nothing more than an annoying fly, their expressions completely blank.
I didn't flinch at the contempt in their eyes.
Even after Kairos had introduced me as his sister and guest, they still treated me like dirt. Was this how they treated family in this house?
Mrs. Moore certainly seemed to think so.
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then I held up the document in my hand, the reason I had come here in the first place.
"I need to talk to him about this."
At the very least, it should prove I wasn't standing here simply because I enjoyed seeing their boss's handsome face.
The guard barely glanced at the paper before fixing his gaze back on me, his jaw tightening.
"You can't go in, Miss."
"Bastard," I muttered under my breath, grinding my molars together.
"The boss will attend to you as soon as he's finished with his meeting—"
"Fuck his meeting," I hissed, turning away from him.
I had barely taken a step away from the guards when I heard it.
A woman's voice. It came from inside the office. My eyes widened as I spun back toward the door.
"Oh, Kairos…" she moaned.
My heart dropped.
My gaze flickered to the guards, searching their faces, wondering if they knew exactly what was happening behind that door.
Of course they did.
The faint flush creeping up their necks into their cheeks was enough of an answer. And Kairos must have ordered them to turn me away too.
That prick.
He wasn't having a meeting. He was in there fucking some woman.
He had dropped this damned paper just to go entertain some random whore…No.
Probably his fiancée.
Still, my stomach twisted at the thought. A bitter taste rose at the back of my throat as I swallowed.
"Fuck me, harder!"
"Oh yeah, I want your cock!"
"Fill me with your darn seed, Kairos. I want all your babies!"
The guards shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as the sounds from inside the office grew louder… and dirtier.
Something knotted deep in my chest, hot and sharp, spreading through my whole body.
"You're going to kill me, Kairos!" the woman choked out.
I turned away from the door, stumbling down the hall, unable to listen to another second of it. My chest felt heavy, and tears burned behind my eyes.
I sniffed them back and stormed into the living room. The moment I stepped inside, I ran into Mrs. Moore.
I expected her to snap at me. I expected the same look of disapproval and disgust she always directed my way.
Instead, she simply smiled. Not kindly. It was the kind of smile that said, I know something you don't.
I ignored the smug look in her eyes and sat down on the couch, my anger simmering as I waited for Kairos.
A few minutes later, a tall brunette about my age stepped into the living room.
She was beautiful. Long legs, curves in all the right places. Her lipstick was smudged, her hair messy, and the blue form fitting dress she wore looked like she had thrown it on in a hurry.
Yes. There was no doubt. She was the woman from Kairos's office.
A short snort slipped from me. So he was a cheat too.
And apparently he had brought me here to witness all his little sexcapades. Maybe that was some kink of his. Perhaps that was why he had spent three hundred million dollars to buy me.
Just so I could watch.
Great.
"Lily, darling," Mrs. Moore said sweetly.
"Mama," the girl replied.
Mama?
The word hung in the air. I stared at her, then at Mrs. Moore, and back again.
Now that I looked closely, the resemblance was obvious. I hadn't noticed it before. But I saw it now. And suddenly, Mrs. Moore's hostility toward me made perfect sense.
"You didn't tell me you were coming today," Mrs. Moore said. Though the words were meant for her daughter, her eyes never left me.
"I wanted her here." Kairos's voice cut through the room as he stepped into the living room.
He was shirtless. His hair was tousled, and he wore nothing but flannel pants that hung low on his hips.
I forced myself to swallow, trying very hard not to stare.
I failed.
My gaze locked onto the hard lines of his abdomen, the taut olive skin stretched over muscle that spoke of years of brutal training. My tongue darted out to wet my lower lip before I could stop myself. Slowly, my eyes traced upward along the powerful lines of his body until they reached his face.
He was already watching me. Smirking.
I didn't return it.
The reason I had come here snapped back into my mind, and I surged to my feet. Crossing the distance between us, I slammed the document against his chest.
"We need to talk," I said coolly.
"We're still going to the beach, right?" the girl asked, clinging to his arm. She rested her head against his chest as if she belonged there.
I stared at her openly, not even trying to hide the irritation on my face. What was it with these women?
Every single time I needed to speak to Kairos, they suddenly developed urgent plans that couldn't possibly wait.
I gazed at Kairos, daring him to ignore me and listen to her instead.
He only chuckled softly and nodded. "Very well. Let's talk in my office."
"I'd rather sleep in a room full of bedbugs than step into that contaminated room," I shot back without hesitation.
Kairos frowned briefly. Then something flickered in his eyes, a gleam that suggested he understood exactly why I was suddenly furious.
"You promised me," Lily whined, still clinging to him.
She shot me a sharp look, her annoyance obvious. Her mouth opened as if she was about to argue, but Kairos spoke first.
"Your room or mine?" he asked calmly.
"Outside," I said.
Neither of those rooms was safe. Not because anything was wrong with them, and not because I was afraid of him.
Because of me.
I didn't trust what might happen if we ended up alone in a closed space again, especially after what I had heard earlier.
"Are you certain about that?" he murmured, glancing down at the envelope in his hand. "You might prefer to discuss this indoors."
"I'm sure," I cut him off, already turning toward the entrance.
A few minutes later we were standing outside near the pool. The morning air was cool against my skin, but the anger inside me burned just as hot.
I finally turned to face him.
"What exactly do you mean by this?" I demanded.
"What exactly did you read in it?" he asked in return, lifting one brow as he looked at me.
The nerve.
He stood there pretending to be clueless, as if he had no idea what was written in that damned document.
I straightened to my full height and stepped closer, my chin lifting stubbornly.
"I can never be that for you, Kairos," I said firmly. "Just because you paid some ridiculous amount for me doesn't mean I'll do whatever you say."
Kairos watched me for a moment. Then his expression darkened. He stepped closer, the distance between us disappearing in an instant. His voice dropped low.
"I wasn't asking, Cassy," he said. His eyes locked onto mine, unyielding. He lifted the document slightly between us.
"It's an order. And you'll sign it," he continued, his tone calm but absolute, "because you're going to be my mistress, whether you want it or not."