WRITER'S POV:
Jason pushed open the heavy door to Cassius's office, his knuckles still cold from the outside air.
Cassius looked like someone had wrung him out and left him to dry on a leather chair. He sat hunched forward slightly, his dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, a glass of something amber at his side, and his phone screen swiping under his thumb like it owed him money.
He didn't look up."You're back," Cassius said, voice rough.Of course."Yeah. The site was a mess. Three containers were off manifest. Customs flagged them. One was pulled entirely."
Cassius gave a humorless snort. "Of course it was."
Jason stepped closer. "We'll manage. There's a workaround. I'll handle it."
"Not tonight," Cassius muttered, eyes still on his screen. "I don't want logistics right now."
Jason hesitated.
"I saw dinner."Cassius's head tilted, slow and deliberate. "And?""Gina and Ivy. Together."
Cassius blinked."How was Ivy?"Jason smirked faintly. "Trying to vanish. Like the food might strangle her. Gina was doing that passive-aggressive purr thing she does. I told Ivy she could eat in her room."Cassius sat up a little straighter.
His glare was sharp and immediate. "Why didn't you move Gina?"
"Because she's a mosquito with a passport. And she invited Ivy before anyone could stop her. I figured Ivy deserved an out, not another round of power games."Cassius exhaled through his nose, rubbing the side of his jaw."Go home, Jason. Rest."Jason raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"Cassius nodded. "I'll deal with it."Jason didn't argue. He closed the door quietly, leaving Cassius in dim light and thicker thoughts.
Cassius leaned back
How did this become his life?A house full of women, none of whom made sense. His mother—black cat incarnate. Cold. Rigid. Ready to scowl at anything that disrupted her exact version of order. She barely tolerated Gina. She'd already dismissed Ivy.
Gina—the recurring nightmare. Clingy, fake, manipulative. Their history was shallow but annoying, and she'd latched on like she had inheritance rights.And IvyNaive. Stubborn. Feisty. His.He stared at the glass in his hand.She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to matterAnd now he had to figure out how to keep her sane, safe, and out of range—all while maintaining a house where every hallway could become a battlefieldHe closed his eyesAnd for the first time in a long time, Cassius honestly wasn't sure how to win this one