WRITER'S POV:
The morning after felt almost normal.
Which, in retrospect, should've been a warning.
Ivy woke tangled in sheets that weren't hers, beside a man whose presence made her skin hum and her instincts go quiet.Cassius was still asleep—or pretending to be. She didn't mind. The silence felt earned.She slipped out of bed, pulled on one of his shirts, and padded barefoot down the hallway in search of coffee and something like clarity.She didn't make it past the atrium.The first sound was glass breaking.The second was someone shouting in Italian—fast, urgent, deadly.Ivy turned just in time to see Monday tackle her to the floor.A sharp bang cracked the air. Then another. Then silence."What—what was that?!" Ivy screamed."Stay down!" Monday barked.Footsteps thundered from every direction. Security. Guards. One even emerged from the fountain, which felt excessive.
Cassius appeared seconds later.feral.
Shirtless, barefoot, gun in hand.
He didn't say anything.
He just scanned the chaos, eyes landing on Ivy where she lay underneath Monday, her face white, her breathing erratic.He stepped closer and crossed the space in seconds."Get off her," he snapped at Monday, who rolled aside immediately.
Cassius dropped to his knees, cradling Ivy's face in his hands."Are you hurt?"He reached out, touched her jaw gently.She shook her head, barely.Her throat tightened."I—I don't think so. What was—""A sniper," Monday said grimly. "One of the windows. He took a shot through the garden wall. Missed."Cassius's face went stone."Was it for me?" Ivy asked, voice trembling.
Cassius stood.
"Get her to her room," he told Monday. "Lock it."
"Cassius—"He looked at her.Ivy had never seen that look before.
Not anger.Not fear.Possession. Rage. Cold calculation.
"You are mine," he said, low and sharp. "And anyone who tries to touch what's mine will not live to speak about it."Ivy didn't speak.She just let Monday lead her away while the estate swarmed with security and Cassius disappeared into the storm he was about to unleash.But something had changed.Because now, it wasn't just Cassius who was a target.It was her.And she had no idea how to survive it.