Chapter 37 – Cain Mysia
Cain didn't bother looking up from his laptop as Gabriel strolled into the study.
"Why are you here again?" he asked flatly, fingers tapping the keyboard with quick, deliberate strokes. "I have a Zoom meeting in thirty minutes. I don't want you here by then."
Gabriel dropped onto the leather couch with a grin, clearly unbothered by the cold welcome. "Come on, man. You finally decide to work from home, and I couldn't resist the urge to come see you."
Cain gave him a sideways glance, unimpressed.
Gabriel looked around the expansive home office with raised brows. "Why's your house so quiet today?"
He didn't wait for an answer before continuing, "Where's your mum? And your brother?"
Cain sighed, clearly annoyed, but still answered. "Mum finally left for the UK. She's getting things ready for the wedding. Caleb went to visit his university—Liverpool John Moores or whatever it's called."
Gabriel whistled and leaned back. "Wow. You must be lonely as fuck."
Cain's expression darkened. "Now get out of my office."
Gabriel smirked, unfazed by the dismissal. "I'm calling the boys over. You clearly need the company."
But his tone shifted slightly as he pulled out his phone. "By the way… your wife is literally famous. She's trending on every blog and gossip page. I saw something about her last night."
Cain didn't respond.
Gabriel went on, "She got accepted into two top universities—NYU and Columbia. Impressive, right?"
Cain looked up then, expression unreadable. "I called the admissions board and rejected both offers on her behalf," he said coolly, cutting Gabriel off mid-sentence.
Gabriel sat upright, stunned. "You did what?"
Cain remained silent.
"What the hell, Cain? Why would you do that? Is she even aware?" Gabriel demanded, throwing out the questions in quick succession.
Cain's face was calm, arrogant even. "She's my wife. We are one. I can make decisions for her."
"Correction," Gabriel muttered. "Soon-to-be bride. You haven't even signed the papers yet."
Before Cain could respond, a maid appeared at the door, her voice polite but hesitant.
"Mr. Mysia… your wife is here to see you."
"I'm not his wife," Kassia's voice cut through the room as she barged past the maid and into the office. Her tone was sharp, her steps purposeful.
Gabriel leaned back in his chair, arms folded. "Kassia, my love," he said mockingly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, sorry," Kassia said, startled as she noticed Gabriel. Her voice softened for a moment. "I didn't see you there."
Gabriel stood up. "Kassia. You look... beautiful."
Cain's voice sliced through the awkward tension. "Gabriel. Get out. Now."
Gabriel shrugged and headed toward the door. "Okay, okay. Don't keep me waiting," he added under his breath as he stepped out and shut the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Kassia turned to Cain with fury burning in her eyes.
"Why the hell did I get an email saying my university admissions were successfully rejected?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "Signed by my husband?"
Cain didn't flinch. "You had no right—"
"You had no right to do that!" Kassia shouted, cutting him off.
Cain chuckled lowly, his voice calm in contrast to her rage. "I had every right. We're one now, remember?" He leaned back in his chair. "Did you really think you could hide this from me? You were planning to leave—what? Just travel without my permission?"
"You're unbelievable," she snapped. "You don't own me."
He ignored her words. "Come here, Kassia," he said firmly.
"No. Don't talk to me," she responded, turning toward the door.
"I said, come here. Now."
There was a finality in his tone that made her stop. Slowly, reluctantly, she turned and walked up to him.
"Closer," he said, voice lower now.
She hesitated before stepping directly in front of him.
In one swift motion, Cain grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and smacked her hard across the backside.
Kassia gasped, her body freezing in place. She spun around, eyes wide with disbelief, hand flying to her hip.
"Don't you ever raise your voice at me again," Cain said in a measured, chilling voice.
The room fell into thick silence. Kassia stared at him, stunned, hurt, too shocked to speak. She stood there, trembling slightly, breath caught in her throat.
Then, suddenly, the door flung open again.
"Cain, baby!" a woman's voice rang out.
Both Cain and Kassia turned at once.
A tall, striking woman in a red dress entered the room without invitation. Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she made her way toward Cain with a beaming smile.
Cain immediately dropped Kassia's hand and stood up, his entire demeanor shifting.
"Isabella?" he said, voice hard. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh baby, I came to see you. I've missed you so much." She didn't wait for his reaction. Instead, she walked straight up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, trying to pull him into a hug.
Cain didn't return it. His arms remained stiff at his sides.
Kassia took a step back, expression unreadable now—somewhere between disgust and devastation.
Isabella finally noticed the other presence in the room. "Oh," she said, glancing at Kassia, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You didn't tell me you had company."
Kassia didn't respond. Her face had gone pale, but her posture remained rigid.
Cain gently pushed Isabella off him. "This isn't a good time," he said sharply.
Kassia turned away. Her throat burned, but she refused to let either of them see her break. She didn't say a word as she moved toward the door.
"Kassia," Cain called, stepping forward.
She didn't stop.
"Kassia!"
Still, she walked out—shoulders high, eyes forward, but soul crumbling inside.
And just like that, the storm had only begun.
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Author's note
"Apologies for the delay in posting yesterday!
Chapter's up—let me know what you think!"
Xoxo
CC