Cassandra went home with a kind of exhaustion she couldn't describe.
She genuinely had no idea what sin she committed in a past life to deserve meeting the same infuriating man twice within 24 hours.
With the same attitude.
With the same chaos-inducing energy.
With the same nerve-wrecking intensity that hijacked her entire nervous system.
She pressed an ice pack to her temple and sighed.
"A few days away… far from that Cassian Sterling bastard, and I'll be fine. That's it. That's the plan."
The plan should've worked.
Too bad it died in under three hours.
Meanwhile, in the penthouse towering over the city like a private throne, Cassian sat staring at the skyline with an expression almost no one had ever seen:
Euphoria.
His body trembled slightly.
Not from anger.
Not from frustration.
But from the rise of something that shouldn't exist inside any normal human.
But Cassian Sterling was anything but normal.
Cassandra Casano.
That girl should've been terrified.
She should've bowed.
She should've apologized for even breathing near him last night.
But she didn't.
Cassandra stood tall and met his gaze without flinching.
Cassian's smile curved—dangerous, unsettling, the kind of smile that never meant anything good.
"That girl… interesting," he murmured, taking a slow sip of whiskey. "You think you can challenge me on my own territory?"
He chuckled—low and pleased—just as his phone rang.
Lorenzo.
Cassian answered without emotion.
"What is it?"
"—"
"Hm? She's leaving town?" His eyebrow lifted.
"Send me her ticket details. Now."
He hung up. Seconds later, the full itinerary flashed on his screen.
Cassandra Casano.
Departure: today.
Destination: clear.
Airline: clear.
Cassian let out a short, dark laugh.
"Oh, you think you can slip away that easily… how adorable."
He dialed Lorenzo again.
"Is the city she's headed to accessible by car?"
"—"
"Good. The airline?"
"—"
"All right." Cassian rolled up his sleeves, calm and precise.
"Cancel her flight. Shut down all transport routes. Only allow ground access. Issue official notices under my name and Lorenzo's. You have one hour."
He ended the call.
Silence filled the penthouse.
Then a soft laugh escaped him once more.
Today he'd been laughing far more than usual— All because of one girl.
"Let's play, Cassandra Casano."
By 5 PM, Cassandra was supposed to be airborne.
Instead, her flight was canceled with zero explanation.
She almost threw her phone at the wall.
"What the hell!?"
Flights canceled.
Transport routes shut down.
Every possible exit blocked.
The only way out?
Drive herself.
Cassandra clutched her hair.
"I just want a vacation! I'm not running from the mafia!"
But she still grabbed her BMW keys, threw on her leather jacket, and stormed out.
She needed to get out before she burned something in the office tomorrow.
She drove calmly—until she hit the open-speed highway.
That was when hell officially started.
A Porsche 911 Turbo S blasted past her like a bullet.
Cassandra froze… then screamed:
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
Of course she sped up.
Cassandra wasn't the type to accept defeat—especially not when her ego was already shredded from the past two days.
The two cars danced across the asphalt like dueling demons.
Overtaking.
Pushing.
Provoking.
Until Cassandra abruptly pulled over, opened the door, and vomited on the side of the road.
As she was catching her breath, the Porsche slowed down.
Its window slid open.
A hand emerged.
A middle finger.
Then it sped off again.
Cassandra stared, horrified.
"…Which bastard was that!?"
The answer was simple.
And painful.
Cassian Sterling.
Inside the Porsche, Cassian exhaled sharply and took another swig of whiskey from a small bottle.
"That girl…"
He shut his eyes, fighting the strange electricity crawling under his skin.
"…is exhilarating."
He made another call.
"Find her dating history. All of it. Names, duration, reasons they ended. I want the details tonight."
Then he drove off like he hadn't just caused emotional homicide.
Back at the city border, Cassandra's relief evaporated instantly.
The gates were closed.
"…What now," she whispered.
Then the same cursed Porsche arrived.
Stopped beside her.
And the driver got out.
Cassian Sterling.
He spoke to the guards.
The gates opened.
Then he turned to Cassandra with a look no human should possess.
"If you want to enter, get out and follow me."
Cassandra blinked, then gave him a tight smile—half irritation, half disbelief.
"No thanks. I'm going home."
She drove away.
Leaving Cassian frozen.
Silent.
Tense.
Caught between rage and admiration.
No one ever rejected him.
No one ever turned their back on him.
No one ever challenged Cassian Sterling in public.
Except Cassandra Casano.
Cassian finally slid back into his Porsche, laughing coldly.
"All right, little girl. You want to play hard? Let's play."
He called Lorenzo.
"Cancel one of the thirty partnerships we have with Casano Group. Choose whichever you like. Send an official explanation. Then forward all of Cassandra's work records to me."
After hanging up, Cassian sifted through the data.
The longer he read…
The more irritated he got.
"No mistakes?
No cracks?
No flaws?"
He slammed the file shut.
"Is this girl perfect?"
But that irritation vanished the moment a darker idea formed.
He smirked sharply and called his secretary.
"Send an official letter to Casano Group. I want Cassandra assigned as my on-site personal assistant for our largest project. Make it formal: I want to evaluate her skills directly before signing the contract."
"Yes, sir."
Cassian hung up, smiling like a man choosing prey.
"Welcome to hell, Cassandra. You lit the fire.
Now you burn with it."
__________________________________________
TBC