Morning arrived quietly.
In the city of Demond, nearly fifty inches of snow covered the city. The sky had cleared, and the sunlight spread across the rooftops and streets, making the white floor gleam. Salt trucks had already passed through the roads, leaving dark, wet lines behind them. Shop owners cleared the sidewalks and shovelled snow away from their entrances while they worked.
Elsewhere, in a district where the lights never turned off, one of Cassian Crown's clubs remained open, as it always did.
Inside a private room above the main floor, Cassian Crown sat on a red leather couch with a cigarette dangling carelessly between his fingers. He took a slow drag, then exhaled it through his nose as he narrowed his gaze at a man named Jason.
Jason was on his knees, his head covered in a thick black pillow-like cover, and his hands bound tightly behind his back. "I made a mistake, Cassian Crown. If I had known who France was, I would never have gone near him. I would not even have dared to look in his direction!" Jason shouted frenziedly before leaning forward in submission. His shoulders trembled with pure fear at being in the presence of Cassian.
Cassian Crown was someone who rarely made appearances like other elites or magnets did at exclusive parties, in high-end restaurants, or in luxurious shopping malls. He was not only from a conglomerate bloodline that owned the premium luxury hotel chain 'Crowns', but also a Don who ruled the underworld.
Before continuing, Jason humbled his tone, "If you give me a second chance, you and France will never have to see my face again. I swear on my dead parents. I will leave the city for good."
Cassian lowered his cigarette and watched Jason as though he were nothing more than a worm twisting and turning to be free. He tapped the cigarette once against the ashtray before speaking decisively, "I am getting bored, Jason. If you are going to beg, then make it worth my time! So far, you sound utterly pathetic, like a child whining for scraps. If you truly want to leave here in one piece, amuse me. Show me how desperate you can be, and maybe, probably, I'll consider something." Cassian challenged Jason, although he had already decided his fate. And he wouldn't be surprised if Jason already knew he was not going to see the daylight once he left this room.
"What is it you want to hear from me, Cassian Crown? Just say the word, and I'll do it," Jason cried, gritting his teeth. He was not just any random man, but ran a successful modelling company. How dare this Cassian, an illegitimate son who had murdered his own half-brother to control the Crown empire, kidnap him and treat him like a common criminal? Despite hating Cassian, he loved his life, so he begged just as Cassian wanted. "I will be forever in debt—"
"Horrendous!" Cassian declared before Jason had a chance to say more.
Just as Jason was trying to grasp what had just occurred, he heard Cassian ask a question that left him utterly still. "How many dicks have you tasted till now, Jason?" Cassian's question almost made Jason choke on his saliva. "I have heard you keep a ledger of how many asses you fucked and how many dicks you have tasted until now."
For several seconds, Jason failed to understand what he had just heard before slowly absorbing Cassian's words as they sank in, and confusion clouded his brain even more.
He had been pleading for his life, and out of nowhere, Cassian asked him about dicks!
What was happening?
Did Cassian want something from him?
Then, as if a light bulb had turned on, it suddenly clicked...
Was it possible that the King of this room, the Don, the Devil was… secretly interested in men?
Jason questioned silently while his heart raced. A ray of hope suddenly shone in his eyes, despite everything seeming dark around him due to the black cloth covering his face.
Summoning the courage with a breath of hesitation, he prepared to utter the words he never thought he would say to Cassian Crown's face. But he tried anyway. "You have explored women. How about it is time to explore something different? A single word from you is all I need to show you how handsome a man like you deserves to be touched and worshipped. Allow me to show you what men can offer you." Despite being held against his will, Jason couldn't help but lick his parched lips, imagining how Cassian Crown's cock would taste in his mouth.
Cassian was every man's and woman's wet dream. It wasn't a secret in elite circles and the underworld that Cassian Crown preferred a very specific kind of woman, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts from women who lacked nothing at all except the misfortune of not looking like the one he preferred. Yet that didn't stop women and men from fantasising about him.
If only Jason had seen beyond the black cloth covering his face, he would have noticed that Cassian sat with a calm expression, completely still in his chair, without shifting a bit.
And then Cassian laughed. He laughed as if there were no tomorrow. Then everything went silent, just as his laughter had filled the room seconds ago. "You are quite bold for a man who is about to die!" Cassian reminded him and then leaned back on the sofa, resting his hands on the surface as he narrowed his eyes at Jason. "You are still not satisfied even after what you and your friends did to France. You have no guilt toward my brother for what you all did to him! And now you dream of me? You are one fucked-up Bastard!" And his entire aura turned grim.
Cassian Crown was currently the acting president, overseeing the family's vast empire. Meanwhile, behind the legal businesses, he ran a network of casinos, cruise gambling operations, and nightclubs, linking him to the mafia world. France was like his younger brother, who had tried to commit suicide this morning out of shame and fear. And that was what made Jason and his friends unforgivable.
Cassian did not care about the world, right or wrong, justice or injustice. What he cared about was who he called his family. And this arse and his friends had drugged France and violated him without mercy while they laughed at him.
Fearing for his life, Jason burst out in desperation once more. "I am sorry, Don! Forgive me!" All the adrenaline that had rushed through his body moments earlier had now depleted. "I—I told you, I didn't know who he was! Can't you just let it go—for once?!"
Even as he spoke, resentment crept into Jason's tone. He simply did not understand why he had to beg for mercy when the whole world violated someone or another. Was it not normal? And instead of swallowing the thought, he let his rotten brain spill in front of Cassian, momentarily forgetting that he was at Cassian's mercy.
"Every day, every second, someone is violated. It is a part of our society. And you, Cassian Crown, who runs the mafia—even your hands are not clean. You should be happy that we didn't kill him and make his body vanish…" And he stopped! Not only did his tongue freeze, but so did his brain.
He was doomed; he knew that moment.
Cassian did not comment; instead, he merely watched Jason crumble.
Jason's breathing grew uneven. "T-take all my money and property. Let me live, Cassian. I beg you!" He then heard a soft tapping sound.
Cassian Crown tapped his finger against the armrest slowly and rhythmically while his gaze remained locked on Jason, almost contemplatively.
"Mark," Cassian began, "if we were to eliminate the root cause of his crimes, would it truly end his savage behaviour?"
Mark, who had not looked at Jason until now, shifted his full attention to the man kneeling before them. The effect of Cassian's words was instantaneous as Jason's body quivered, and panic coiled tightly in his gut. Even though his face was hidden, it was evident that he had gone pale.
"In my opinion," Mark replied at once, "men like him do not stop simply because their rod has been detached from their body. They will substitute the thrill with something else. And as time passes, their suppressed desires return with force and turn them into monsters once more. In no time, matters will escalate. He will start kidnapping men and might do unthinkable things to them. And the most important part is when he cannot bring himself to release, he will most likely kill the person out of frustration." Mark divulged his thoughts, ensuring Jason heard every word. "I have seen a similar situation in a movie, Boss."
Cassian's lips curved upward slightly at Mark's choice of words. He knew how to play this game very well.
"That is why you are my right-hand man," Cassian stated, not shifting his attention from Jason. "If Jason had encountered someone like you earlier in his life, perhaps he would not be kneeling here now."
Mark let out a low breath that might have passed for a chuckle.
"You are generous with your words as always, Boss."
Jason's stomach churned. Sweat broke out across his skin as his body began to tremble violently. Fear stripped away the arrogance he always paraded with.
"Cassian—" His voice shook. "I'm begging you. I'll kneel before France and do whatever he asks of me!" Sex was the greatest pleasure in his life, second only to money. The idea of living without it was unbearable. "Everything I said before—I didn't mean it. I lost my head for a moment. I'll give you all my money, my properties, all of it! Please, let me go in one piece! I am begging you!" Even fully aware that he was barking up the wrong tree, he still clung to hope, that stubborn force which kept people going. "I'll never take advantage of anyone again. If you want, I'll go and apologise to every person I have wronged. Even God offers a second chance, Cassian. Please let me prove I can change! It's absurd what Mark just said. I have never killed anyone before. Don't you think your right-hand man is exaggerating?"
"And what if we remove both his eyes? Would that solve it?" Cassian asked Mark, ignoring Jason's babbling.
Hearing Cassian speak so casually about blinding him made Jason collapse onto the floor, his ass hitting the floor. His body convulsed uncontrollably out of anxiety.
Mark's lips curved faintly, seeing Jason soiling his pants.
It always worked.
"No," Mark answered instantly. "He would adapt, Boss. We are a species that adapts. He will target the fragile ones who cannot protect themselves. He will use his blindness to gain sympathy and, at the right moment, attack them. I witnessed a similar situation in another movie. The police and people did not even suspect the blind man because of his condition."
Mark watched Jason with sneering hatred. France was someone both he and Cassian had raised. And this bastard and his friends had done unspeakable things to France. Anyone else would have put a bullet in their head. But Cassian Crown was a devil who never rushed punishment.
What he preferred was a lifetime of torment.
Cassian rose to his full height. He was six feet one inch tall, with long arms and legs, and a well-proportioned body. He took one final drag from his cigarette before he flicked it to the floor and crushed it beneath the sole of his polished designer shoe.
Two men behind Jason grabbed him by the arms and hoisted him up.
"Take him to the base prison," Cassian instructed, adjusting his folded sleeves with composed ease. "And send his wife divorce papers with his signature. State that he is in love with someone else and does not wish to continue the marriage."
With that, Cassian turned and strode toward the exit stairs, heading downstairs. He delivered a final decree meant for Mark to hear.
"Tie him to the bed naked with his legs spread wide and arms secured. Play porn nonstop."
Mark stiffened slightly, his brow furrowing as confusion flickered across his face. Wasn't his boss supposed to punish Jason? This felt like the exact opposite. Yet, he kept his mouth shut and waited for further instructions.
"Make sure he is bound all the time and unable to find release. If later the porn fails to excite him, hire people to perform in front of Jason. Keep him deprived of sex. Let him twist, wiggle, shake, suffer, to see the sex he craves is right in front of him, but he can't touch it. And after enough misery, free his one hand and let him touch himself, and just as he nears climax, you know what to do, and then send him to a slave establishment!"
Mark's confusion evaporated, and a pleased smile spread across his face. He hoped France would feel a bit better knowing Jason and the other culprits were paying for their deeds.
As they approached the car, Mark opened the rear door for his boss. Once the car began to move, Cassian gave another instruction. "Ensure all his untraceable assets are transferred to our company's name. The same goes for the other three as well."
"It will be done, Boss!" replied Mark.