Chapter 82
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The dim light in the corner barely traced the sharp, cold lines of Cassian’s face. The only thing that flickered in the darkness. was the cigarette between his fingers, its tip glowing and fading with each breath.
Maybe the smell was so heavy now that Aurelia couldn’t catch even a hint of any woman’s perfume. She had no idea how long Cassian had been sitting there smoking, but the ashtray next to him was already scattered with a handful of cigarette
butts.
In Aurelia’s memory, Cassian had never been a smoker. Even back when he was just starting out, under all that pressure, he never touched a cigarette.
Now that he had both love and success, he had suddenly started smoking. It just didn’t add up and was honestly baffling.
Aurelia was just briefly curious, nothing more. She honestly couldn’t care less about the answer. Just like now, she completely ignored Cassian and headed straight back to the restaurant to finish her meal.
But just as she took a step, Cassian spoke up from behind her. His tone was as contemptuous as ever, laced with that familiar sarcasm. “So now that you’ve pulled off one little project, you think you’re better than everyone else? Aurelia, I never realized you could forget your roots like this,” he sneered.
Aurelia clenched her fists, her heart giving a sharp, stabbing jolt, like she’d just been pricked by a needle. ‘Forget where I came from? So that’s how he sees me?‘ Aurelia thought, the sting lingering in her chest.
But Cassian didn’t back down. If anything, he got even more aggressive. “Aurelia, did you forget you still owe me something?” He was dragging up old history on purpose, trying to force her to give in to him again. Just like before, when there were no
limits to how much she had to bend.
Cassian stepped closer, standing right in front of her, their eyes locked. His gaze was icy cold, the pressure almost suffocating. His face was emotionless, his eyes like a deep blue sea, unfathomable, cold, and utterly alone.
Emotions were swirling in those depths, feelings she couldn’t read, no matter how hard she tried. Back in the day, Aurelia would’ve tried to get inside his head, to figure out what was going on behind those eyes. But not anymore.
Aurelia stood her ground, refusing to back down. She met his chilling, frosty gaze head–on, enunciating every word with deliberate emphasis. “Cassian, I’ve already paid back everything I owed you. I don’t owe you anything anymore,” she said, her voice steady and resolute.
Cassian looked at her coldly. “You think just saying it makes it true? That’s all it takes?”
“Yeah! I said I’m done paying you back, so I am!” Aurelia fired back, her voice steady and defiant. As long as her conscience was clear, that was all that mattered.
Cassian narrowed his eyes, giving Aurelia a slow, deliberate once–over. After a moment, he snorted with a cold laugh. “Really? With what, exactly?”
It was the kind of scar that never fades, buried deep inside Aurelia’s heart, one that would never really go away. She didn’t dare mention it or even let herself think about it.
But Cassian just threw it out there without a second thought, tearing her wound wide open and letting her pain spill out all over again. He really didn’t care if she lived or died.
She looked at Cassian, her eyes red and raw, slowly losing all warmth, turning cold and empty, like a lifeless sea. “Bottom line is, I’ve paid you back,” she said, her voice trembling, barely more than a whisper.
Her words were so quiet, they almost faded into the air. As soon as she finished speaking, it was as if all her strength had left her. On instinct alone, she turned and walked away.
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Chapter 82
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Step by step, she moved farther from the man she had once loved so recklessly. Cassian stood rooted to the spot, watching as her figure slowly disappeared into the distance.
Her steps were slow, but her resolve was unwavering. He couldn’t help but remember the unshed tears in her eyes just now. Cassian’s chest felt tight, weighed down by a mess of emotions he couldn’t even name.
‘What was it that made her hurt so much in that moment?‘ he wondered. Before Cassian could dwell on it any longer, Liam tagged him in the group chat.
[Gideon’s not crushing on Aurelia, is he? I just googled it. The flowers mean admiration, silence, and unspoken love.]
He tagged Gideon again. [Gideon, say something!]
But nobody replied. Cassian just kept staring at that message, lost in thought.
With everyone feeling low, the meal ended pretty quickly. Jasper had actually planned to take Tessa out to enjoy the bay at night. After all, the night view of the bay was what Vireston was famous for.
But after dinner, he didn’t even mention it. No one was in the mood for anything.
Tessa said she was going back to the hotel to meet up with the project team. They needed to figure out what went wrong and get their heads back in the game.
“No wonder you’re such a boss, Tessa. If it were me, I’d probably be stuck in a funk for ages before I could get it together again,” Jasper said, clearly impressed.
“It’s just one loss,” Tessa said, sounding like she’d already moved on. “And honestly, it wasn’t even a big deal. We still made it onto the main list, so that’s something.”
“Right!” Jasper chimed in. “I should really take a page from you!”
Aurelia was just lucky. If it were about real skill, she could ever compete with Tessa.
While Cassian was paying the bill, a waiter pushed a massive bouquet and a cake toward the right side of the restaurant. Nearby, a couple of waiters were whispering to each other.
“The confession’s about to happen! Don’t forget to switch the music to something more romantic!” one of them said.
“I just served the girl at her table; she’s absolutely stunning and has such an elegant vibe! No wonder Mr. Morris is so invested in her. He reached out to the restaurant well in advance and planned this whole romantic setup,” another waiter chimed in.
“But there’s another guy with them, too. What’s his deal?” While the waiters gossiped, the bouquet and cake were rolled right over to the table everyone was watching.
Tessa and Jasper spotted Aurelia at the same moment. “Flowers again? What’s up with that?” Jasper remarked.
Cassian came back from paying the bill, just in time to hear Jasper’s comment. He looked over at Aurelia. But it was just a neutral glance, his eyes giving nothing away.
He honestly didn’t seem to care at all that someone was about to confess to Aurelia. Jasper had been a bit worried at first, but seeing how Cassian acted, he finally felt at ease. ‘Guess Cassian really is over Aurelia,‘ Jasper thought.
Even catching someone confessing to her right in front of him, he didn’t even flinch. If he didn’t react, it just meant he didn’t care. And if he didn’t care, of course he wouldn’t be bothered.
After Cassian looked away, Tessa slipped her arm through his and said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
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Chapter 82
“Okay,” Cassian replied, leading her out of the restaurant.
As Jasper rushed after them, he accidentally bumped into a waiter, causing a bit of a scene. Aurelia looked over. She caught sight of Cassian and Tessa leaving together, arm in arm
She stood there for a moment, stunned, before it finally hit her. ‘So that’s why Cassian acted like that in the corner by the restroom earlier. He was just defending Tessa,‘ Aurelia realized.
After all, she’d stolen the spotlight from the woman he cared about, so he came over to put her in her place, throwing all that sarcasm her way.
‘Seriously, he’s going all out to defend her,‘ Aurelia scoffed inwardly. ‘And honestly, it’s just so pathetic. We’ve been keeping our distance for ages, and now he just has to pop up and mess with me again!’ Aurelia fumed to herself.
On the other side of the room, Gideon saw it all too. But his mood was the total opposite of Aurelia’s.
Honestly, he was pretty pleased to see Cassian and Tessa looking so close. That meant one less big rival for him to worry about. But for now, he still had another competitor to keep an eye on.
Tyson was actually about to call off the flowers and cake, but Mila nudged him, pointing out that with so many people around, a confession wasn’t really possible. It made more sense to treat it as a celebration for InquireMind’s big win, which was a good reason to celebrate regardless.
Tyson told Aurelia the same thing, reassuring her with a smile. Just as expected, Aurelia’s face lit up with happiness, and she personally cut the cake, looking genuinely delighted.
But Gideon wasn’t buying it. He knew things weren’t that simple. Guys know what guys think. He could see right through Tyson.
