Page 57 of The Alpha Wolf's Pregnant Bride

The smooth, intoxicating ripples of the husky tone enter my eardrums and heighten the white noise, turning it blaring now. I snap my head around, my breath hitching in my throat as if I’d just been knocked in the chest. It’s almost as if I’d been calibrated to his deception, his ruse to pose as my newest client. That explains the trepidations I’d been feeling on my way here and why the noise filled my eardrums, as if my intuition became heightened.

I wasn’t tapped into it well enough to foresee what was coming.

“Cyrus…?” I murmur in disbelief, only catching myself when he clears his throat and fixes his tie.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, honey,” he says calmly, taking a seat across the table and turning to our waiter. “Please give us a moment to decide on the menu.”

“Of course,Signore.”The waiter bows curtly and disappears, and there’s a part of me that wants to call him back.

To save me from this disaster.

What is he doing here?

I want to scream at Kenji right now. Did he not cross-examine our client? Doesn’t he know that we don’t deal with the same client twice?

Didn’t I make it crystal clear that we’ll never take work from this particular client?

“Cassie…” Cyrus calls out to me, his voice a gentle, coercing whisper that’s only fitting for the ambiance of the cozy Italian restaurant.

“What do you want?” I snap bitterly, the dark tendrils of anger clawing to the forefront and having me forgetting where we are for a fleeting second. I glance around the room to make sure I wasn’t too loud, then drop my voice and ask, “What are you doing here?” without meeting his eyes.

I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.

I didn’t want to see him again.

Pursing my lips, I grab my purse from the side of my chair and hastily throw the strap over my shoulder.

“I can’t do this,” I admit, despite how much I’m trying to be strong enough not to cave. I get to my feet when a strong pair of fingers wind around my wrist and cuff me in place, stopping me from walking away. All I can do is stare ahead of me, eyes clouding with the emotions I refuse to feel in his presence.

I’d spent every night since I left crying myself to sleep, feeling so helplessly idiotic for everything that’s happened. I should never have given in, knowing Cyrus’s ways.

The moment it was confirmed that he’d never change, by his mother, I knew I had to remove myself from the messy situation. It all happened so quickly that I hadn’t realized that I wanted more. I needed more because that’s just who I am. Iwasn’t going to give myself to him if I thought that he’d only use me.

I’d allowed myself to be heartbroken, and I’m not willing to admit the error of my judgment.

Another error in judgment is the one sitting beside me right now, his fingers scorching my skin as he clutches my wrist.

I didn’t think he’d look for me. Yet he’s here now.

“Please,” he begs, the tone of his voice maintaining its desperate coercion and softness. “Just hear me out.”

I sigh discontentedly, avidly avoiding his eyes as I pull my hand away and take my seat again reluctantly.

The blaring white noise is interrupted when Kenji’s urgent voice can be heard through the earpiece.

“Cassandra?! Are you okay?! What’s happening?!”

I sigh and remove the mic from between my breasts, holding the tiny device to my lips deliberately.

“I’m fine, Kenji. Don’t come for me,” I say into the mic before tapping the power switch and laying it on the table.

A million questions race through my mind while hope sparks in my chest. Cyrus’s mere presence tonight, along with his determination, means that there is hope. Still, I can’t overlook what I know to be true.

All I can say is, “Talk.”

Chapter 16 - Cyrus

“Talk,” Cassandra says.

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