Page 59 of I See You

"I just want you to see the man I see."

Her voice was calm, steady, but it cut straight through him. Her eyes held nothing but truth. Nothing but conviction. And for the first time since he met her—

He didn’t have a single response.

Sevyn saw the way his jaw tightened, the way he looked away from her, swallowing whatever response he wanted to say. She had gotten to him. Even if he didn’t want to admit it. Even if the truthshe spoke had unsettled something deep in him, something he didn’t know how to handle. But despite how calm she seemed, her own heart was pounding. Because for all his coldness, his control—Hassan felt everything. He took a slow breath, his eyes snapping back to hers, and just as he opened his mouth to respond—

"Hassan Gaines?"

A deep, familiar voice cut through the space behind them. Sevyn’s entire body tensed, and when she turned to see who it was—Braxton. The air shifted. Hassan turned slowly, his gaze darting to Braxton, his jaw flexing as his posture remained still, but his presence became lethal. Sevyn saw the way Braxton’s eyes lit up when he spotted her, the way his face softened like he couldn’t believe she was standing in front of him.

"Sevyn?"

His voice was soft, careful, like he was testing the waters. But Sevyn? She didn’t react. Didn’t acknowledge him. Didn’t look at him twice. She picked up her glass, took a slow sip, and looked away like he was nobody. Like she didn’t even know him.

Braxton swallowed, his eyes darkening before shifting back to the tall, commanding man standing beside her. Hassan hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken, but his energy was suffocating, heavy, like a storm about to hit.

"Mr. Gaines, you mind if we talk in your office? We have some legal matters to discuss." Braxton’s voice was controlled, his eyes flicking between Hassan and Sevyn, watching them.

Hassan’scoldgazemethis,hispostureunshaken,unbothered.

Then, low, sharp, cutting—

"Nah. I know you not 12, so who the fuck are you?"

Hassan took a step closer, his presence towering, his voice calm— but deadly. Sevyn saw the way Braxton’s confidence wavered, the slight flicker of fear in his eyes—but he stood his ground. She could feel the heat radiating off Hassan’s body, knew the way this was about to go if she didn’t stop it. Her hand moved on impulse, gently reaching out, her fingers grasping his forearm.

Hassan’s body instantly relaxed. Like muscle memory. Like she was the only person who could do that to him. But his gaze never left Braxton.

Braxton saw it. Saw the way Hassan didn’t react to people, didn’t let people touch him—but let her. And that? That pissed him off.

Jealousyflashedacrosshisfeatures,hisfiststighteningathis sides. He wanted to speak, wanted to demand to know what was happening between them—but he wasn’t dumb. Not in Hassan’s city. Not in Hassan’s casino. Not standing in front of a man who could end his career, his life, and everything in between without lifting a single fucking finger.

"I am the lead prosecutor on a high-profile case, and it's just some loose ends I'm trying to tie up." Braxton’s tone was sharper now, laced with something defensive, and both Sevyn and Hassan caught it immediately.

Hassan didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t show a single reaction besides bringing his drink to his lips, taking a slow sip before finally speaking. "If I’m not being arrested for shit, then you can leave. I don’t talk to 12 or anyone affiliated close to them, and since you didn’t receive an invite to join this party, then you get the fuck out." His tone was calm, composed—so smooth it almost sounded like an invitation instead of a command.

But the underlying threat was loud as fuck.

Braxtonshifteduncomfortably,theweightofHassan’swords hitting him like a slow-burning realization. No threat. Just a promise. Sevyn couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips at how effortlesslycalmandcommandingHassanwas.Hedidn’tneedto raisehisvoice.Hedidn’tneedtomakeascene.Hispresencealone was a warning.

Braxton’s eyes flicked back to her, his mind running a mile a minute, trying to figure out what the fuck she was doing here, in this environment, standing this close to him. He had always known the type of man Hassan was. Even though Hassan had never been in legal trouble, never made himself a target for law enforcement, Braxton knew the reputation he carried, the whispers that followed him likea shadow.

And yet, Sevyn was standing next to him.

Sevyn, his Sevyn. Sevyn, the woman who used to wake up beside him. Sevyn, the woman who wouldn’t even look at him now.

She finally met his gaze, her expression hidden behind the mask, but the sharpness in her eyes said everything she wasn’t saying out loud.

She was looking at him like she didn’t know him. Like he was just some nigga in her past. Like he was nothing.

And that? That cut deeper than anything Hassan could’ve saidto him. But Braxton wasn’t leaving. Not yet. He still had one more person he needed to talk to.

"Sevyn?" He called her name, trying to look around Hassan’s towering frame to get to her. Sevyn’s eyes snapped to him, her own jaw tightening as she clenched her clutch.

"Can we talk?" His voice held hesitation, like he already knew the answer but had to try anyway.

Before she could even form a response, Hassan spoke first. "Nah."

---