Page 29 of Blood Heir

Cassian listens for a few moments, voice low. “Oh. I see. You’re welcome. I’ll let him know.” He lowers the phone, finally allowing himself a twitch of amusement. “That was Brother Stefano. The nuns raised five million at the fundraiser.” Hepauses, glancing at Emilia with clear mischief. “They say it’s thanks to Fioretta. And Emilia.”

Emilia swings her head toward me, her voice rising again into full hysteria. “She sold my clothes!” Her hands fling up, as if physically throwing away invisible dresses. “She even tried to auction off my panties. There just wasn’t enough time left!”

That’s it. Cassian cracks. He bursts out laughing, the sound rich, uncontrolled. His shoulders shake as he leans back, barely able to catch his breath.

Emilia screams, “Fuck you!” and launches herself at him. Her fists pound against his chest, useless against his frame. He doesn’t even bother blocking her—he’s too busy laughing, each punch only fueling his amusement.

I push up from my chair, grabbing Emilia by the shoulders and pulling her back before she works herself into full collapse. “Enough. Calm down.”

She jerks against my hold, voice raw. “You’re blaming me! You’re saying it’s my fault!”

“Are you sure you didn’t provoke her?” I ask evenly, holding her at arm’s length.

Emilia glares up at me, mascara streaking under her eyes. “You think I deserved it?”

“Most likely,” Cassian adds between wheezes of laughter.

“Die,” she spits at him, snapping her head toward him before swinging back to me.

I exhale slowly, steadying my voice. “Look—I’ll make it up to you. Just stay away from her. I told you to do that already. She isn’t herself.”

Emilia’s breath hitches as she wipes her cheeks roughly. “I think she is exactly herself.”

I narrow my eyes. “What does that mean?”

“She’s faking,” Emilia hisses, eyes darting back and forth like she’s finally revealing a conspiracy no one’s listening to. “Her test results said she’s physically fine. No brain damage. No memory issues. She’s pretending.”

Cassian folds his arms, his grin barely contained. “She was eavesdropping.”

“Shut up!” Emilia barks at him before whipping back to face me, her chest still heaving.

“I think she remembers everything, Serevin. And she’s playing you. She’s waiting for the right time to destroy me. Destroy us. She already tried once. Don’t you see? She’s setting a trap.”

I run my hand over my jaw, sighing deeply. “That’s enough for tonight. You need rest.” My voice drops lower. “Tell me what she sold. I’ll replace it.”

Emilia lets out a bitter laugh through her tears. “You fool. You’re still in love with her.”

My gaze sharpens. “What are you talking about?”

She steps closer, voice breaking but sharp beneath the sobs. “You think she won’t come for you, too? When she remembers? She hates you. She hates me. And you’re standing here like some lovesick idiot while she plays her little game.”

I clamp my jaw shut, breathing through my nose. “Cassian—”

Cassian nods, already moving toward her. His grin betrays him.

“Stop smiling!” Emilia shrieks at him. She slams her heel down hard on his foot, shoves his chest as hard as she can manage—which barely moves him—and storms out, slamming the office door behind her.

Cassian watches her leave, his grin finally splitting into full laughter once the door closes. His shoulders shake as he exhales. “Boss…she’s going to kill me one day.”

I rub my temples, letting my head fall back slightly. “Get in line.”

The office door slams behind Emilia, leaving behind a suffocating quiet.

I exhale, long and heavy, and drop back into my chair. The leather groans under me. My hand drags down my face, fingers pressing into my temples, as if I can massage away the headache pounding at the back of my skull.

Across from me, Cassian watches—far too entertained. His arms fold across his chest, that insufferable smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He lets the silence hang a few seconds longer before breaking it. “Auctioning off panties,” he says, voice light, almost amused. “Oh, Emilia’s right about one thing. Your wife is going to end you when she remembers everything.”

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