Chapter 25

Anastasia nodded. “Yeah, what are the odds.” She knew Cassian was supposed to be meeting friends for drinks tonight. Cassian’s attention immediately locked onto her hand—even in the restaurant’s dim lighting, the angry red burns across her pale skin were impossible to miss. His expression darkened instantly, something dangerous flashing behind his eyes.

“Jesus, what happened?” His voice was tight with barely controlled anger.

Anastasia instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back. “Just a coffee accident. Total klutz move.” She wasn’t entirely sure if Valeria had deliberately served her molten coffee, but the temperature had definitely been suspicious.

“Let me see.” Without waiting for permission, Cassian gently captured her injured hand and led her to the sink area, immediately turning on cold water. His touch was impossibly tender as he guided her hand under the stream, treating her like she was made of spun glass. His large hands completely engulfed hers, the contrast making her feel delicate and protected in a way that sent her heart racing. The cold water was soothing, but it couldn’t cool the heat spreading through her chest from his intense care.

“Better?” His voice was soft with concern, his thumb tracing careful circles around the uninjured skin of her wrist.

“Much better,” she whispered, though truthfully, his touch was making her feel dizzy for entirely different reasons. The burns still stung, but watching him focus so intently on taking care of her made everything else fade into background noise.

Cassian frowned as he examined the damage. “Coffee doesn’t get this hot by accident. Someone fucked up badly.” Anastasia almost told him about Valeria’s sketchy behavior but stopped herself. She didn’t want to drag him into her family drama or make him worry more than he already was.

“Probably just an overworked barista,” she said, trying to sound casual. Cassian’s piercing gaze suggested he wasn’t buying her explanation, but he didn’t push. He turned off the water and pulled an expensive silk handkerchief from his jacket, gently patting her hand dry with infinite care.

“I’ve got aloe gel and burn cream at home. Can you leave now?” His protective tone made her stomach flutter.

Anastasia sighed. “I wish I could, but Mr. Parker still hasn’t signed anything.” That perverted asshole had been stalling all night with his wandering hands and inappropriate comments. But she needed this contract signed so Jasper couldn’t find more excuses to delay their separation.

Cassian’s entire demeanor went ice-cold. “You’ve been dealing with this for over an hour, got injured, and he still hasn’t signed?” The way he said it made Parker sound like a dead man walking.

“I’ll have Phillips take care of it.” His voice was deadly calm. Marco Parker was about to discover what happened when you messed with Mrs. Rhodes.

“You can’t just swoop in and handle my work stuff! Besides, aren’t your friends waiting for you?” Anastasia protested, though part of her was secretly thrilled by his protective instincts.

“My friends can wait.” His tone left absolutely no room for argument. “We’re going home so I can properly treat those burns.” The possessive way he said “we” and “home” made her knees weak. Seeing that implacable expression, Anastasia knew resistance was pointless—and honestly, she didn’t want to resist. Being taken care of by him felt better than any business deal.

As he escorted her out, she heard him speaking curtly into his phone, giving Phillips instructions to handle the Parker situation immediately. Anastasia felt guilty about involving his assistant, but she’d definitely thank Phillips properly later. The man was probably used to cleaning up situations for his boss anyway.

Meanwhile, across the restaurant in another private dining room, Yinsen Hunter was getting progressively drunker with their crew. Multiple empty bottles of premium whiskey decorated their table.

‘Where the fuck is Cassian? This was his idea!’ one guy complained, checking his Rolex. “He specifically wanted to come to this place.”

‘Maybe he’s got some secret side action going on here,’ another joked, loosening his tie.

‘Cassian Rhodes with a secret girlfriend? Dude’s probably asexual. Only woman I’ve ever seen him with is Sonia Vinci at those corporate galas, and that’s strictly business.’

The table erupted in drunken laughter as they continued roasting their absent friend. Yinsen waved his glass dismissively. “Relax, guys. He’s probably just stuck in some emergency board meeting or whatever. You know how he is.” They kept drinking and waiting, completely oblivious that their notoriously reliable friend had just abandoned them for a woman. And they were all expecting him to handle the extremely expensive tab they were racking up.