Chapter 2 - The Debt With My Name On It
The door opened slowly.
Cassian's men moved first.
One stepped between Clara and the entrance.
Another locked the door.
The entire diner went silent.
A man entered anyway.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing a dark raincoat.
His eyes immediately found Clara.
Then they moved to Noah.
Cassian stood.
The stranger smiled.
“Mr. Rossi.”
Cassian didn't return it.
“Leave.”
“I came for the woman.”
“She isn't yours.”
The man laughed.
“Derek Hayes disagrees.”
Clara felt sick.
Cassian stepped forward.
“You have ten seconds.”
The man's smile disappeared.
“You're protecting another man's collateral?”
Cassian's eyes became cold.
“She isn't collateral.”
The man glanced at Clara.
“That's not what Derek said.”
Clara stepped backward.
Cassian noticed.
Without looking at her, he extended one hand behind him.
“Stay there.”
Something about his voice made her obey.
The stranger finally left.
But not before saying:
“Viktor will be disappointed.”
Cassian waited until the door shut.
Then he turned to Clara.
“You're coming with me.”
She immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You can't order me around.”
“I can.”
“You're no better than Derek.”
Cassian stopped.
The comparison clearly struck something deep.
Clara regretted saying it.
But he only nodded.
“You're right about one thing.”
“What?”
“You don't know me.”
He picked up his coat.
“So you shouldn't trust me.”
Clara stared at him.
“Then why should I go with you?”
“Because the men outside aren't waiting to discuss your feelings.”
She looked toward Noah.
The boy had fallen asleep again.
Clara's eyes burned.
“I have nowhere to go.”
Cassian's expression softened.
“I know.”
“How?”
“Your landlord changed your locks at six fourteen.”
Clara froze.
“How do you know that?”
Cassian didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he handed her a card.
“Hotel Rossi. Penthouse floor. You'll have a private suite.”
“I can't afford it.”
“You're not paying.”
“Why?”
“Because your husband created this problem.”
She stared at the card.
Then she noticed something.
There was no hotel logo.
Only a phone number.
And beneath it:
Cassian Rossi.
Clara slowly stood.
She lifted Noah.
Cassian moved toward the door.
His men surrounded them.
Outside, the rain continued falling.
The drive to the hotel was silent.
Clara sat beside Noah in the back seat.
Cassian sat opposite her.
He never touched her.
He never demanded anything.
That frightened her more than aggression would have.
When they arrived, Clara expected a hotel.
Instead, the car entered an underground garage beneath a private building.
The elevator opened directly into a luxurious apartment.
Clara stood frozen.
“This isn't a hotel.”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“My residence.”
Her eyes widened.
“I can't stay here.”
“You can tonight.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“Somewhere else.”
She looked at him suspiciously.
“You're really not going to touch me?”
Cassian's expression changed.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you already have enough reasons to be afraid.”
That answer stayed with her.
Later, after Noah fell asleep in a guest room, Clara stood alone in the kitchen.
Cassian was near the windows.
She noticed his phone ringing.
He answered.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“No.”
Another pause.
His expression hardened.
“Don't tell Viktor anything.”
Clara couldn't hear the other voice.
Cassian hung up.
She stepped closer.
“What happened?”
He looked at her.
“Your husband wasn't only in debt.”
“What else?”
“He left something behind.”
“What?”
Cassian walked toward a locked drawer.
He opened it.
Inside was a thick folder.
Clara saw her own name.
CLARA HAYES.
Her hands became cold.
“Why do you have that?”
Cassian removed a document.
“Because Derek signed this.”
She read the first line.
Then the second.
Her vision blurred.
At the bottom was Derek's signature.
And beneath it were six words that made her blood run cold:
WIFE TRANSFERRED AS DEBT COLLATERAL.
Clara stared at the paper.
Then she noticed the date.
It had been signed six months before she left Derek.
And beneath Derek's signature was another signature.
May you like
One she recognized immediately.
Her own...
