Chapter 4 - The Betrayal Inside Our Walls
The first thing Cassian did after seeing the message was drop his phone.
It hit the marble floor.
The sound echoed through the abandoned hotel.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone in that room had seen his face.
And everyone knew something terrible had happened.
I had spent years watching Cassian Voss face impossible situations.
I had seen him negotiate with men who wanted him destroyed.
I had watched him walk into rooms where everyone hated him and leave with complete control.
But I had never seen him look like that.
Like the ground beneath him had disappeared.
"Cassian."
My voice was quiet.
He didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the phone screen.
I stepped closer.
"What did it say?"
For a moment, I thought he wouldn't tell me.
That he would do what he always did.
Protect me by hiding the truth.
But then he looked at me.
And I saw something I had never seen before.
Regret.
"The message came from inside our house."
My heart sank.
"What?"
Cassian picked up the phone slowly.
His fingers tightened around it.
"The person who sent this..."
He stopped.
Like saying the name would make it real.
"Who?"
He looked at Mara.
Then back at me.
"The person who betrayed us is someone who has had access to our security system for years."
The room felt smaller.
I thought about everyone who worked around us.
Everyone who entered our home.
Everyone who knew our routines.
But there was one person my mind refused to accept.
"No."
Cassian looked at me.
"You already know."
I shook my head.
"No."
But I did.
Because deep down, I knew.
There was only one person who could have done it.
One person who knew where I would be.
One person who knew when Cassian would be away.
One person who knew every detail of our lives.
Mara opened the folder again.
"There is more."
Cassian looked at her.
"Tell me."
She hesitated.
"Elena wasn't taken randomly."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What do you mean?"
Mara placed another photograph on the table.
It was from three days earlier.
I was leaving our house.
Alone.
A car was parked across the street.
The image was blurry.
But someone inside the car was watching me.
"Someone was tracking your movements," Mara said.
Cassian's expression darkened.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know who was involved."
"You should have told me anyway."
Mara accepted the anger.
Because she knew she deserved it.
"I thought I could find the source first."
Cassian looked away.
For a moment, I saw the weight he carried.
Not the power.
Not the reputation.
The responsibility.
He believed every person he loved was his responsibility to protect.
And tonight, someone had used that against him.
I touched his arm.
"Cassian."
He looked down at me.
"You saved me."
His eyes softened.
"But someone helped them."
I knew what he meant.
This wasn't over.
The attack at the hotel wasn't the beginning.
It was a message.
Someone wanted Cassian to know they could reach him.
They wanted him angry.
They wanted him reckless.
And that was the one thing I feared.
Because Cassian Voss was most dangerous when someone threatened the people he loved.
A loud crash suddenly came from the second floor.
Everyone turned.
Mara immediately reached for her weapon.
The remaining attackers stepped back.
Cassian moved in front of me.
Always protecting.
Always putting himself between danger and me.
"Stay behind me."
I almost laughed.
Even after everything.
Even after being attacked.
Even after discovering a betrayal.
He was still worried about me.
The footsteps above us grew louder.
Slow.
Heavy.
Someone was walking down the stairs.
Cassian watched the darkness.
"Show yourself."
No answer.
Another step.
Then another.
A figure appeared at the top of the staircase.
My breath stopped.
Because I recognized the person.
Not from the photographs.
Not from the investigation.
From my own memories.
The person walked down slowly.
Calmly.
Like they belonged there.
Cassian's face became unreadable.
"Why?"
The person stopped halfway down the stairs.
"I could ask you the same thing."
My blood went cold.
Because I knew that voice.
I had trusted that voice.
I had welcomed that person into my home.
I had shared my secrets with them.
Cassian looked at me.
He didn't need to say anything.
The pain in his eyes told me he knew.
The person standing in front of us was the betrayal we had been searching for.
The person smiled sadly.
"Elena, I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
My hands became cold.
"Why?"
The person looked at Cassian.
"Because he never told you the truth."
Cassian's expression changed.
"What are you talking about?"
The person reached into their coat.
Not for a weapon.
For an envelope.
They threw it onto the floor.
It slid across the marble and stopped near my feet.
I looked down.
My name was written on the front.
Not Elena Marlowe.
My old name.
The one I hadn't used in years.
The one only my family knew.
Cassian saw it.
And his face changed completely.
Because he knew what was inside.
"Don't open that."
His voice was different.
Not commanding.
Afraid.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
The person on the stairs smiled.
"Because if Elena reads what's inside, she'll finally learn who you really are."
I slowly reached down.
My fingers touched the envelope.
The seal was already broken.
Someone had opened it before.
Someone had already seen the secret.
I pulled out the first page.
And the first sentence made my entire body freeze.
May you like
It began with the words:
"Before Cassian Voss became the man everyone fears..."
