Chapter 5
The grand dining room descended into absolute silence once more. The massive engagement ring Estelle had worn lay abandoned on the polished mahogany table, glittering under the warm golden light. It had slipped from her finger during her frantic, pathetic struggle.
Cassian stared at the diamond for a long moment. He slowly reached out, his tattooed fingers picking it up. He dropped it carelessly into a nearby crystal water glass. It sank to the bottom with a quiet, definitive clink.
"Are we continuing dinner?" Cassian asked the room at large, his voice devoid of any emotion.
A collective, silent exhale rippled through the room. The capos and politicians immediately picked up their silver cutlery, the polite murmur of conversation resuming as if a woman hadn't just been violently banished from their ranks. In their world, survival meant adapting instantly to the whims of the boss.
Cassian didn't sit back down. He turned his attention back to the beautiful housemaid standing quietly behind his chair.
Ada hadn't moved an inch. She stood tall in her sophisticated black maid dress, her chest heaving slightly as she processed the extreme violence of the power dynamic she had just witnessed. She expected the terrifying mafia boss to turn his wrath upon her next for violating protocol, for speaking out of turn.
"Ada," Cassian said gently, the deep, rumbling timber of his voice shifting from lethal executioner back to a quiet, controlled warmth. "Will you show me the door?"
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe," Ada replied, her voice shaking only slightly.
She turned and began walking toward the grand archway leading to the west wing, the soft swish of her A-line skirt the only sound she made. Cassian followed closely behind her, his powerful, broad-shouldered frame a silent, imposing guardian.
They moved out of the bright, crowded dining room and into the dimly lit, heavy silence of the west wing corridor. The air here felt stale and suffocating. Ada led him to a heavy, solid oak door at the very end of the hall.
"This is the one, sir," Ada whispered, pointing to the heavy brass deadbolt that had been engaged from the outside.
Cassian stood before the door, his cold eyes analyzing the heavy lock. He didn't ask for a key. He raised his right leg and drove a single, devastatingly powerful kick directly into the center of the door near the lock mechanism.
The heavy wood splintered violently with a deafening crack. The deadbolt tore free from the frame, and the door swung open, slamming hard against the interior wall.
Cassian reached in and flipped the light switch.
The room was a small, dusty storage area, completely devoid of any furniture. Huddled in the far corner, shivering violently against the cold wood paneling, was a small boy, no older than six. He was covered in dirt, his tear-streaked face pale with absolute terror as he stared at the massive man standing in the doorway.
Cassian’s jawline tightened so hard the muscles ticked visibly beneath his short stubble. The unholy, violent rage that had possessed him in the dining room threatened to return, but he forced it down, focusing entirely on the terrified child.
He slowly lowered his towering frame, kneeling gracefully on the dusty floor. He didn't move any closer, ensuring he didn't frighten the boy further.
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"Are you hungry?" Cassian asked softly, his deep voice carrying a soothing, rhythmic cadence.
The little boy sniffled, wiping his nose with a dirty sleeve, and slowly nodded.
