It had been thirteen days since the wedding.
And Cassian Rhys Vale
The man whose last name she now wore
Hadn't come home.
Not once.
Until tonight .
Juliette stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her suite, staring at her reflection like she didn't know the girl looking back
Her skin was glowing, deep caramel kissed by soft warm light.
Her lips were glossy a soft rose peach shade, like innocence coated in honey.
Her lashes curled like she'd whispered to them herself.
Her eyes… wide, doe-brown, lined just enough to make them look like secrets.
She didn't look rich.
She looked expensive.
Her dress was silk.
Not the showy kind the deadly kind.
Champagne-colored, backless, hugging her waist, with the thinnest gold straps resting on her shoulders like whispers.
The hem kissed her ankles and swayed when she walked.
Her perfume was subtle: vanilla, white amber, and heartbreak.
Her nails were painted milky blush. Oval-shaped. Clean.
Her hair was pinned into a soft bun, tendrils loose at her templeslike art that refused to obey.
She looked like a wife.
A woman.
But inside?
She felt like a girl still waiting for someone to tell her what the rules were.
He was downstairs.
She'd overheard the butler whisper it into the phone.
She didn't even know he was back in the country.
And now
He was here.
In this house.
With her.
She walked slowly down the grand staircase.
Each step felt like a beat of a slow song no one else could hear.
At the bottom of the steps
He stood there.
Leaning lazily against the marble pillar, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a drink.
Cassian Rhys Vale.
And he looked… like sin dressed in designer.
Tall.
Six foot three.
A black shirt, sleeves rolled halfway, tucked into dark tailored trousers.
His jaw was sharp enough to start a fight.
His eyes?
Gray. Icy. Like smoke trapped in diamonds.
His lips didn't smile.
His brows didn't lift.
But he looked at her.
And kept looking.
"You look…"
His voice was deep. Smooth. Dangerous.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Juliette stopped two steps from the floor.
Her eyes lifted to meet his. She hated that her heart betrayed her.
"Nice to see you too," she said, voice cool.
He stared a little too long.
Then downed the rest of his drink.
"We have dinner. Board members. Family."
He stepped aside like she was air he was pretending not to breathe.
"You'll sit next to me. Smile. Say nothing."
Juliette blinked.
"So I'm decoration now?"
"You've always been beautiful. Now you're mine."
Her lips parted slightly.
Heat bloomed across her chest but it wasn't from flattery.
It was from rage.
She stepped down fully, walked past him without a word.
But she felt his eyes follow her.
And when she turned, just once, she caught him
Watching her like he couldn't decide whether to ruin her or protect her.
End of Chapter Two