Kashi did not move.
Jaden slowly rose from Chaos's lap and smoothed down the front of her dress with the casual ease of someone who had every right to have been sitting there.
Kashi watched. Her face gave nothing away. Which was impressive, considering the irritation moving through her had gone well beyond irritation several seconds ago.
So. That was what this was.
All those looks.
Weeks of invading her space, calling her Wildflower, behaving as though she were the only woman in existence worth annoying.
And apparently, somewhere amongst all of that, there had been— this.
She didn't care who Jaden was to him.
At the moment, Jaden was simply a thing sitting across his thighs like she came with the furniture.
Kashi's fingers curled slowly. She was not angry. Absolutely not. She was simply reconsidering several recent life choices.
Violently.
Jaden stepped away from the sofa. With one small motion of her fingers, conversation around the room died.
People began moving. No questions or hesitation. Glasses were abandoned. Chairs scraped back.
Within seconds, the private room had emptied until only Chaos, Xavier, Alex, Zarri, Jaden and Kashi remained.
Zarri, far too drunk to understand that diplomacy had just died in front of her, remained plastered against Alex's side.
Alex bent towards her ear. "Princesa, if you keep touching that button, eventually you're going to owe me the shirt."
Zarri frowned at the silver button beneath her fingers. "Take it off, then."
Alex's cheeks warmed. "Pervert." He looked delighted.
Kashi's attention remained on Jaden. The woman approached her.
Unhurried. Grey eyes travelled over Kashi with an amusement she had not earned.
Jaden began to circle her.
Once. Slowly.
Kashi turned her head just enough to follow.
If this woman wanted to inspect her like merchandise, she was welcome to finish before Kashi lost patience.
Jaden stopped in front of her. "Kashi Saints." Her lips curved. "It's finally nice to meet you."
Kashi looked at her. "Who are you?"
Silence.
Alex's head snapped up. Even Zarri stopped playing with his shirt.
Jaden blinked once and laughed softly. "You don't know me?"
Kashi's expression remained perfectly calm. "How relevant are you supposed to be?"
Alex made a sound suspiciously close to choking. Chaos closed his eyes briefly.
Jaden stared at Kashi for another second.
Then laughed again. Not offended. If anything, she was entertained. "Jaden Laurent."
She waited.
Kashi thought about it. Laurent. Something to do with cars, perhaps. Probably obnoxious. She gave the smallest shake of her head. "Doesn't ring a bell."
This time Alex turned away completely, shoulders shaking.
Jaden glanced towards him before returning her attention to Kashi. "That's fine." She took another step closer.
"I know plenty about you."
Kashi's composure shifted by a fraction. "Do you now?"
"Oh, yes." Jaden tilted her head. "Aren't you Damian Grey's former fiancée?"
The room went silent. Completely. Something inside Kashi locked. Her fist tightened at her side.
Jaden looked almost thoughtful. "I remember hearing about that. The two of you were together for years, weren't you?" Another tilt of her head. "I always wondered what happened."
Kashi's nails pressed into her palm.
Do not react. Do not give her anything.
Jaden continued anyway. "It must have been terribly painful." Her tone was almost sympathetic. "To spend that long building a life around someone and then have it collapse."
Kashi held her gaze.
Jaden's mouth curved. "Allowing some low-life woman to snatch your fiancé from you? Disappointing, isn't it?"
Kashi remained still. Her pulse beat once against her throat. She could feel Chaos watching her. That somehow made it worse. Not because Jaden had mentioned Damian.
Damian was old news, a mistake with expensive consequences.
But this woman had walked towards her wearing familiarity with Chaos like jewellery, sat on him as though he belonged beneath her, then reached into Kashi's past and pulled out the ugliest piece she could find deliberately.
Kashi smiled but there was no warmth in it. "In the flesh." She looked Jaden over once. "And I still don't know you."
Jaden smiled. "I like you already." She reached towards Kashi.
Kashi caught her wrist before her hand could land. Her gaze dropped to Jaden's fingers as though they carried disease. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Trying to get familiar."
Kashi shoved her hand away. "Do not overreach."
Jaden looked almost pleased. Then turned towards Chaos. "Really?" She gestured towards Kashi, disbelief sparkling in her eyes. "This one?" Her attention flicked back to him. "This is what you're choosing over me?"
Chaos stood. "Jaden—"
Jaden turned back to Kashi. For the first time, something harder entered her expression. "You genuinely have no idea who you're dealing with."
Kashi tilted her head.
There it was. Not jealousy, never that. This was entitlement, certainty.
The kind of certainty only people born believing the world had already reserved their place could carry so effortlessly.
Kashi knew the type. She had been raised among them.
Hell, she was one of them.
That did not mean she enjoyed meeting another.
Before Kashi could answer, Alex cleared his throat loudly. Everyone looked at him.
Alex smiled. "My work here is done." He had the decency to look completely unrepentant as he bent, caught Zarri around the waist and lifted her over his shoulder.
Zarri squealed. "Alex!"
"Come, Princesa." He turned towards the door. "Back to our fun."
Alex carried her out as Zarri's voice disappeared down the corridor.
"YOU'RE A BASTARD!"
"I know, baby."
Silence returned to the room. Jaden opened her mouth, she never got the chance as Xavier moved.
Fast.
One moment he stood near the doorway. The next, his hand had caught the back of Jaden's dress near the collar.
Jaden jerked. "What the— Xavier!"
"Miss Laurent." His voice remained perfectly calm. "You have said enough."
"Take your hand off me." She twisted sharply.
Xavier adjusted his grip, jaden pulled harder.
With one smooth movement, Xavier caught her, turned and hauled her sideways across his arms like an unruly child.
"XAVIER!" She thrashed. One leg kicked furiously through the air. "You insufferable—put me down this instant!"
Xavier started towards the door.
"Miss Laurent, I strongly recommend that you stop moving."
"I WILL HAVE YOU FIRED!"
"That would require Young Master's approval."
Jaden's expression became murderous. "Xavier, I swear to God—"
The door shut behind them.
Kashi stood exactly where Jaden had left her. Chaos remained several feet away.
All the anger she had been holding finally settled into something colder.
Much colder.
Chaos moved closer to her. "Kashi—"
TWARK!
The sound of a sharp slap cracked across the room.
Chaos's head snapped to the side.
Kashi's hand remained suspended between them, fingers trembling slightly from the force.
Chaos slowly turned his face back towards her.
Wrong decision.
SMACK.
The second slap landed harder. His head jerked the other way.
Kashi stared at him, chest rising and falling. Something inside her finally gave way. "You fucking bastard."
Chaos lifted his head.
Kashi shoved him hard in the chest. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He stepped back without resisting. "You spend weeks following me around like some diseased stray dog."
Another shove.
"Calling me."
Again.
"Touching me."
Her voice rose. "Acting like you can do whatever the fuck you please with me."
She laughed. The sound came out wrong. Broken around the edges. "Was it fun?"
Chaos went still.
"Did you enjoy toying with me?"
"Kashi—"
"Am I a fucking joke to you, Chaos?"
He said nothing.
That made it worse.
"Months of you hovering around me, only for me to walk in here and find some woman sitting on your fucking lap like she owns you?"
"Kashi—"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The words exploded out of her.
Chaos went silent.
Kashi laughed again. There was nothing amused in it. "Oh, now you want to explain?" Her eyes burned. "Now? After all this mess? Are you serious? I took my time with you." Her voice cracked with anger. "I let down my fucking walls enough to give you access to me, and what do you do? Show up whenever you please. Disappear whenever you please. Push me away when I finally—"
"I wasn't doing any of that." Chaos said.
Kashi stopped. "Oh?" Her anger sharpened.
Chaos held her gaze.
Kashi stepped closer. " 'You like everything everyone else thinks I should be ashamed of.' "
Another small laugh escaped her as she quoted his words
"Was any of that even fucking real?"
Chaos's face hardened. "Yes."
She hated that answer.
Hated that he looked concerned now. Hated that some part of her still wanted that concern to mean something.
Her voice dropped.
"Do you know how difficult this was for me?"
Chaos said nothing.
"I genuinely cannot tell whether you want me…" Her jaw tightened. "…or whether you just enjoy the fact that I'm difficult to have."
Chaos swallowed "I want you. Gods, Kashi." His voice roughened. "You're all I fucking think about. I'm sorry."
The last words came quieter.
"I'll apologise as many times as you need. I shouldn't have left you wondering. I shouldn't have given you reasons to doubt me."
Kashi stared at him. "So what was all that, then?" Her voice sharpened again. "You pushed me away."
Chaos held her gaze.
How was he supposed to explain something he barely understood himself? Nothing in this world frightened him.
Not blood, death or even the terrible things he did.
But the thought of ever hurting her— that did.
He had loved her since he was seventeen.
Long before she knew what she would become to him.
Long before he had dragged himself high enough through society to stand in the same rooms as her again.
She had once looked at the thing his mother had cast aside and made him believe, however briefly, that perhaps he was not entirely impossible to love. And now she stood within reach.
Chaos lowered his gaze.
For years, he had wanted her. Thought of her.
Built himself towards something he had never been certain he would actually have. Then she had finally reached for him— and he had stepped back.
Even now, he did not fully understand why.
Fear of losing control?
Fear of her seeing everything underneath? That pathetic little flower his mother had always called him?
Chaos looked down at his hands and slowly pulled off his gloves.
The barrier between himself and everything else.
He reached for Kashi carefully. She was angry.
She had every right to be. His fingers touched hers, wrapped around them.
Chaos stilled.
Nothing happened. She was still here. His eyes lifted to hers, angry, hurt, but here.
"Do you see me, Chaos?" Kashi asked.
He nodded once.
"Yes." His fingers tightened slightly around hers. "I see you, Wildflower."
"Do you enjoy this?" Kashi asked flatly, testing the weight of her words.
"What do you think?" Chaos smirked. Before she could answer, he pulled her towards him. His hands settled around her waist, fingers spreading against her as he drew her flush against him.
His mouth brushed her skin.
"I want to mark you," he murmured against her neck. "Do you know how much I hold back from ruining you?" He murmured.
Kashi's breath caught.
"It's maddening Kashi." His grip tightened. "And you've broken my last restraint." With that he lifted her effortlessly. Kashi's legs wrapping around his waist.
She looked down at him. "Are you scared of losing control?"
"Haha..." Chaos laughed. "No." His mouth found hers.
Kashi's tongue swept against his, deep and demanding. Chaos's hands didn't stay still. One slid up to tangle in her hair, tilting her head back, while the other pressed firmly against her back, pulling her body as close to his as physically possible.
He broke the kiss just long enough for her to breathe, his forehead resting against hers. His chest was heaving.
"Wildflower," he rasped.