30. Cassian
30
Cassian
C amilla had woken up with a cock and balls drawn on her face - in permanent marker pen - all thanks to Kyril. Because we’d roofied her, the silly bitch had no memories of anything after drinking the drugged champagne, but it hadn’t stopped my father from leveling accusations at me.
While throwing shit around his office like a deranged toddler.
We’d left the manor at midday, after enduring a painful breakfast with Camilla and her family. She’d spent the entire time crying into her grapefruit while her father glared at me like it was my fault.
Now, five days later, Dad had found the time to drive up to Abernethy to lecture me about my duties as his son and heir, no doubt still stewing about the Camilla incident.
Not that he’d framed the visit that way. Nope, he’d decided to ‘pop in’ after finishing some business in Glasgow.
“Camilla’s father is furious!” Spittle hit my sleeve, and I fought hard to maintain a neutral expression while keeping a watchful eye out for nosy students. It wouldn’t look good if an ugly video posted on social media tarnished his ‘loving father’ image.
“Someone must have sneaked into her room as a prank,” I suggested. A guest at breakfast the morning after the ball had uploaded a video via an anonymous TikTok gossip account. It showed Camilla walking into the morning room, screaming about her dick face.
The video had attracted tens of thousands of likes before being pulled. The guys and I had laughed our asses off when we saw it, but I soon stopped laughing when my father blew up my phone as we drove back to college, threatening to send me to a military academy in the States.
“Really? You honestly expect me to believe that?” He ground his teeth and stabbed the pastry on his plate with a fork. Mine lay untouched. I’d lost my appetite the moment he arrived for a late breakfast.
“As I told you that morning, I have no idea what happened. She had too much to drink and then went to bed.” I shrugged.
“One of the staff says they saw Vasily’s son carrying her upstairs. Does that help jog your memory?”
“No. Everyone had masks on until much later, so how can they be certain it was him?”
“I’m not stupid, Cassian. You might not have done the crime, but you were behind it. So since you’re clearly not taking this engagement seriously, I think it’s about time you and Camilla spent some more quality time in each other’s company. Consider it a getting-to-know-you exercise.” He smirked at me, knowing full well I knew more than enough about Camilla, and didn’t want to spend any more time with her than necessary.
“I have exams shortly,” I reminded him.
“I’m aware.” He sipped his coffee and stared across the courtyard, eyes narrowed. When I followed his gaze, I saw Thea strolling through with Eden. The pair of them huddled together, deep in conversation.
Thea’s hair hung loose in shiny waves, almost to her waist. For once, she hadn’t hidden her figure with an oversized sweater. It was an unseasonably warm day for October, and she’d opted for a tight tee and jeans with sneakers.
As always, she looked fucking edible, something my father had noticed. The old bastard sat ogling her like she was his next meal.
“So what am I expected to do?” I asked, eager to draw his attention away from Thea, even though she barely gave me the time of day. The only time we interacted was in a few shared classes. Mostly she erred on the side of cautious politeness, but this week, she’d been cool to the point of glacial.
Not that it mattered. I didn’t have time for women right now. Not even for sex. My father wanted me locked down until the wedding from hell.
Still, being given the brush-off or ignored by Thea was irritating. Girls never ignored me. Ever.
Although I’d love it if Olivia ignored me. The silly bitch had decided my engagement was fake and it was only a matter of time before I caved and invited her into my bed.
Dad finally dragged his eyes away from Thea, who’d taken a seat and was currently engrossed in her phone while Eden chattered away.
“Is that Seamus Kelly’s niece sitting next to the hot brunette?”
“You mean the brunette young enough to be your daughter?” I pointed out, trying - and failing - to stop my lip from curling up with disgust. “Yes.”
“Careful,” Dad warned in a low voice. “You’re already walking a thin line.” He resumed eye-fucking Thea, ignoring me completely.
Under different circumstances, him finding someone else to focus his attention on would be a relief, but knowing Thea was in his crosshairs bothered me. Younger women were like catnip to my father. The younger the better. Even 17-year-olds were fair game given half the chance - and he had gone there. Many times.
He wasn’t stupid enough to target girls in our social circle. No, he found them in bars and clubs or groomed them online. They were usually girls from deprived areas he could dazzle with money and luxurious gifts before forcing them to sign NDAs.
It was likely why he’d driven up to Glasgow. No doubt he had a girl stashed away up here. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d come up north on the pretext of visiting me, before disappearing soon after.
I rolled my eyes while finishing my coffee. Thea wasn’t some na?ve little strumpet. She’d knife my father in the balls before he got anywhere near her. A small smirk brushed my lips as I imagined it happening.
MI5 would have to work extra hard to explain how he died in such questionable circumstances. No doubt they’d paint it as a ‘tragic domestic accident’. I could almost picture the headlines in the Daily Mail.
Government Advisor Dies in Freak Kitchen Accident!
And The Sun…
Kitchen Balls Up - Lucian Forsyth Succumbs to Fatal Stab Wound!
Hilarious.
“Something amusing, Cassian?” I realized too late that Thea had left and his attention was on me.
“No, just remembering something that happened earlier.” I wiped all traces of amusement from my face. “So what did you want to tell me?”
“Ah yes, Camilla.” Another scowl appeared. “Next weekend, you’ll accompany her to a private view at the Clumber Gallery in Mayfair, followed by the opening night of a new play at the Apollo. I expect to see lots of paparazzi shots of Camilla looking happy. Are we clear?”
I ground my teeth but didn’t bother protesting. What was the point? My life was no longer my own.
“You can stay at the Mayfair apartment with her.”
“Shouldn’t we have a chaperone?” I asked with a straight face.
“Don’t be facetious,” Dad snapped. “Camilla’s no blushing bride. If you want to fuck her already, I don’t care. The sooner you knock her up, the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
I didn’t want to fuck her. Not ever. But it was pointless telling my father that.
He glanced at his Rolex. “I have to go. The Prime Minister has called a meeting for this afternoon.” He sent a text to his driver and then stood.
“Walk with me to my car.”
I nodded and followed him across the courtyard. Once we were out of sight of hovering students, he shoved me back against the wall and leaned in. The fact I was now taller than him gave me immense satisfaction.
“I meant what I said, Cassian. If you don’t play ball, you can look forward to two years in a military academy. And the one I’m looking at is a same-sex college, so no women. A pretty boy like you would be very popular, I’m sure.”
Jesus Fucking Christ.
“You can’t press-gang me, Dad, I’m an adult.”
“Can’t I?” he sneered. “Go ahead. Try me.”
I shoved him away, hard. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before the mask came back down and he straightened his shirt.
“I’m leaving. Be at the apartment at 4 PM next Saturday. Camilla will be waiting. I gave her a key.”
Fucking marvelous. There went my privacy when I wanted a weekend in London. I guess I’d have to cough up for a hotel room. Not that I planned to make any trips to London for the foreseeable. There wasn’t much point now that news of my engagement had spread far and wide.
“Can’t wait.”