Chapter 4 #3
“Don’t worry about it.” A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “You know this favor is going to cost you later.”
Elias scoffed quietly.
“You always take back more than you give.”
Cassian laughed softly before walking toward the liquor cabinet.
“Of course,” he said shamelessly. “What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t expecting a share of your fortune in your will?”
Elias’s gaze subconsciously drifted back toward the phone on the desk.
Still silent.
Amara hadn’t contacted him even once since he left the mansion.
And that was exactly what was making him so furious.
Because normally, after every argument, Amara would always be the first one to soften.
The first one to call.
The first one to fix things between them.
But this time—
Nothing.
She had completely disappeared into silence. And somehow, that silence was driving him insane.
Elias clenched his jaw harder as irritation built violently inside his chest.
He tried to calm himself.
But the more he thought about the way she looked at him earlier—cold, distant, indifferent—the worse his mood became.
“What’s going on?” Cassian asked casually from nearby.
He poured himself a drink before slowly walking back toward Elias.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Cassian stopped beside the desk and glanced toward Elias’s phone screen, noticing Amara’s contact page still open.
“Amara’s throwing one of her tantrums again,” he snapped irritably.
Frustration was written all over his face. He dragged a hand harshly through his hair before turning away and pacing toward the large windows of the office.
Cassian leaned casually against the desk, completely relaxed despite Elias’s obvious rage.
“Then fulfill the tantrum,” he said while loosening the cuff of his sleeve. “It’s not like you don’t have enough money to indulge her.”
A smirk appeared on his lips.
“As far as I remember…” He took a sip of whiskey from the glass. “You love giving her everything she wants.”
“Yeah?” Elias snapped sharply while turning back around. “This time she asked for a fucking divorce.”
Clack—
Cassian’s fingers instantly loosened around the glass.
The bottom of it hit the table with a sharp sound as his head snapped up toward Elias so quickly that a few strands of black hair fell loosely across his forehead.
“What?”
His eyes widened.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
For one second, he stared at Elias in complete disbelief.
Then suddenly—
He burst into laughter.
Cassian bent forward slightly, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook uncontrollably. His laughter echoed throughout the office, completely filling the tense silence.
Elias glared at him with a murderous expression from across the desk.
Instead of stopping, Cassian laughed even harder. He pointed at Elias while still laughing.
“Fuck—” he wheezed between laughs. “Your wife asked you for a divorce? Just one year after your wedding?”
Elias’s face darkened dangerously.
“Shut the hell up.”
Cassian wiped at the corner of his eye.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked through amusement. “Why would she suddenly ask for a divorce?”
His brows lifted.
Then he looked Elias up and down slowly before clicking his tongue.
“She’s already tired of you?”
A grin spread across his face.
“I knew it wouldn’t last.” He shook his head with fake disappointment. “You have the emotional charm of a brick wall. The only attractive thing about you is your billions.”
Elias scoffed sharply.
“I had enough charm to make her crush on me for three fucking years,” he snapped immediately. “That’s already better than you.”
A mocking laugh escaped him before he added viciously,
“At least I’m not the pathetic one pining after a woman for years while she looks at me like I’m her damn enemy.”
Cassian immediately lifted a hand between them.
“Stop.” He narrowed his eyes warningly. “Don’t drag my woman into this conversation. Once I marry her, she’ll never even think about divorce.”
Then the amusement on his face faded.
He straightened properly and looked at Elias more seriously now.
“Alright,” he said. “What exactly happened?”
For the first time since Cassian entered the office, Elias’s expression showed visible irritation mixed with exhaustion.
He let out a long frustrated breath before leaning back against the large dark wooden desk behind him. The edge pressed against his hips as he folded his arms across his chest.
His jaw clenched once before he finally spoke.
“Three months ago, before I left for Australia…”
His voice became strained.
“She tried to get close to me.”
“And?” Cassian muttered, picking up the glass of whiskey again and taking a slow sip.
Elias glanced at him briefly before looking away again.
A strange hesitation crossed his face for a split second.
“But I didn’t sleep with her.”
His voice became lower.
More strained.
“You already know why. After that, she got angry and asked for a divorce.”
Cassian’s expression shifted slightly at those words, but he remained silent.
Elias dragged a rough hand over his face, exhaling sharply before continuing in an irritated tone.
“I thought she was just angry and would calm down eventually.”
His expression darkened.
“But that damn woman…” he cursed under his breath, jaw tightening as frustration crept into his voice.
“I spent three months in Australia handling work,” he continued irritably, “and the moment I walked back into that house today, the first thing she says to me is that she wants a goddamn divorce.”
A bitter, disbelieving laugh escaped him.
“I wasn’t even inside the damn house for one minute,” he added sharply, “before she looked at me in the face and said it.”
Cassian placed one hand on the desk and looked at Elias.
“So you pacified her?”
Elias immediately answered with confidence.
“She loves me too much,” he answered firmly. “She’s not actually going to go through with it.”
Cassian’s brows snapped together tightly. For once, he didn’t joke.
“Are you sure?” he asked seriously. “Because she sounds pretty damn serious to me.”
Elias immediately dismissed the idea with a cold expression.
“She’ll calm down.”
His voice carried complete certainty.
“She’s just angry right now.”
He unfolded his arms and walked toward the window before continuing,
“I’ll give her time to cool off. Since she wants to threaten me with divorce, let her have her little drama for now.”
“It’s not like we can live without each other.”
Then he added confidently,
“She’s my wife. We’ll sort out our problems sooner or later.”
Cassian stared at him quietly for a few seconds.
The confidence in Elias’s voice was so absolute that it almost sounded ridiculous.
But before he could say anything else, Elias turned toward Cassian with narrowed eyes.
“What are you even doing here in the middle of the day?” he asked irritably. “Don’t you have a goddamn job?”
Cassian rolled his eyes dramatically. He casually adjusted the expensive watch around his wrist.
“I only came here because you finally returned after disappearing for months.”
Then he smirked lazily.
“I needed to see your pretty face before continuing my day.”
Elias looked disgusted.
“Get out.”
Cassian laughed softly.
But then the amusement on his face slowly disappeared again.
His posture straightened.
The playful look in his eyes faded into seriousness.
“There’s actually something important,” he said.
Elias noticed the shift in his expression immediately. His brows lifted.
“Bishop returned to the country a few days ago.”
Silence dropped over the room like a heavy weight.
“Maverick?” Elias’s entire body went rigid.
“Which other Bishop do you know?” Cassian raised his eyebrows.
Elias’s hand tightened slowly around the edge of the desk until his knuckles whitened. His expression darkened almost instantly, his jaw clenching so tightly that the tension became visible across his face.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then concern flashed across his face.
“He’s alright now?” Elias asked quietly.
The tension in his voice was impossible to miss.
“He’s Walking?”
Cassian gave a small nod.
“Yeah.”
He slid both hands into his pockets before continuing quietly,
“He can walk perfectly now. Looks like he made sure to fully recover before returning home.”
Then his brows furrowed faintly.
“But…” Cassian paused briefly. “He hasn’t really been himself since coming back.”
Elias lowered his gaze briefly.
A troubled look crossed his face before disappearing almost instantly.
Then he gave a short nod.
“Tell Xavier to keep an eye on him,” he said firmly, pointing a finger at Cassian. “I’m leaving that to you.”
His expression turned serious. His eyes darkened slightly.
“I can’t trust anyone else to handle him properly.”
Cassian rolled his eyes.
“Don’t act like I don’t care about him.”
Elias scoffed lightly.
“You and Maverick have been trying to punch holes through each other’s skulls since you were ten.”
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
“I wouldn’t even be surprised if part of you is excited to finally fight with him again after a year.”
Cassian let out a quiet laugh. But unlike before, there was something faintly painful hidden behind the amusement in his eyes.
“It’s been an entire fucking year," he muttered quietly.
Then he shook his head slightly before letting out another short laugh.
“That bastard finally came back.” Softness flickered across his face. “Can’t even say I didn’t miss him.”
Elias looked away silently. A tired exhale escaped his lips.
“Everything has been going wrong lately,” he muttered bitterly.
“But you know what you have to do now, right?” Cassian muttered.
Elias lifted his eyes toward him.
Cassian continued, his tone low and edged with warning.
“Keep Amara away from Maverick.”
The office suddenly became quiet again.
Cassian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“I’ll handle Maverick,” he said firmly. “But I’m not taking responsibility for Amara.”
“She’s mine.” Elias’s answer came instantly. “I’m not asking you to do anything for her.”
His eyes darkened slightly as he stared directly at Cassian.
“In fact…” he pointed at Cassian sharply. “You stay away from her too.”
Cassian nearly choked.
“What the fuck?”
He burst out laughing.
“Since when did you become this possessive?” he asked in disbelief.
He walked closer to the desk while staring at Elias like he had discovered something unbelievable.
“You’ve always been the most generous one among us. Everyone around you uses your things left and right, and I’ve never once heard you say the word mine—except for that red Rolls-Royce of yours.”
Cassian narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“But suddenly when it comes to Amara…” A slow smirk appeared on his lips. “You’re acting like a jealous psychopath.”
Then he tilted his head slightly.
“Are you actually in love with her for real?”
Elias simply pointed toward the office door.
“Out!”