Chapter 8 Alexa #2
The more Alexa spoke, the stranger her words sounded.
Juliet listened quietly.
"Men like him are dangerous," Alexa continued. "You don't know what he could do to you. He could torture you. He could lock you up. He could destroy your entire life. You're not safe there, Juliet. Just leave."
Juliet stared at the wall thoughtfully.
For someone supposedly worried about her safety, Alexa seemed awfully desperate to keep her away from Cassian.
The realization made Juliet's eyes narrow slightly.
"I'm only saying this because you're my cousin," Alexa continued, her voice growing more emotional. "I care about you. Think about Vincent. You're just angry because of what happened at the club. Once you calm down, you're going to regret this."
Juliet rolled her eyes.
"Really?"
"Of course!" Alexa exclaimed. "What do you think is going to happen when Vincent finds out you're staying at Cassian's house? He'll leave you! Your relationship will be over forever!"
Juliet almost laughed.
Alexa was talking as though that outcome was supposed to terrify her.
"You've loved Vincent for years," Alexa continued desperately. "You've been together since you were young. How can you just throw all of that away overnight? You're only acting impulsively right now. Once the anger fades, you'll regret everything."
Her voice became increasingly urgent.
"So leave. Right now. Get up and leave before it's too late."
Juliet made a disgusted face as she listened to Alexa's voice through the phone. Her fingers tightened around the device, and she rolled her eyes so hard that they almost hurt.
She had heard enough.
Pulling the phone away from her ear, she was just about to end the call when Alexa suddenly spoke again, her voice sounding unusually hesitant.
"Wait, Juliet. I have something to ask you."
Juliet paused, her thumb hovering over the screen. After a moment, she lifted the phone back to her ear and leaned against the headboard.
"What is it?"
There was a brief silence before Alexa finally answered.
"Well... you know I was at the club tonight too."
Juliet's brows knitted together.
"So?"
"Everyone already left," Alexa said softly. "I'm still here by myself. Can you ask Cassian to come pick me up? I really need a ride."
For a second, Juliet simply stared at the wall in front of her.
Then her expression darkened.
Of course.
After spending the last ten minutes pretending to care about her safety, Alexa's real purpose had finally come out.
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Juliet's lips.
The woman really had no shame.
Still, instead of exposing her, Juliet's smile widened into something sweet and pleasant.
"Sure," she said cheerfully.
The second the words left her mouth, she disconnected the call.
The room instantly became quiet again.
Juliet tossed the phone onto the bed beside her and folded her arms across her chest, her lips curling upward in amusement.
A moment later, the bathroom door opened.
Her eyes automatically shifted toward the sound.
Then she froze.
Cassian stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair and droplets of water still clinging to his skin. A dark towel hung loosely around his neck while the rest of him looked like he had just walked out of a magazine photoshoot.
Juliet's throat suddenly felt dry.
Before she could stop herself, her gaze traveled over him.
Water slowly slid down the powerful lines of his shoulders before disappearing beneath the waistband of his trousers. The muscles in his chest and arms shifted with every movement he made, and the faint scent of his shower gel drifted through the room.
Heat crept up Juliet's neck.
She immediately looked away.
Then looked back.
Then looked away again.
It was ridiculous.
For years she had thought Vincent was the perfect man.
Now she couldn't even understand what she had been thinking.
The comparison wasn't fair.
Cassian was better-looking. More charismatic. More powerful.
And somehow, despite everything he had suffered because of her, he still cared about her.
The realization made her chest feel strangely warm.
Meanwhile, Cassian walked toward the bed, drying his hair with the towel before his gaze landed on the phone lying beside her.
His brows immediately furrowed.
Then his eyes shifted toward Juliet.
"What are you doing with my phone?"
His deep voice instantly snapped her out of her thoughts.
Juliet glanced down at the device before casually shrugging.
"It's Alexa."
The moment the name left her mouth, a visible look of displeasure crossed his face.
His jaw tightened.
The relaxed expression he had worn after leaving the shower disappeared almost instantly.
"What did she want?"
Juliet immediately noticed the change.
A strange sense of satisfaction bubbled inside her.
"She wants you to pick her up from the club."
For a moment, Cassian simply stared at her.
Then one of his brows rose.
"Why?"
Juliet almost laughed.
Apparently, the possibility hadn't even crossed his mind.
"She says everyone already left and she's alone."
Cassian's expression darkened further.
The irritation on his face wasn't subtle at all.
In fact, he looked genuinely annoyed.
"Am I supposed to go running every time she calls?" he asked coldly.
The disgust in his voice was impossible to miss.
Juliet's eyes instantly brightened.
The smile she had been trying to suppress finally escaped.
Seeing Alexa receive absolutely no special treatment from him was unexpectedly satisfying.
"Don't worry," she said sweetly. "I'll handle it for you."
Cassian looked at her suspiciously.
Juliet ignored the look and instead tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Do you have a driver who follows your instructions no matter what?"
Cassian frowned.
His expression clearly said he had absolutely no idea where this conversation was going.
Still, after a brief pause, he nodded.
"Yes."
Juliet's smile immediately widened.
"Perfect."
Cassian's suspicion deepened.
"What are you planning?"
Juliet pretended not to hear him.
"What's the driver's number?"
Although he looked confused, he eventually recited the number.
The moment he finished, Juliet grabbed the phone and dialed it.
The call connected after only a few rings.
"Hello?"
The driver's respectful voice came through the speaker.
Juliet immediately pressed the loudspeaker button and leaned comfortably against the pillows.
"I need you to pick someone up."
"Of course, Miss."
Juliet's smile became sweeter.
"I need you to pick up Alexa Gray from the Blue Orchid Club and drive her to the cemetery outside the city."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Cassian stopped drying his hair.
Juliet continued speaking with a perfectly serious expression.
"And when you get there, drop her off and leave."
A pause.
"Whatever she says, don't let her back into the car. I don't care if she complains, cries, threatens you, or begs you to stay. Leave her there and drive away."
The driver sounded completely alarmed.
"Miss... I..."
Before he could finish, Cassian calmly interrupted.
"Do exactly what she's asking."
Juliet immediately turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
For a second, even she looked surprised.
She had expected him to stop her.
Instead, he looked completely serious.
The driver instantly gave up resisting.
"Yes, Mr. Han."
The call ended.
The room fell silent.
A second later, Juliet collapsed backward onto the mattress.
Then she burst out laughing.