Episode 4: THE FIRST MOVE

*Cassian’s POV*

Some people ran from danger.

Some people pretended it didn’t exist.

And then there were people like Evelina Devereaux—people who, despite every instinct telling them to stay away, couldn’t help but get closer.

I knew she wouldn’t let it go.

That’s why I was already one step ahead.

The moment she walked into the library the next afternoon, I was waiting.

She didn’t see me at first. She moved with purpose, dropping her bag onto one of the large wooden tables near the back, away from the crowd. A habit, I assumed. She liked the quiet. The control.

Too bad I was about to take that away from her.

I leaned back in my chair, watching her skim through her notes, completely oblivious to my presence. The librarian had left for a break, and the few other students scattered around were too absorbed in their own work to notice anything.

Perfect.

I let a few more minutes pass before I stood, moving toward her with slow, deliberate steps.

It wasn’t until I pulled out the chair across from her that she looked up.

And when she did—

That fire was still in her eyes.

She inhaled sharply, but to her credit, she didn’t flinch. She didn’t lean away. She met my gaze head-on, her shoulders squaring.

“I thought I told you to stay away,” she said coolly.

I smirked. “And I told you that wasn’t going to happen.”

Her jaw tightened. “What do you want from me?”

I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. “The better question, dolcezza, is what do you want from me?”

She blinked, clearly thrown off.

“I saw the way you looked at me last night,” I continued, my voice low. “You wanted answers.”

Her fingers curled into fists, but she didn’t deny it.

Good.

Honesty looked good on her.

“Fine,” she said, her voice even. “Then let’s get this over with. Why do you care about me? Why did you show up last night?”

I tilted my head, watching her closely.

She was smart. Direct. No hesitation.

I liked that.

I also wasn’t going to give her the full truth.

Not yet.

“Because you’re more important than you realize,” I said. “And because, Evelina—” I paused, letting her name roll off my tongue slowly, “—you’re in the middle of something far bigger than you.”

Her breath hitched.

I could see her mind working, running through every possibility. She wanted to demand more, but she knew I wasn’t going to just hand her the truth.

That was the game we were playing.

And the deeper she dug, the more trapped she would become.

*Evelina’s POV*

I hated the way Cassian Moretti looked at me.

Like he already had me figured out.

Like he was enjoying every second of this.

My fingers dug into the edge of my notebook, nails pressing into the paper. “Vague threats and riddles don’t scare me,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

Cassian let out a quiet chuckle. “Who said I was trying to scare you?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Then what are you doing?”

He studied me for a moment before leaning back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “Observing.”

Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine.

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus. “If you won’t give me real answers, then stop wasting my time.”

I grabbed my bag and stood.

Cassian didn’t stop me.

But as I turned, his voice cut through the air like a blade.

“You should ask your father about me, dolcezza.”

I froze.

My father?

Slowly, I turned back to face him. “What did you just say?”