Imagine this.
There is someone who despises you as much as you hate them. Every word they speak grates on your nerves, just as yours do to them. Every glance, every breath, an unspoken battle of wills. And then, one day, without reason or warning—
They become... nice.
Arabella watched him carefully, suspicion curling in her chest. Cassius stood there, silent, as if deep in thought. Was he even aware of it? The way he had touched her, gently. The way his voice, no matter how clipped, had carried something dangerously close to concern.
Was he aware of it?
"Who said I'm being nice?" Cassius's voice cut through her thoughts. His golden eyes flicked to hers as he began unbuttoning his shirt, fingers deftly loosening the ribbon at his throat. A slow, lazy smirk played on his lips. "But I suppose I'm always nice to my pets. I told you that."
Liar.
Arabella's nails dug into her palms. That wasn't it. She knew it wasn't. It's a bit different.
