Page 46 of Cruel Deception
I sighed. “Grandfather wanted me to.”
Vincent narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Yet. But I’ll figure it out. Trust me, I’m okay.”
He leaned forward, reached into the inside pocket of his suit, and pulled out a small black box. “Since you had your wedding yesterday,” he said, handing it to me, “I thought I’d bring you a gift.”
My heart swelled. “Aww... You didn’t have to.” I grinned, brushing my fingers over the velvet. “Can I open it?”
“Go ahead.”
I lifted the lid with a smile, expecting something—sweet. A bracelet, maybe. A small token. Flowers, or a book.
Instead, nestled inside the velvet lining, gleamed a slim silver dagger. Razor-sharp. Deadly.
My hand froze. I looked up at him, confused. “What is this?”
He leaned back. “Keep it on you. In case your monster husband tries something funny. If he makes a move, you stab him. Go for the throat.”
My heart dropped. I stared at the blade like it had just burned me. “Vincent...” I whispered. “This... this isn’t a wedding gift. This is a warning.”
“Exactly,” he said, his voice flat. “You think I came here just to toast champagne and celebrate with the enemy? That man wants you dead, Charlotte. Maybe not today, but one day. And I need you alive.”
“I can handle myself. And... he’s my husband now.”
Vincent sat upright, his tone suddenly biting. “Snap out of it. You were supposed to marry his brother, remember? Then Cassian hijacked your wedding and claimed you like a piece of property. You really think he doesn’t have a reason? You really think he won’t kill you once he’s done?”
My chest tightened. Not because he was wrong—but because of what it meant for him. He wasn’t the soft-hearted boy I remembered. He sounded like someone who’d killed. Someone who expected death like a routine.
“Your mission,” I said quietly, watching his face. “The one Father sent you on... you were the only one who came back alive, right?”
His eyes shifted. “How do you know that?”
“Cassian told me.”
He scoffed. “Of course he did. Now that you’re in his bed, he’ll tell you anything to keep you soft. He knows everything about us. Don’t think you’re not being used.”
I touched his arm. “Vincent... I don’t want you to turn out like Father. I liked you sweet. Kind. You’re not like him.”
“I’m not like him,” he snapped, standing, his voice low and sharp. “But I know a predator when I see one. You’re playing house with one of the worst.”
“Are you really here to tell me to kill my husband?”
“I’m here to make sure you survive,” he said. “That’s all that matters to me.”
This wasn’t how I imagined our reunion would go. I thought there’d be laughter, comfort, maybe even tears. Instead, I’d been handed a blade and told to watch my back.
“I should go,” he muttered, already moving toward the door.
I followed him out, my chest heavy. “I won’t kill Cassian,” I said as we reached the steps.
Vincent didn’t argue. He didn’t even flinch. He just gave me one last look—calm, unreadable.
“Okay,” he said.
But the way he said it... felt like the end of a conversation I’d never agreed to start.
I called security to come escort him, and minutes later, a car pulled up. We hugged again—this time shorter, tighter. Then he vanished inside the vehicle, and I was left standing in the wind with a bitter taste in my mouth.
