Page 94 of Cruel Deception
“I was happy you won. He was celebrating too.” I tilted my head, teasing. “It’s not like I was flirting.”
“Celebrate my victory with me,” he said, his tone low, quiet. “Not with another man.”
“Yes, sir.” I grinned, giving him a playful salute.
His mouth twitched. Almost a smile.
“Let’s go,” he said.
We walked side by side through the exit. My heart still buzzing from the race, from his kiss, from the thought of him naming me his luck.
“The coordinator said you get paid for the win,” I said. “Has Matteo given you anything yet?”
“Not yet. It’s a formal process,” he said. “I have to submit the amount I want. He has a month to pay—or he forfeits something of equal value.”
“Well... congratulations again.”
He nodded without looking.
“Will you bring me for the semi-final?”
“Yes.”
“And the final?”
His gaze shifted to me. “As long as you want to come with me... I’ll take you anywhere.”
Something about the way he said it—dark, quiet, serious—made my stomach flip.
It didn’t sound like a promise.
It sounded like a vow.
We were just about to walk toward where he parked Sophia when Cassian came to a sudden halt.
His hand shot out across my waist—gentle, but firm. Protective.
I froze, confused.
“Cassian?” I murmured, my brows furrowing as I followed his gaze.
Then I saw her.
Sophia.
She was destroyed.
No... violated.
The front of the bike was crumpled like it had taken a bat to the face. The sleek black body scratched, gashed, and bent in multiple places. The mirrors were shattered. The seat had been torn down the middle. One handle had been snapped off entirely. Wires dangled out like exposed veins.
My stomach dropped.
Whoever did this... they meant to ruin her.
I looked at him—and what I saw in his eyes broke me.
He wasn’t yelling. Wasn’t cursing.
