Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage
The Grey Estate sat isolated on a jagged cliff overlooking the crashing waves of the dark northern sea, surrounded by high perimeter walls, motion sensors, and dozens of armed guards. It was designed to look like a luxurious fortress, but to anyone trained in tactical infiltration, it was just a cage with very expensive bars.
A sleek black town car dropped her off at the grand front entrance. Servants in black-and-white uniforms bowed stiffly as she walked through the heavy mahogany doors, her posture straight and unyielding.
She was led straight to the master study on the top floor.
Cassius sat behind a massive glass-and-steel desk, swirling a glass of scotch. He watched her enter through the reflection of the window before turning around slowly.
"You packed light," Cassius noted, his tone laced with sarcasm as he looked at her empty hands.
"I don't need much," she answered, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looking out at the crashing waves below. "Though your security layout needs some serious work, Cassius. Three blind spots along the western wall. Any professional could scale that fence in under twenty seconds."
Cassius’s eyes narrowed sharply. He stood up from his desk, crossing the room with the quiet, predatory grace of a panther. He stopped just inches behind her, his voice dropping to a low, warning hiss.
"You talk like a spy, act like an assassin, and fight like a ghost," Cassius whispered near her ear, his hand gripping the edge of the window frame right beside her shoulder, trapping her in. "Tell me right now who sent you, or I swear to God, the ocean outside will be your final resting place."
She didn't flinch. Instead, she turned her head slowly, looking him dead in the eye with a gaze so chillingly empty that it momentarily startled him.
"Nobody sent me," she said calmly. "I came of my own free will. You wanted a challenge, Cassius. You wanted a wife who wouldn't cower behind your money. Congratulations. You got your wish."
He stared at her for a long, tense moment, searching her face for any sign of a lie. Finding none, a dark, reckless laugh escaped his lips.
May you like
"Fine," Cassius said, stepping back and pouring a second glass of scotch, holding it out to her. "To a very dangerous marriage."
She accepted the glass, clinking it lightly against his. "May it be short and educational."
