Chapter 264: Who dares to wander around at this devilish hour?

In one fluid motion, Cassian lifted Cixi and turned her, carefully slamming her against the sofa. His movement was lightning-fast yet remarkably gentle, pressing her back down against the plush cushions of the sofa while he settled his heavy, muscular frame over her. His eyes fell upon her parted pink lips, and dark hunger burned in his gaze as he lowered his head, closing the distance between them until their breaths mingled against each other’s skin.

A sudden, sharp knock struck the wooden door of the suite, causing Cassian to pause. His lips were a fraction of an inch from her mouth when he muttered a curse that rolled off his tongue. He tilted his head toward the tall windows, observing the pitch-black sky beyond the glass, and arched a single, irritated brow.

“Who dares to wander around at this devilish hour?” he grumbled.

He shifted his focus back to Cixi, giving a subtle nod of his chin toward the entryway to signal that she should ask who was disturbing them.

Taking a deep breath, Cixi cleared her tight throat and raised her voice just enough to carry across the room. “Who is it?”

“It is Olga,” a hesitant voice called out from the hallway. “I brought some relaxing herbal tea for you. I thought it might help ease your day’s exhaustion and also wanted to hear about your outing today with your friend. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

Cixi’s lips formed a small pout as genuine confusion creased her brow. She could not comprehend why this older woman insisted on showing so much constant care and affection toward her. Yet, Olga never asked for anything in return, offering only warmth, assistance, and concern to her. The unconditional kindness made Cixi uneasy. She hated the idea of feeling indebted to people she barely knew. Looking at Cassian, she asked, “Why is she always trying so hard to take care of me?” Cixi whispered, glancing up into Cassian’s dark eyes. “What does she want from me?”

Cassian wanted to send Olga far away from here for interrupting their precious moment. “Hmm, I do not like it either. Taking care of you is my responsibility alone.”

Cixi rolled her eyes at his possessive declaration. She placed her palms flat against his solid chest and gave him a gentle push. Cassian did not fight her; he yielded smoothly, lifting his weight and allowing her to slip out from under him so she could tend to the door.

Olga already knew Cassian was alive and residing in the palace, so he made no effort to conceal himself, neither stepping into another room nor dissolving into the shadows. He remained lounging on the sofa, stretching his long legs out in casual arrogance.

Cixi smoothed the creases from her clothes before opening the door and realised she was wearing her best clothes, not the muddy, torn ones from the struggle with the losers. He turned and gave Cassian one quick glance before opening the door.

Olga stood in the corridor, holding a silver tray arranged with a steaming porcelain teapot and two delicate cups. The moment Cixi appeared, a tender, motherly warmth lit up Olga’s eyes, her lips curving into an affectionate smile. “Tea, my dear?” She raised the tray.

Cixi offered a polite smile in return and stepped aside to let the older woman inside. “You really should not have troubled yourself, Olga. Giving me rides to my workplace every day is already far too generous. I do not even know how I could ever repay your kindness.

Cixi closed the door behind them, and Olga stepped into the living area.

The moment Olga noticed Cassian lounging across the sofa, the warmth vanished from her face, and her mood plummeted instantly. It took every shred of her self-control to conceal the deep displeasure burning inside her chest. The sight of this dangerous creature making himself comfortable in her daughter’s private quarters at this ungodly hour made her blood simmer, yet she kept her voice civil.

“Good evening, Cassian,” Olga remarked, setting the silver tray down on the marble coffee table with careful precision. “It seems you have plenty of free time on your hands.”

One corner of Cassian’s lips curled into a lazy, knowing smirk as he tilted his head to study her tightly wound posture.”Were you expecting to find Cixi all by herself?”

Cixi walked past them and chose to sit down on the single armchair across from the coffee table.

Cassian’s eyes tracked her movement as displeasure flared in his chest the second she settled into the armchair instead of coming back to his side. He said nothing aloud, but the cold promise took root in his mind that she would be punished dearly for putting distance between them later tonight.

Olga sat directly opposite Cassian, placing herself adjacent to Cixi. “I only brought two cups with the pot. As you correctly assumed, I was expecting Cixi to be alone.”

“You should know better than to assume, Olga.” Cassian leaned back against the cushions, crossing one leg over his knee while his gaze pinned her with mocking amusement. He took sheer pleasure in rubbing salt into her irritation. “She is my soon-to-be bride. It would be terribly ungentlemanly of me to abandon her, especially in the dead of night when she needs me the most.”

Olga’s fingers clenched against her skirt under the table. In that quiet second, she wished with all her soul that she possessed a handful of ancient spells, so she could banish this arrogant devil to the farthest corner of the earth, far away from her precious daughter.

‘This devil,’ Cixi cursed silently as heat rushed straight to her temples. How could he speak of such a private matter right in front of another person? It was bad enough that he acted completely shamelessly when they were alone, but dragging their private intimacies into the open in front of Olga, a woman who had shown her nothing but kindness, pushed pastevery boundary of decency.

“Cassian jests a lot, Olga,” Cixi said, hurrying to smooth over the awkwardness. “Please ignore him.”

Dear readers, if you enjoy strong FMC and comedy. This book is for you!

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