The Devil's Favourite Obsession

*This Chapter is dedicated to @Sel_Murf. Thank you for your support and for taking the time to journey through this story!*

Upon reaching the eleventh floor, they disembarked, turned left, and arrived at Emily Blanch’s office in five steps. Emily was the first one in, then Cixi entered.

The office was huge, at least twice as large as Cixi’s prior residence. Cixi noted.

Instead of walking to her desk, Emily moved towards a sitting area where three leather couches formed a square around a glass coffee table, making herself comfortable. She didn’t invite Cixi to sit, but Cixi sat anyway. If she were playing Cassian Crown’s fiancée, she would act like one.

Emily’s brown eyes tracked Cixi’s every movement, when Cixi busied herself examining the office.

Every piece of furniture, from the polished desk to the lucky bamboo resting in the sunlight by the window, showed that this space was designed according to Feng Shui. When Cixi finished observing the room, she met Emily’s gaze and questioned. ”Where is Cassian?”

Emily narrowed her eyes at the question. ”You should be answering that, being his apparent fiancée.” She stressed the word fiancée. ”He has not turned up for three days. I assumed he took another week-long vacation with some desperate model without informing anyone.” Her tone dripped with cultured disbelief. And before Emily could express her thoughts further, her phone vibrated.

She stood up, excused herself, and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

Cixi remained perfectly still on the couch, unable to discern whom Emily was speaking with. All she could make out were fragmented responses—either a quiet ’yes,’ a surprised ’okay,’ or a noncommittal ’hmm.’ Then came a rapid succession of notification chimes from Emily’s phone.

There were ten sharp pings in a row; Cixi mentally noted.

By the ceiling window, Emily opened the attachments her security team had just retrieved, her breath hitching in her throat as her eyes widened in shock, seeing the contents of them.

She looked over her shoulder at the back of Cixi’s head, then looked back at the screen.

The first video was from the convenience store’s exterior cameras. It showed Cassian Crown walking down a public street, carrying Cixi over his shoulder. Followed by many videos from other stores.

The last video came from Cafe Le Petit, where Cassian was entering the establishment, carrying her in bridal style. Once he placed Cixi on a chair, only then did he let her go, and his gaze remained entirely on this woman who called herself Cixi McLore.

Bringing her phone to her ear, Emily gave specific instructions. ”Give them cash and delete all the videos. There should not be a single one left for anyone to acquire.” Once she was confirmed the message had been delivered to the caller, she ended the call, locked her phone, and walked back to the seating area, taking her seat opposite Cixi.

The icy superiority she had carried before was now gone, replaced by a calculated assessment. ”Okay,” Emily stated softly. ”I believe you.”

Cixi exhaled and visibly relaxed her guard. ”Can you call his family? Ask them where he is.” The worry in her voice was not an act. She genuinely looked anxious to find him.

Emily gave a quick thought, then unlocked her phone and dialled a number. She did not bother with pleasantries when the line connected.

”Uncle,” Emily said. ”Do you know where Cassian is?” Keeping her eyes on Cixi. ”His fiancée is asking for him.”

A sharp intake of breath sounded through the speaker. ”He has a fiancée?!” The older man’s voice carried unmistakable shock.

”Yes. Apparently, he does. She says they were planning to marry.” Emily repeated Cixi’s words.

The old man scoffed at the absurdity of his son’s plan to marry anyone. ”Emily, you know how it goes with women...”

”This time, I am afraid it is true,” Emily didn’t let him finish. ”I already ran the investigation, and I have proof.”

Silence stretched over the line before the old man commanded in a grim voice. ”Bring her here,” and Emily nodded.

”I will see you soon, Uncle,” she disconnected the call and stood up without any delay. ”We need to leave now for the Crown Residence.”

Cixi blinked. And blinked a few more times. ”We are going to Cassian’s apartment?”

”No! We are going to the Crown Palace! Where his family lives!”

Cixi remained seated while Emily was already walking towards the door.

’The Crown Palace?’ The word rang like an alarm in Cixi’s head.

She had spent the last three days researching everything she could find about Cassian. She had read the articles about his stepbrother, Lukas Crown’s, unsolved murder. The rumour said that Cassian, born out of wedlock, was the prime suspect because Lukas was next in line for the empire after Michael Crown fell ill. And after Lukas’s death, Cassian inherited the title.

Someone is behind their empire or family... If his family had enemies, or if they were the enemies themselves, walking into their stronghold was a terrible idea.

What if someone in that family had ordered the hit on Cassian to seize control of the Crown Empire? They might just be hiding his murder from the public and could easily make her vanish into thin air, too.

Even though she could not die, it does not mean she is immune to feeling any pain. They could trap her underground, where she would simply rot and regenerate in the dark. It was one of the scenarios. She didn’t fear the man in the lobby, but somehow her gut was telling her not to take Crown members lightly.

For the past three nights, she had looked for the Reaper who had cursed her, but Cixi had only seen other Reapers hovering near the dying, who wouldn’t answer her.

She debated whether she should go or run.

”We need to leave now, Ms. McLore.” Emily’s voice snapped her back to the present. When she looked up, she found Emily standing near the door, waiting for her. ”If you want information on Cassian, you must go there,” Emily added. ”Or you can suit yourself out the door.”

Emily presented the two choices and Cixi had to make her decision quickly before Emily lost her patience.

She rose, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialled Marion’s number. She kept her eyes locked perfectly on Emily’s face as the line rang.

”Marion, I am going to the Crown Palace,” Cixi said loudly and clearly when her friend answered. ”If you do not hear from me by the end of the day, go to Officer Bill.”

Marion’s panicked, her voice leaking through the speaker. ”Why? What is going to happen?! Are you in some sort of danger?!”

”No, I am not. I am just letting you know exactly where I will be,” Cixi did not break eye contact with Emily. The message was delivered. Someone knew where she was going, and the police would know exactly whose door to knock on if she was tricked by the Crown.

Witnessing brutal murders had taught Cixi a valuable lesson. Always leave a trail.

She ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

”I am ready!” Cixi’s confidence was back.