The Devil's Favourite Obsession

This time, the sound of her own name spoken in Cassian’s voice finally broke through her paralysing panic.

Through the haze, her focus sharpened just enough to see Cassian standing right in front of her.

”I am sorry...” That was the first sentence to leave her lips, causing Cassian to cock his head in confusion.

Cixi did not want Cassian Crown’s name linked to hers any longer.

”Now, why would you be sorry?” Cassian asked in a dangerous, low tone.

Meanwhile, the entire crowd stood utterly still, watching the intriguing scene unfold before them.

Some had quietly slipped away, preferring a peaceful sleep or a quick hook-up with someone from the party over the dangerous crossfire of a mafia dispute over a woman.

Many, however, stayed behind, waiting for the situation to turn violent, their eyes gleaming with the morbid thrill of seeing who would throw the first punch.

Binge and his remaining men arrived quickly, taking their places beside Andi.

Binge shot Andi a deeply questioning glare, but Andi deliberately looked away, avoiding the need to answer anything.

He was anxious, and he was in no mood to explain himself to Binge. He knew Cixi would not dare mention the video aloud; he had seen the shame and panic in her eyes clearly enough. But humans were unpredictable.

Cixi’s wavering eyes darted frantically between Cassian’s pitch-black ones while Andi’s vicious words echoed in her mind again and again.

She kept asking herself—

’How long will it take for Cassian to find out about the video?’

The thought dropped like lead into the pit of her stomach.

She absolutely could not let him find out.

She did not want him to know anything about the video. Even though it was a deepfake, nobody in this ruthless world would believe her.

No one cared enough to search for the truth.

What would Cassian think of her?

Would he look at her with disgust?

It made no rational sense for her to care this much. She had barely spent any time with him, even though she had searched for him helplessly over the past six months, and even though he had apparently forgotten her completely.

Still, she did not want him to find out about that cursed video out of everyone in her life.

She was not romantically in love with him, yet she could not neatly forget his strange kindness, his unhinged behaviour every time they met, or her violent first kiss with him. She did not want him to see that video. She did not want disappointment or revulsion to appear in his pitch-black eyes.

She absolutely could not let that happen.

It would be better if they simply went back to being strangers.

’Would that even be possible after I proudly announced to the entire room that we were engaged?’

She instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as though she could shield her body from the fear rising inside her.

”Cixi,” Cassian stepped towards her.

Cixi immediately took a step back. ”Don’t.” She awkwardly lifted one shaking hand to stop him. ”Don’t come near me. I am sorry. I should not have said anything. It was entirely my fault. I lied.”

She did not openly announce that she was not his fiancée, acutely aware that everyone’s attention remained fixed on them.

”I am sorry.”

Cassian’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously for the briefest second before he smoothed his expression back into terrifying calm.

Taking a chance, Marion called her name, thick with concern. ”Cixi, are you alright?”

Cixi’s head snapped towards Marion. Realising how worried her friends were, she gave a weak, jerky nod. ”I want to go home.”

That was all she wanted now.

To go home, lock the door, and never step back into the world again.

In that moment, being a ghost felt far easier than being human.

Marion immediately reached out and took Cixi’s trembling hand firmly. They turned to leave.

”Binge,” Cassian’s velvety voice cut effortlessly through the dead silence of the club. ”Should I take Andi’s head or his hands?”

Cixi and Marion froze before they could take another step.

Cixi stared at her fake, unhinged fiancé with widened light-grey eyes. She should have stopped being surprised every time he casually discussed severing someone’s limbs, yet she never did. He always managed to shock her with how cleanly he spoke about brutal things.

And in front of hundreds of people.

Cassian did not even spare the audience a passing glance. He looked only at Binge, utterly unbothered by whether some horrified onlooker might record the violence and post it online.

”You must be out of your mind, Cassian,” Andi’s defiant voice rang through the vast room. ”For what exactly am I supposed to lose my hand or my head? Is this because of her?” He let out a shaky, disbelieving laugh, still trying to project confidence, still trying to make Cassian look foolish. ”Did you not hear her? She just admitted that she lied. Do you even—”

”Andi, be quiet,” Binge cut in sharply before he could make an even greater fool of himself.

”No, I won’t.”

Before Andi could finish his arrogant protest, his severed head was already rolling across the sticky floor.

A second later, his headless body dropped heavily, convulsing violently against the floorboards before going completely still.

Crimson blood sprayed into the air in a brutal arc. Hot droplets splattered across Cixi’s and Marion’s clothes and faces, and across Cassian, Binge, and the men standing near them.

Cassian remained exactly where he was, looking utterly unbothered. A lit cigarette rested between the fingers of his left hand, while his right gripped a heavy, blood-soaked breaker.

Cixi’s mouth fell open.

When had he lit the cigarette?

And where had that massive weapon even come from?

Marion nearly collapsed. This time, Cixi caught her friend and held her upright.

The people in the lounge watched with rapt fascination, not even thinking of leaving. They remained exactly where they were, calmly sipping their expensive drinks as though a man had not just been beheaded in front of them.

One of Cassian’s men stepped forward, took the breaker from his hand, and offered him a handkerchief.

After wiping his hands clean, Cassian glanced at the crowd and said,

”Kill all of them.”