The Devil's Favourite Obsession

Did Cassian Crown genuinely lack the most basic understanding of simple words, or did he simply find any conversation far more interesting the moment he could drag it towards the subject of bed?

If he truly believed getting her into bed would be that easy, then he might as well begin wishing for a mythical unicorn.

”Let me remind you of something, Darling,” Cixi began in a tone of grave seriousness. Tightening her grip on her purse, she shifted slightly on the leather seat, deliberately putting more space between them. ”I am the one who remembers our past relationship in full, whereas you have absolutely no memory of me at all. Therefore, until your memories of me genuinely return, we are not doing anything.” She locked her light-grey eyes onto his pitch-black stare. ”I want to see those sparks in your eyes whenever you see me looking at you! I want to feel that admiration from you that has somehow been lost. What I see right now is your words, and they only make me feel as though I am sitting next to a lust-driven predator.”

Cixi’s words were undeniably harsh, yet she had no other choice. If she wanted to force him to abandon the horrifying idea of sleeping with her, then she needed to make him drop it properly.

To her surprise, Cassian did not react with the anger she had expected, nor did he throw her out of the car in the middle of the road. He merely smirked, his gaze moving slowly over her defensive posture as though he found even that entertaining.

”Give the driver your exact address,” Cassian commanded coldly.

After issuing the order, he fell completely silent.

The abrupt quiet inside the moving car felt like being trapped in a narrow, enclosed space where the air was steadily thinning. Cixi struggled to breathe normally, even though Cassian had rolled down his tinted window and continued to smoke. He leaned heavily against thedoorframee, chain-smoking one cigarette after another without once sparing her a glance, while Cixi watched his rigid profile nervously from the corner of her eye.

Who would have thought the Devil could be this remarkably petty when his ego took a direct hit?

When the sleek vehicle finally pulled up outside Cixi’s apartment complex, the driver stepped out at once and opened her door.

To her surprise, Cassian grasped the frame of the car and stepped out as well, taking one slow, heavy drag from his cigarette.

Cixi shot him a puzzled look. ”Good night,” she offered, already preparing to walk away as quickly as possible.

”Let us go,” Cassian said nonchalantly, moving to her side as though the matter had already been settled.

Cixi froze in instant alarm. ”Where?” The word slipped out far louder than she had intended.

”To your apartment,” Cassian replied passively, lazily adjusting his heavy suit jacket.

”I think you are fundamentally missing my point. There will be absolutely no—”

”Stop talking and walk,” Cassian cut in sharply before she could finish.

Without waiting for her permission, he strode towards the glass entrance of her building as though he had every right to enter it.

Cixi dug her heels into the pavement in annoyance, muttering a string of colourful curses beneath her breath before hurrying after him to keep pace with his long, unbothered strides.

”Look, you need to understand that—”

Cassian stopped so abruptly in the middle of the pavement that Cixi nearly walked straight into his back.

”You lied to me.”

The three quiet words stole the breath from her lungs. Her feet faltered so badly that she nearly lost her balance on the concrete.

”W-what?” Cixi stammered, heat flooding her ears. The entire world seemed to stop moving around her.

Cassian turned his whole body to face her beneath the flickering streetlights. ”I know for a fact that you are not my fiancée,” he said coldly. ”Next time you make a claim about being a man’s lover, make absolutely sure your body does not recoil in discomfort when he merely speaks of intimacy. That is not how the ordinary world works, unless you have somehow time-travelled from a puritan age straight into the future.”

Cassian’s words left Cixi paralysed, staring blankly up at his carved face. Her mind scrambled to build a denial, but it was useless. His tone carried no hesitation whatsoever. In fact, he sounded utterly certain. There was not a single shred of doubt left in his eyes for her to exploit.

”I... I am sorry,” Cixi whispered.

Dropping her gaze to her shoes in defeat, she resumed walking and dragged herself towards the entrance of her apartment building.

They stepped into the quiet lift, and Cixi pressed the button for the seventh floor. The heavy metal doors slid shut, sealing them inside a punishing silence. Neither of them spoke again until they were standing directly outside her apartment door.

”This is me,” she murmured, her voice cracking slightly with embarrassment.

Forcing herself to gather what little courage she had left, she lifted her eyes back to his unreadable face. ”When did you realise I was lying?”

”I had my doubts from the beginning,” Cassian replied curtly.

”And even with those doubts, you murdered those people?” Cixi asked, her eyes widening in horror.

”There was a zero-point-zero-one per cent chance that you might actually have been my fiancée, simply because you possessed the silver coin,” Cassian answered with chilling, mechanical logic. ”That percentage was enough for me to act.”

Cixi stared at him in complete disbelief. ”That does not make any sense to me.”

”Go inside,” Cassian said, giving the order in a tone that made it clear he had no intention of explaining anything further.

Realising he was done speaking to her for the night, Cixi quickly entered the numerical passcode into the digital lock.

Before stepping inside, she cast one last nervous glance over her shoulder at the Devil.

Then she pushed the heavy door open and disappeared into the apartment at once.

Cassian remained standing outside her locked door for exactly five minutes in the silent hallway.

During that time, his gaze moved slowly across the structure of the floor, taking in the layout with cold precision as though he were measuring more than walls and distance.

At last, he reached into the pocket of his dark trousers, withdrew his phone, and dialled a secure number.

”Boss,” a rough voice answered immediately.

”I am sending you a residential address,” Cassian said. ”Find out exactly who owns the entire building.”

Without waiting for a response, he disconnected the line, typed in the address, and hit send.