NIRELLE - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

"You made it." Cassian tried to go in for a hug, but I took a step back before he could, and I saw the look of disappointment cross his face. "Am I repulsive?" His pride was shining through; it was almost sickening, but I was going to play the doll he thought that I was.
"Repulsive? What do you mean by that?" I ask, trying to act as clueless as possible. "Why would I?" I ask, blinking rapidly at him.
"I tried to hug you just now, and you moved away." His ego did not like the reaction it was getting. It's almost as if he expected me to bow down and worship him in that moment.
"Oh, it's nothing about you; it's just my preference," I say as I slide into my chair gently. He pushes me in and comes to sit in front of me with a smug smile on his face. I wish I were not here to play the doll; I would have wiped that smile off his face without thinking too much about it.
"Are you saying you don't hug men?" he asked.
"What does that mean?"
"You are married; do you not have any intimate acts with him?" he asked. I know that I can't put Lucien on the spot that way because it would make him look bad, and I wonder what kind of tricks he might be into now, so I just send a smile and tilt my head.
"You've gotten it wrong; I stopped hugging men ever since I got married. I have to be faithful to my husband," I add, and I slowly see his smile fade and how he struggles to bring it back up. It took a few seconds, but he could put on the act.
"I thought you would not be intimate with him because of how he is portrayed in society."
"You are also a man of power; I find it kind of disappointing that you believe tabloids and rumours," I say, and he stares as if I were quoting rubbish. He and his family had painted him as such a good person that there was not a single rumour about him. That couldn't happen, especially with his behaviour.
"Well, since there is no reference, how can we know what is true and false with him?" He was laying bait, hoping I’d bite. He wanted me to question Lucien again, but he didn’t know I’d stopped falling for traps like that.
"But you know that is not true, don't you?" I ask, and he looks uncomfortable. I am sure he was not expecting me to go head-to-head with him and take Lucien's side unprovoked. "But we aren't here to talk about my husband, are we? We are to talk about our friendship," I say, and he shifts in his chair.
"About yesterday, I am so sorry; Theo got carried away," I say, wanting to see his reaction.
"It's okay; for the longest time, I have sensed that Theo and Lucien do not like me; they have always tried to stand in my way," he replies, the smug smile back on his face like it never left. "I mean, instead of making the headlines every single time, they should learn to steer clear of it unless it's necessary," he adds, like he were a saint who could give advice.
"Like you?" I add under my breath.
"What was that?" he asked. I stare, wondering if he had heard me and this was all an act.
"Nothing," I say with a shrug and a smile. "But I am sorry."
"Can they both apologise to me?" I see that he has an ulterior motive. It was shining through his eyes. I wonder how I had missed all of those signs earlier.
"I wish, but you know, Theo, he is such a sweet soul that I wonder what it is that you said that triggered him so much." I know that he would not like to respond to any of my claims, so I go on. Earlier, I had wanted to come in here and destroy him at once, making sure he knew that I knew how cunning he was, but now I don't know why it all changed, almost as if I wanted to protect Lucien and Theo the best I could.
"You want to know what is strange, though?" I asked, and his eyes darted around, trying to make sense of what I was doing. "The videos that were released to the public—there was no one else but us here yesterday, so if I did not take the video and my bodyguards didn't tell who did?" I linger on the question, creating an unsettling feeling at the table even for me.
"I mean, it couldn't have been you, but maybe your staff? You need to look into it; they might as well leak confidential information at this rate." I gave him a chilling smile, and I could see his discomfort; he could not deny my allegations, and I loved where I had him.
"I will definitely look into that," he replied, trying to maintain his balance. He did not want to show how surprised he was that I had caught him, but he slipped through; I could see it.
"You should," I add, taking a sip from the glass of water on the table. I glance at my watch as if I were in a hurry somewhere. "I better get going; if I don't, Theo might barge in here again, and we don't want another scene," I say, and he frowns.
Theo was not going to come in here unless I asked him to come, but Cassian did not know that, and I could use it to my advantage.
"Already? The food hasn't even made it out of the kitchen yet," he sounded disappointed.
"Don't worry, I will make sure that we have a nice meal together soon," I add as I stand up, looking him straight in the eye. "It will be my treat," I add in a small voice.
He stands up and nods as if he understands what I was saying. I smile at him and allow him to walk me to the door. Once I am securely in the car, I allow the car to move away from the restaurant before I take out my phone. I wanted Lucien to know that I was okay in case he was worrying, but before I could type the name in, my phone began ringing. Yvette's name flashed across the screen. I gather all of my emotions and put them in check; maybe she was finally trying to be a mom and checking up on me. I knew that I should not be getting this call, but I let a part of me dream and hope, trying to cling to the last bit of humanity I could find.
"? I have a favour to ask you."
"Of course," I let out at once as I realised that this woman was not going to change, not now, not ever. She wanted me to help them even though she knew that I should be the last person she would ever ask a favour from, but I guess to them, it just didn't matter. They were shameless, and all they thought of was themselves.