Cassie's POV

My breath got caught in my throat at the thought of not making it on time. Mirian, just stood with her hands behind her and her face facing the marble floor. I swallowed hard, waiting for Lucien who was seated at the far end of the table or the tall, heavily-built man standing beside him to talk.

He gracefully moved a small stopwatch, then held up a glass of champagne.

“Congratulations on your first task, Cassie Monroe,” he let my last name roll off his tongue in a strong Italian accent. “You made it on time and I expect you to do the same henceforth. Now, sit.”

I did as instructed, slowly glancing at Mirian who hadn't uttered a single word since we arrived.

“Is there something else I'm expected to know?” My fragile voice broke the silence as I finally looked up to him.

“The gala is in two days meaning you have two days to learn everything that'll make you a believable fiancée,” he pointed out.

“How do I even know that you're not lying to me?” I choked. “How do I know that Elena’s father is really coming after me and you're not lying to keep me locked up?”

“That's such a bold move to call me a liar to my face, but I'll answer your questions except I don't have a particular answer to it. Make one wrong move, and I won't spend a second of my time trying to make sure you can breathe.”

God, I hated the way he made me feel so little without even trying too hard. I hated the way I was terrified, but my nerves knew to do as Mirian instructed because I had a strong feeling that he might be a lunatic, but he wasn't lying. I just couldn't help but imagine what sort of mess I had let Elena drag me into.

“Fine,” I exhaled. “I'll do as you say.”

“Good, Miss Monroe. Now, move three seats forward.”

Three seats forward meant sitting directly to his right hand where the other stood like a statue. I was adamant at first, but I felt Marian's hot gaze burn against my back.

I stood up, letting my hair fall over my face as I approached him. The aroma of everything on the table began to hit my nostrils and for once I wished to have a normal breakfast in an atmosphere that wouldn't choke me to death like this one.

“Mirian?” he called out

“Yes, boss.”

“Do remind the designer about our appointment. The first dress should be ready by tomorrow.”

“I'll do it right away, boss. Please, excuse me,” the echoes of her voice faded with the clicking sound of her shoes against the floor.

“Carter?”

“Yes, boss,” the man towering over us replied firmly while I mentally registered his name. If I was going to stay at least I had to learn my right from left.

“Any leads on Elena yet?”

“Nothing yet, boss.”

“Double the search crew and try to find something useful. Miguel seems to be acting more recklessly about this than he said.”

I could swear that I saw a hint of fear flash through his eyes like lightning when he called Elena’s father. The way he folded his hands into a fist and released them while speaking to Carter and the sudden extra cautiousness in his instructions to Carter made me realise that whatever was going on was not as simple as Elena had made it sound.

“Eat,” he lowered his voice when our gazes met for the… I don't know… I guess tenth time since he began talking to Carter.

I nodded, swallowing hard to revive my dried throat. There were salmon, croissants, grilled lamb, fresh fruits, oats and everything supposed to make me grumble aloud, but I couldn't even lift a single cutlery. I felt his gaze over me almost all the time, but it only made things worse.

“I'm not hungry,” I whispered.

He focused on his discussion, talking about the cartels to expect on the occasion, shipments and all the illegal stuff expected to happen that night. I couldn't stand it.

“Can I…” my words faded into a nauseous feeling, but Lucien didn't bulge. I tried to grab anything to keep me stable, but I stumbled, falling on his thigh as I reached for a glass of water.

“What's wrong with you?” He grabbed my hand in disgust even though my breath was coming out in small pants.

I managed to chuckle at his coldness.

“Just shut up… and discuss… your illegal shit… when… out of… your sight,” my words broke into shaky pants, still nothing seemed to move him.

“Unfortunately, you'd have to get used to hearing those shits and even worse,” he smirked. “You'd be saying them in no time.”

“N-never.”

That was the last straw before I turned away from him the moment it felt like the contents of my stomach reached my throat. I choked on the spot, but since I had barely eaten, nothing was able to exit my mouth. I clutched my stomach, coughing hard, but he only moved the glass of water a few inches away from me before getting up.

“Make sure to eat something and don't forget. You don't have all the time.”

With that, he left alongside Carter. How were these men capable of being this heartless? I struggled to reach for the glass, but eventually did. Inhaling a good amount of air, I rested my back against the legs of the chair to catch my breath, before deciding to take a few bites from the food on the table.

I wondered if there was a time for this one too or maybe he just enjoyed terrifying me. It wasn't long before I had the first few bites that Mirian showed up.

“Hey,” I rose from the chair, relieved that I could finally talk to a living being. A vibrant, slim and gorgeous woman in her mid-thirties was just behind her, wearing a charming smile before extending her arm towards me.

“Good morning, Mrs Valez, I'm here for your measurements. Please call me Sandra,”

Mrs Valez? I laughed out nervously, unable to handle the right twists the morning brought

“Y-you're mistaken, Sandra. I'm Miss Monroe,” I cleared my throat.

Her smile twitched as she looked embarrassingly from me to Mirian and then the ring on my finger.

“Pardon, her. She's unwell,” Mirian stepped in, leaving me stunned. “Mrs Valez,” she turned to me. “Please shall we head to your room now?” she asked politely, again pleading with her gaze for me not to argue.

I forced a smile on, nodded to her and the other woman who probably thought that I was unstable.