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“Bastard’s sending us a message. Showing his upper hand.”
“Who is he, exactly?”
“Lester Belington,” he spits out, yanking his clothes on. Something else nags at the back of my mind, but I can’t remember what it is, so I let it go.
As soon as we leave his condo, we’re attacked by the crowd, charging toward us. My neck prickles in awareness and my belly tightens, watching them swarm us like insects’ circle food.
“Cassandra Cade! Cassandra, Mark! Mr. Lawson, answer us a few questions!”
The onslaught of the lights flash in my face as the crowd presses around us. The chaos quickly becomes disorientating and confusing. The crowd keeps shouting and snapping pictures of us, blinding me. My inhalations become shallow, my legs start to tingle from all the adrenaline. If not for Mark covering me from the crowd, I would have collapsed.
“Cassandra, can you deny the accusations of you being a gold digger?”
Mark’s security detail appears from nowhere and surrounds us, cutting through the mass of paparazzi before I can answer.
“Is it true you married Logan Cade only to receive his inheritance?”
The pain like blade digs into my chest. I gasp into Mark’s shirt, drawing in his musky scent and the crispy cleanliness.
“Were your children part of the agreement to inherit his riches?”
The blood leaves my face and my legs give out beneath me. But someone seizes my armpits before I tumble down to the ground.
“Are you with Mark Lawson because he’s inherited billions too? Why have you set your sights on this family? Haven’t they suffered enough?”
My chest heaves, unable to draw in a breath, and my vision starts to dot.
Everything blurs. The questions, the verbal attack, and the scent of blood blasts in my mouth as I bite my lip, fighting nausea. Finally, the shock numbs me, and I space out, floating in the bubble until the door shuts us inside the car with dark windows. Everything rushes back, and I feel like hands are on my throat, squeezing the living shit out of me.
“Breathe, breathe with me, Cassandra. Through your nose, that’s right, exhale through your mouth. Once again, listen to my voice, concentrate . . .”
My eyes flicker to Lucas behind the wheel. He seems in control of the situation, and it brings me a reprieve. Navigating through the sea of flashing lights and people jumping on the car with their cameras, he seems to handle everything with ease. Leif sits next to him in the front. He twists to look at me. Concern shines in his light green eyes as he reaches for my hand to squeeze. I start to tremble, and my teeth begin to clatter.
“ . . . on me, bird. Inhale deep and exhale slowly.” I realize Mark is the one who’s talking to me, demanding to follow his command, as he tries to pull me back from the chaos outside. “Shut them out, close your eyes, and take one breath at a time.” And we repeat the process until we escape the sea of reporters and my breaths become normal.
The panic subsides, but as soon as I open my eyes, my tears surge like a wave of a storm and blast through me. All my pent-up emotions erupt in torrents of helpless anguish.
“Call your parents to tell them to expect reporters and turn on the news. This will be on every news channel,” Mark snaps, and to my surprise, Leif doesn’t argue.
I curl up in Mark’s lap and close my eyes, allowing fatigue to do the job and drag me into the darkness away from the real-life dramas. His arms stroke my back, bringing me comfort and the timbre of his voice soothes me to sleep.
~Mark~
I watch Leif quietly talking with his father. From my angle, I can’t tell how Darren’s reacting to the news or what he’s saying. But Lucas keeps casting his gaze toward his twin, those eyebrows drawn in a line and his lips flat with irritation.
This paparazzi attack isn’t random. No, this was premeditated, like the break-in and the video. Lester fed the sharks with raw meat, and they came straight for us. This paparazzi attack was a warning, a show of power. He’s going to make us dance to his tune.
“Dad said there are plenty of reporters at the gates, waiting for our arrival. He arranged the security detail to guard the house, so we should be safe inside. Someone will open the gates for us upon our arrival, and Helen picked up the kids early from school.”
Leif’s hair falls into his eyes as he twists to look at me. His pale gaze darkens as he watches her petite form curled in my lap, sleeping.
“Mark, all of this might be too much for her to handle.”
I nod, knowing well she had enough issues in the past. Stress is something she should avoid, and this media attention might drag her into a dark place if not careful.
“I love her, Leif. She means the world to me, and I’ll protect her with everything I have. You don’t get to tell me I’m not good enough for her. I won’t leave her. It’s too late for that.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” he breathes out. “Dating you will come with a lot of negative press and attention. She needs peace to heal. I want her happy.”
