Chapter 7: The storm behind his eyes

The first time I saw Caspian Grey lose control, it terrified me.

And the worst part? He had no idea he was losing control over my past, too.

It happened two nights after the gala, in a world so far removed from my own that I felt like I was floating through someone else's life.

A dinner in privacy at one of the most elite restaurants in town, with crystal chandeliers, candlelit tables, the soft hum of mannered conversation, and clinking glassware. Caspian sat across from me, every inch at ease in his tailored suit, his expression unreadable as we dined with his latest business associates.

I'd almost convinced myself this was another night of playacting, just another performance to further our illusion, when he showed up.

Nathaniel Carter.

I felt my stomach twist into knots.

It had been more than a year since I'd seen him, but time hadn't dulled the sharp edges of my memories.

Or the scars he left behind.

Even in a crowded restaurant, he swallowed the air. Tall, dark-haired, in a navy suit that likely cost more than my bookstore's entire inventory. He moved with the assurance of a man who had never heard the word no—because he hadn't.

His eyes clashed with mine, and my breath buckled.

God, no.

Not here.

Not with Caspian.

I dug my fingers tighter onto the fork, wrenching my face into neutrality, something unreadable.

But the curve of Nathaniel's lips into a smirk told me I was too late.

He had already seen panic there, imprisoned in my gaze.

"Caspian," he drawled, sliding into the empty chair beside me uninvited. "You've been avoiding me."

Caspian barely looked at him, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Haven't we all?"

The tension between them was instantaneous-a slicing undercurrent through the sheen of polished civility.

Nathaniel's eyes swung to me, and something stirred in his eyes. Interest. Amusement. Cruel curiosity.

"And who is this?" he pondered.

Before I was able to get a word in, Caspian's hand materialized on my knee beneath the table, firm in its hold. Possessive. "My fiancée.

The word buckled into me, and I knew that it was all a lie.

Nathaniel's smirk grew. "Fiancée? Now that's interesting." His full attention returned to me. "Tell me, Lily, do you know what kind of man you're engaged to?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but Caspian's fingers clenched ever so slightly on my leg-a silent warning.

Nathaniel," he said, his voice silky, even. "I don't recall inviting you to this table."

Nathaniel leaned back, unruffled. "And I don't recall you answering my calls."

Caspian exhaled slowly, his eyes locked on Nathaniel's face as he placed his glass down with deliberate slowness. "That's because I have nothing to say to you."

The smirk didn't slip from Nathaniel's lips. Instead, it seemed to widen.

"Ah," he drawled. "So it's true, then. You're pulling out of the deal."

I felt Caspian freeze beside me.

A storm brewing beneath the surface.

"I don't do business with men who can't keep their word," Caspian said, his voice deceptively calm.

Nathaniel laughed, shaking his head. "Still so righteous. Tell me, Caspian—does she know what you did?"

Silence.

Cold.

Heavy.

I glanced at Caspian, but he gave nothing away. His expression was carved from stone.

Nathaniel leaned in close, speaking almost in a whisper. "Does she know what happens to people who cross you?

Caspian's fingers dug deep into my knee gave up its grip as he put both his hands deliberately and slowly on the table.

And smiled at me then.

This was no easy, laughing grin he could play me in one of those languid flirtations he made against me; instead, this smile was an executioner, precise, dangerous

Nathaniel's humor ebbed.

Caspian still sat, unmoving. Caspian had never spoken up.

But something in the air shifted-something dangerous.

The type of danger not accompanied by threats, but silent, sure certainty.

I had seen Caspian play the charming billionaire to a tee. I'd seen him tease and smirk and toy with me.

But I'd never seen this side of him.

The one that made men like Nathaniel Carter back down without a fight.

The one that made me wonder just how far he would go to get what he wanted.

Nathaniel exhaled sharply and pushed back his chair. "Enjoy your dinner."

Then he was gone, disappearing into the sea of glittering guests.

I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until Caspian finally looked at me.

His blue eyes were unreadable.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now.

I wasn't sure how to answer.

Because for the first time since this arrangement started, I wasn't positive if it was my fake fiancé I sat across from—

Or the devil himself.

That night, I didn't sleep.

I tossed and turned in the huge bed Caspian had insisted I use, my mind replaying dinner over and over.

Nathaniel's smirk.

Caspian's quiet, terrifying promise.

The way his fingers had tightened on my knee, a silent reminder that I was part of this now.

I didn’t know what time it was when exhaustion finally pulled me under.

But when it did, the nightmares came.

Flashes of that night.

Of Caspian’s voice, cold and final.

Of something darker lurking beneath his control.

I must have made a sound—something between a gasp and a cry—because suddenly, I felt warmth.

A firm hand on my shoulder.

A voice, low and familiar. "Lily."

My eyes flew open.

Caspian was sitting on the edge of the bed, his brows furrowed together.

I was breathing too hard. The room felt too dark.

I tried to push myself up, but his hand came to my back, holding me down.

"It was just a dream," he said softly.

I exhaled shakily, nodding. "I know."

Yet he didn't move.

His fingers traced slow, absentminded circles against my spine—so gentle, so unlike the man I had seen tonight.

I should have pulled away.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I turned to look at him.

And that was my first mistake.

Because in the dim glow of the city lights, Caspian Grey didn’t look like the ruthless billionaire who had threatened to destroy a man over dinner.

He looked tired.

Like he was carrying something heavy.

Like he'd been fighting ghosts long before I stepped into his world.

My heart squeezed.

And before I knew it, I whispered out, "Caspian, did you know?"

His brow furrowed. "Know what?"

"Forget it". I said.

Silence stretched between us, thick with something unspoken.

Then, before I could say another word, Caspian's fingers brushed against mine-just for a moment.

Just long enough to make my heart ache.

Neither of us pulled away.

Neither of us pretended anymore.