CHAPTER 6— The Woman Who Was Not Supposed to Be Seen
Cassian Voss finally looked up.
It wasn’t sudden.
It was deliberate—like everything he did.
His eyes landed on Saraphina and stayed there longer than politeness allowed.
Not scanning.
Not evaluating.
Observing.
“You misunderstand,” he said after a moment.
Saraphina held his gaze.
“That depends on what you intended,” she replied.
A faint pause.
Then, almost imperceptibly, something shifted in his expression.
Interest.
Not the kind that was safe.
Petra appeared at the edge of the room.
“You have meetings at nine,” she reminded him.
Cassian didn’t look away from Saraphina.
“Reschedule them,” he said.
Petra hesitated.
“That’s not advisable.”
Cassian’s voice lowered.
“I didn’t ask for advice.”
Petra left immediately.
Silence returned.
Saraphina continued eating.
Cassian watched her.
“You know what this place is?” he asked.
She didn’t hesitate.
“A prison with good architecture.”
That answer should have offended him.
Instead—
something like approval flickered in his eyes.
“You’re wrong,” he said.
Saraphina tilted her head slightly.
“Then correct me.”
A pause.
Cassian leaned back.
“This is a containment house,” he said. “There’s a difference.”
Saraphina placed her fork down.
“For who?”
Cassian didn’t answer immediately.
And that hesitation told her everything.
Not everyone here was contained.
May you like
Only the ones who were dangerous.
Or the ones who were already broken.
