~ Cassie ~
The scent of jasmine and sandalwood hung heavy in the air, drifting through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my private atelier. Outside, the gardens of the Shen Estate were a masterpiece of curated nature. An artificial waterfall cascaded over smooth obsidian stones, the white noise of the rushing water providing a rhythmic pulse to the room.
Today, however, focus was a luxury I didn't possess.
Jewelry drafts were scattered across the mahogany desk—hand-drawn blueprints for a collection that the fashion world had been anticipating for months. Mannequins of varying forms stood like silent sentinels around the room, draped in silks and velvets that awaited my final approval. On the far wall, framed posters of my latest films served as a reminder of my dual life: the screen siren and the visionary designer.
But the only touch I could feel was the searing heat of the man behind me.
"Baby... please... wait," I gasped, my fingers digging into the edge of the desk until my knuckles turned white, pinning a sketch of a diamond-encrusted choker beneath my palm.
The rhythmic sound of the waterfall outside was drowned out by the heavy, uneven thrum of my own heart. I could hear the muffled chirp of birds in the garden, a stark contrast to the thick, electric tension vibrating through the office.
"Lu... Lucian," I breathed, the name breaking into a stifled moan as his hands tightened on my hips. "Please... we're going to be late. The awards ceremony... I still need to clean up nicely."
A low, guttural grunt was his only response. He didn't slow his steady, possessive thrust. Instead, he leaned down, his lips brushing against the sensitive shell of my ear, his stubble grazing my skin.
"You are the main event, Cassandra," he murmured, his voice a dark, velvet promise. "The world waits for the sun to rise. They can wait for you."
I closed my eyes, tilting my head back against his shoulder. In that moment, the accolades and the legacy didn't matter. There was only the friction of skin, the scent of his expensive cologne, and the terrifying, beautiful weight of being loved by a man who would see the world burn just to keep me warm.
Two hours later, the quiet sanctuary of the atelier was a distant memory, replaced by the chaotic roar of the red carpet.
The flashing lights of a thousand cameras created a strobe-effect against the night sky of Monte Carlo city. The noise was intoxicating—reporters shouting my name, fans screaming from behind velvet ropes, and the constant, rhythmic clack-clack-clack of high-end shutters capturing every angle of my gown.
I moved through the sea of people with a grace that felt like a second skin. I wore a gown of shimmering obsidian silk that caught the light like spilled oil, looking every bit like the protagonist of a story the world was finally ready to read.
But I wasn't walking alone.
A heavy, familiar hand stayed situated firmly on my waist, a silent claim of ownership. Beside me stood Lucian Shen. To the world, he was the titan of the Shen Group, the coldest and most ruthless billionaire in the Republic. He was the man who had dismantled empires without blinking, the most eligible bachelor who had deemed no woman fit to stand beside him—until me.
He didn't look at the cameras. He didn't care about the press. His eyes stayed locked on my side profile, his gaze heavy with a pride that bordered on worship.
I looked up at the towering digital billboards surrounding the plaza. My face was everywhere—clips from my latest movie played on loop, followed by the announcement of the nominees for the "Prix in Design" award. My name, Cassandra Lin, sat at the very top.
A wave of accomplishment washed over me, thick and heady. My life hadn't been a bed of roses. I remembered being the girl who walked with her head down, the one who was plotted against and betrayed by the people she once loved dearly. I remembered the cold floor of a bunker. I remembered the moment I died.
This wasn't my first life.
This glittering existence wasn't a gift handed to me on a platter of gold by the heavens. I had worked for every breath, every stitch, and every line of dialogue. A deal had been struck with the devil in the screaming silence of the void, but every step I had taken since then had been my own. From a nobody to this blinding, shiny stage—it was worth every drop of blood.
My name is Cassandra Lin, you can also call me Cassie.
I am an actress, a designer, and the woman who refused to stay buried.
The lights are bright, the applause is deafening, and Lucian's hand is steady on my waist—the only anchor in a world that once tried to drown me. As I smile for the cameras, my mind drifts back to the darkness where it all began. Before the gold, there was the rot. Before this love I once feared, there was the knife in my back.
Dear all, let me share with you the woes and throes of my journey. And it begins with a betrayal.