Chapter 16 A Warning From Lionel


    Lionel''s words echoed through therge bedroom, ringing in Cassandra''s ears. Cassandra looked


    around, irritated. ''Doesn''t Lionel dislike me? Why would hee to my bedroom at such a time?'' she


    wondered.


    ''Unless…Unless he saw me in Rufus'' bedroom just now!'' The thought made Cassandra nervous.


    "Cassandra, you haven''t answered my question! Where were you just now? It''ste." Lionel''s question


    broke through Cassandra''s thoughts and snapped her back to attention.


    Lionel gripped Cassandra''s chin harder, forcing her to look into his eyes and answer him. Cassandra


    shifted ufortably, trying not to whimper from the pain. She returned Lionel''s gaze, raising her chin


    in angry defiance, then took a deep breath.


    "I had a meeting with my friend tonight,"


    she spoke slowly, trying to calm herself down.


    Cassandra knew that she couldn''t tell Lionel the truth right now. After all, she knew that what she had


    done was wrong.


    "Your friend? Funny...After all those years you spent in Rome, I''m surprised that you still have friends in


    G City."


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Lionel raised his eyebrows and snorted sarcastically. Clearly, he didn''t believe Cassandra. The calmer


    she stood before him, never breaking his gaze, the more she could see his anger rising.


    Cassandra had always been good at hiding her feelings. And cunning women angered him the most.


    "Can you please let go of me? You''re hurting me!"


    Knowing that Lionel was suspicious of her, Cassandra tried to distract him with her weakness so that


    she could change the topic. The truth was that she was actually overwhelmed by the pain in her chin.


    This infuriated her. How dare he treated her, or any woman, in this aggressive manner! She was


    determined to show him that she wasn''t just a puppet in his hand.


    Lionel looked at her for a few seconds, as if considering what to do. He unfurled his grip and released


    her face. Breaking free from his grip, Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief. She turned immediately and


    headed for the bedroom.


    "It''ste now. Is Mr. Tang still going to stay in my room?"


    Cassandra asked cooly as she walked inside to the bedroom. Once again she could tell that her


    indifference made his blood boil.


    In two long strides he caught up with her.


    The sound of his steps falling struck fear into Cassandra. She turned to look at him, afraid to ask what


    he wanted.


    Before she could say a word, Lionel had lifted her roughly into the air and thrown her onto the bed.


    "Stop! What are you doing!"


    Cassandra was frozen with fear. She could feel her heart almost jumping out of her chest. The thought


    of being touched by this man filled her with horror, and she looked around to see how she could


    escape.


    The two were a married couple in name only. There had never been any physical contact between


    them. This was the first time.


    A familiar sardonic smile crept across Lionel''s face. He sneered down at Cassandra.


    "Isn''t it why you married me? Huh? Why pretend to be so reserved now?"


    Lionel''s words were like des, carving patterns of pain into her skin. Cassandra instinctively bit her


    lips. Then she gathered all her strength to push Lionel away.


    "Hmm? Will you finally be honest with me, dear wife? Why would Rufus look at you like that when he


    had firste back to the family? Could it be something to do with the time he spent in Rome? Did the


    two of you perhaps...know each other in Rome?"


    Cassandra pressed her lips together defiantly, causing Lionel to be angrier and angrier. Lionel


    had been asking around, and it turned out that his brother had been to Rome just before he came back


    here.


    So he wondered about the interesting reaction that Rufus and Cassandra had towards each other


    when they first ''met''.


    "Now, tell me the truth, Cassandra. Why would that man care about you so much? Could it


    be...because you slept with him in Rome?"


    The question made Cassandra jump up from the bed. Pale and silent, she regarded her husband for a


    second.


    Then she pped him.


    "You bastard!"


    In the silence that followed, Cassandra regretted not being able to control her anger. She watched as a


    look of astonishment spread across Lionel''s face. He raised his one hand unconsciously to where she


    had just hit him. He seemed shocked, unable to believe that he had been pped...by a woman.


    "How dare you?!"


    Lionel was furious. He rushed at Cassandra and caught her neck, pinning her to the wall.


    Cassandra knew better than to struggle. She tried to control her breathing and not to cough or give


    away that he was hurting her. Through the pain, she managed to bring the indifferent look back into her


    eyes, and red at him frigidly.


    "Choke me, I dare you!"


    Cassandra managed to croak, adding fuel to the fire. As Lionel became more angry, his grip on


    Cassandra''s throat tightened.


    He brought his face close to hers. "Do you think I wouldn''t do that? You disgust me. Even if you


    stripped down naked, and threw yourself at me, I wouldn''t even bother to look at you. But if you think


    that means you can just seduce as many men as you want, I will show you how wrong you are. You


    had better watch what you do. You can''t hide anything from me. If I find out that you are whoring


    yourself out to other men, then you and your entire family are finished. Do you understand me?"


    After he had snarled hisst words, he let go of her and turned to leave. Cassandra dropped to the


    ground, unable to lift her head to defy him. Shey with one side of her face on the carpet, dumb with


    humiliation, trying not to gasp for breath.


    Lionel took onest disgusted look at her, and mmed the door shut behind him. Finally out of his


    sight, Cassandra let herself copse into shuddering, gasping sobs.