Novel Square
Chapter 3
Cassie never thought she would see Marcus again right after being transported back to the past. The last memory of her past life in her mind-he rushed through the flames to hold her tight and it made her heart ache.
“Wait, Marcus was here around this time before? With all the commotion surrounding those photos back then, he had to know what happened. If he had liked me… Cassie felt another stab of pain and couldn’t bring herself to think about it any further.
Outside, footsteps faded into the distance. Marcus let out a sigh of relief and pulled his hand from covering Cassie’s mouth. He looked down at her, his brow slightly furrowed, and lifted her hat off. “Ms. Murphy?”
This was the second time Cassie had heard Marcus’s voice. The first was when he said, “I’ll never leave you alone again.” His voice was deep and smooth, like a beautiful melody.
She stared at him, her mind racing with Julia’s words from before her death. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Marcus thought he had scared her. “It’s not safe to be out here alone at night,” he said softly, gently putting her hat back. If anyone from his team had witnessed his being so gentle, they would have thought they were seeing things.
His arm brushed against Cassie’s nose, and she caught a whiff of blood. She immediately looked up, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you hurt, Marcus?”
Marcus paused, then broke into a bright smile. “You know me?”
Why is he so perceptive?’ Cassie thought. Despite their brief encounter, she found Marcus seemed surprisingly upbeat, not fitting his devilish reputation-cold-hearted, willing to stab anyone for money and power.
Cassie shook off the memories of her past life. No matter what Marcus did for her back then, thankfully, none of it had happened this time.
She appreciated his past kindness, but she knew she had to keep her distance. The Anderson family was dangerous, and anyone connected to them typically ended up in trouble.
After the tragedy of her past life, all she wanted now was to live peacefully with her loved ones. She would do everything in her power to ensure nothing threatened them again.
“Those guys are gone. You should treat your wounds, and I need to head home,” Cassie said, starting to pull away, “Hold on a second. Marcus pressed his other hand against the wall, closing her in between his arms.
Ca**ic frowned and instinctively leaned back against the wall. “What are you doing?”
“It’s not safe yet. They haven’t gone too far,” Marcus explained. Just wait a minute.”
His voice was low, hovering close to her ear. At that moment, it felt like a feather brushed against her heart “Okay,” she murmured.
Even though Cassie was trying to put some distance between them, they were still close enough for her to catch the mix of blood and something cold on Marcus. At the same time, he could smell her unique, sweet scent. The space felt constricted, and the atmosphere turned somewhat ambiguous.
Cassie glanced sideways and her eyes landed on Marcus’s arms. They were long and strong, radiating pure masculine energy. Suddenly, she felt a little hot.
Just then, Julia’s piercing scream echoed from the depths of the alley, breaking the intimate tension in the small space. Marcus frowned and looked outside. Cassie instinctively grabbed his arm. “Don’t go.”
Marcus paused, noticing how tightly she held onto him. Her small hand felt ice-cold and trembling. Then, he looked up to meet her eyes.
Cassie had thougt he would ask why, but instead, he simply replied seriously, “Okay.”
The firm and sincere “Okay” felt like a stone thrown into Cassie’s calm heart-gentle at first, but soon sending ripples across the surface.
After a moment, Cassie heard tires screeching outside, followed by the hurried sounds of people getting out of cars. Her heart jumped into her throat.
Just when one group leaves, another one shows up? Am I about to get dragged into trouble with Marcus right after being transported? Is it my fate to die with him?’ she wondered.
With them so close, Marcus could sense that Cassie froze instantly as she heard the commotion outside. He chuckled softly and leaned in to reassure her. “Don’t worry. It’s my people.”
Cassie nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Then I guess I’ll head out. With that, she slipped out from under Marcus’s arms. Marcus watched her slender back and raised an eyebrow, a smile creeping onto his lips before he followed her.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Just as they stepped into view, a tall man rushed over, panic written all over his face. “Mr. Anderson, are you okay?”
Tm fine, Marcus replied.
Cassie, who was walking ahead, paused and turned back in surprise to look at Marcus.