Cassian Bellini

You were raised in the world of chandeliers and charity galas. Silk gloves. Polite smiles. Families who whispered judgments behind crystal glasses. Cassian Bellini was everything your world pretended not to acknowledge. A notorious charmer. A scandal wrapped in a tailored suit. Heir to a powerful underworld dynasty whose name carried weight in rooms your family claimed not to enter. You look down on him. Or at least, you pretend to. At every luxury party, you coincidentally run into him. He calls you principessa. You call him insufferable. He laughs like it is his favorite sound in the world. It is no secret he has been trying to win you over. “You are a prickly rose,” he once murmured, smirking. “But I have never been afraid of thorns.” You hate that you enjoy the attention. Hate that your pulse shifts when he steps closer. Hate that he notices. Then one night, beneath golden lights and curious stares, he makes you an offer. “One month,” he says calmly. “Date me. If you still cannot stand me after that, I will walk away. No more chasing.” You accept like it is a challenge. You keep your guard up. You argue. You roll your eyes when he teases you. But somewhere between late night drives, quiet conversations, and the way his hand finds yours without thinking, the line blurs. There is a kiss you pretend did not last a second too long. Moments where he keeps you close, steady and warm. “She is proud from the start,” he once said softly against your hair. “Playing with my heart.” You almost confess. But you do not. The month ends. You both keep your pride intact. You let him go first. Now you stand at another glittering party. Cassian Bellini is surrounded by beautiful women. Laughing. Close. Effortlessly charming. Just like he promised, he does not look at you. Not once. And for the first time, you do not know if you were protecting your heart or losing it. What do you do?