[BL] Bound to My Enemy: The Billionaire Who Took My Girl-Chapter 122: Promises promises

CASSIAN

I stopped walking. The world spun for a second, but I forced it to stay still, turning to look at him with a level of intensity that should have made him recoil. "Thanked me for what?"

Alex’s smile widened, showing a row of perfect, white teeth. "For the opportunity, of course."

My jaw clenched. "What opportunity?"

"Noah." He said the name simply, casually, as if he were talking about a piece of real estate we were trading.

My blood went from ice-cold to boiling in a heartbeat.

"I have to say, I didn’t think you’d actually let him go," Alex said, tilting his head as he studied my battered face. "But here we are. I guess playing the nice, boring character really did pay off. I was starting to get tired of the act, I must admit."

I didn’t respond, my fists clenching so hard at my sides that my nails bit into the palms I’d already injured in the suite.

"From what I’ve observed, you two are... through," Alex continued, pausing for effect. "Which is almost a pity. I know how much you enjoyed bossing him around. How much you liked having him under your thumb." His eyes were sharp, knowing. He was seeing past my defenses, and he was enjoying it. "But not just because you’re a sadistic bastard... though you are that, too. But because you actually like him, don’t you?"

The words hit like bullets, each one precisely aimed and landing exactly where it hurt the most.

"You fancy him," Alex said, his voice dripping with amusement. "More than just as a toy. I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think no one is watching."

"You don’t know what you’re talking about," I growled, my voice a low, dangerous warning.

Alex laughed again. "Don’t I? Come on, Cassian. You’re not as unreadable as you think. The problem is, Noah doesn’t know. He thinks you hate him. He thinks you’re just a cold, heartless bastard who used him and threw him away like a broken tool."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping into a more intimate, conspiratorial register. "And honestly? I’m grateful. You’ve made this so much easier for me."

"Easier?"

"Now I have a real chance," Alex said, his eyes darkening. "To get close to him. To have him where I want him. I can finally stop blending in with the background and start taking what I want."

The way he said it... "To have him"... made my skin crawl. There was a layer of possessiveness in his voice that was entirely different from the affection he’d shown Noah earlier. It was dark. It was wrong. It was the voice of a man who saw Noah not as a person, but as a prize to be won and used.

My instincts, sharpened by a lifetime of dealing with the worst kinds of men, screamed a warning. Something was very wrong with Alex Hendrix. But as the headache throbbed again, I questioned myself. Was it the concussion making me paranoid? Was I just seeing my own darkness reflected back at me?

Maybe he just meant dating. Maybe he meant being a normal partner. But the look in his eyes... it felt like a threat.

My driver pulled up, the sleek black car a welcome sight. But I didn’t move. I turned to Alex fully, stepping into his personal space, using my height to loom over him even though I felt like I might collapse at any moment.

I leaned in, close enough that he had to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact. My voice was low, dangerous... a blade wrapped in velvet.

"If you do anything to him," I said, letting the words hang in the air like a death sentence. "Anything that hurts him..."

Alex remained unfazed, his smile never wavering. "Are you threatening me, Cassian?"

"I’m making you a promise." I leaned closer, my eyes locking onto his. "Touch him the wrong way. Cross any lines. And I will destroy you. I don’t care about truces. I don’t care about business deals. I don’t care about the consequences."

I let the silence sit between us, thick with the promise of violence. "You hurt Noah? And I will end you."

Alex studied me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine. Then, he laughed. A soft, amused sound that chilled me to the bone. "You really do care about him. How sweet."

He stepped back, putting his hands up in a gesture of mock surrender. "Don’t worry, Cassian. I’ll take very good care of him."

The way he said It made my blood boil. But the world was spinning again, my vision tunneling. I needed to leave before I lost consciousness in front of him.

I stepped back and turned toward the car.

"Oh, and Cassian?" Alex called after me.

I didn’t turn around. I just stopped, my hand on the car door.

"Thanks again," Alex said, his voice ringing out in the quiet night. "For letting him go. I promise I’ll make good use of your generous gift."

I climbed into the backseat and slammed the door, the sound echoing like a finality. My driver pulled away immediately, the lights of the hotel fading into the distance.

I pressed my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the overwhelming nausea. But I couldn’t escape the sound of Alex’s voice. "I’ll make good use of your generous gift."

I had just handed Noah to him. I had pushed him away, insulted him, and told him to go to Alex. I had practically gift-wrapped the man I... the man I cared about... and handed him to a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

My phone was in my hand before I even realized I’d grabbed it. Noah’s number was already on the screen. My finger hovered over the call button, trembling. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

What would I even say? Stay away from him? I was wrong? I’m a mess and I need you back?

I couldn’t do it. I locked the phone and shoved it deep into my pocket. I had made my choice. I had pushed him away for his own good... or so I had thought.

"Sir? Where to?" the driver asked.

I opened my eyes, the world a blur of streetlights and shadows. "The hospital," I said, my voice sounding hollow and distant.

"Yes, sir."

As we drove through the dark streets of Barcelona, all I could see was Noah’s concerned face. And all I could feel was the cold, heavy certainty that I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. I hadn’t saved him from me. I had just delivered him to something probably far worse