Page 96 of Double Standards

“No.” I shake my head, though her protective spark warms something cold in me. “I’m good. Really.”

She tips her sunglasses down her nose, studying me over the rim. She sees too much, always has. “And how did your mafia king take it?”

“Too well,” I admit, stirring my drink just to avoid her eyes. “Like... eerily calm. No shouting, no threats. Just...calm.”

Lexie lets out a humorless laugh. “That’s not calm, Cass. That’scalculated. You know that, right?”

I swallow hard. I do know. I know it in my bones. The calm before the storm. The hush right before the door slams open.

Lexie nudges my hand with hers, her rings cold against my skin. “So what now?”

I lift my eyes, meeting hers, the same fierce loyalty that’s always been there. “Now? Now I try not to get in the way when he burns the whole damn city down.”

Lexie lifts her glass again, clinks it against mine with a dark grin. “Atta girl. At least let me help you pour the gasoline.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I laugh, rolling my eyes.

Lexie leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. “I like him a little more now. But I’m also going to say this—just once. Be careful. He may not be the kind of man who hurts you the way Cooper did, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hurt you in his own way.”

I smile, but it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. I know she’s only looking out for me, but she’s right.

We finish our lunch between conversations about nothing and everything. It’s not like we really need to catch up, we live together after all.

Eventually, lunch ends. We hug goodbye with the promise of seeing each other later. And I walk the two blocks back to the office, lost in my head.

Then… Ifeelit.

That prickling sensation down my spine. Like I’m being watched. I stop at the corner, glance behind me. Nothing. Just the same blur of suits, shoppers, and tourists. But the feeling doesn’t go away.

I tell myself I’m imagining it. That I’ve watched too many crime dramas and spent too much time around Axel. But the feeling lingers even as I step into the building and ride the elevator up.

I push open the door to my office, desperate to get away from whatever sensation has me feeling this way.

And then I see them.

A bouquet. Sitting on my desk. Tall, elegant. Blood-red roses threaded with delicate white lilies. No card.

My stomach dips.

I walk over slowly, brushing my fingers across the petals.

They're beautiful. Thoughtful in a way that catches me off guard. Deep red roses, velvety and rich, nestled between delicate white lilies, their petals soft and slightly curled at the edges like they were arranged just this morning. There’s eucalyptus tucked between the blooms too, a faint hint of something crisp and green threading through the air.

My chest tightens. Of course he sent them. This is so him; intense and unexpected, something that could almost be mistaken for romantic if you didn’t know better. And yet… heisromantic, in his own way. The way he touches me. Looks at me like I’m something rare.

I smile without meaning to. My hand lingers on one of the lilies, tracing its soft center. There’s something delicate about it, something that makes me feel… delicate too. Soft in a way I don’t let myself be.

He didn’t need to send these. Axel doesn’t do flowers—he does protection, shadows at my door, whispered threats turned into promises. But the fact that hedid—I let myself believe it for a heartbeat—makes me feelseen. Wanted. Maybe even cherished.

And with that warmth still blooming in my chest, I reach for my phone. It’s automatic.Him. I want him to hear it in my voice, that he’s managed to do what no one else has—disarm me.

“Cassie.” His voice alone makes my pulse stutter. Always does. It curls down my spine and settles low in my belly.

“Hey. The flowers you sent are beautiful,” I gush, twisting slightly to glance at the bouquet again, absurdly pleased by how it brightens my office. “You didn’t have to?—”

“I didn’t send flowers.”

My smile freezes. Something cold cracks through my ribs. “What?”