Page 12 of His Aries Heiress (BLP Signs of Love #21)

The Aries symbol is a ram, which means they are daring, impulsive, and courageous.

After another night of restless sleep, Marcellus woke with a heavy heart.

He wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

He wasn’t used to dealing with emotions.

He was normally about action. His impulsion and don’t give a fuck attitude had always been present.

Grim tried his hardest to get him up out of those stubborn ways.

If only he had more time. If Marcellus knew what the pain of losing Grim had felt like and how much he yearned for his guidance now, he would have listened to him over all those years.

As he walked down to the kitchen to see if the chef left anything out for breakfast, his mind drifted to Cassydie and that kiss the night before.

Something about her softened him. He didn’t know why or how, but he felt drawn to her in ways he never would have expected.

It made this business with the council even more complicated.

If he hated her, it would be easier to resent her for taking his place and everything he’d worked so hard for.

That wasn’t the case though. Something about her made it all feel comfortable , which confused the hell out of him.

He knew he couldn’t waste time trying to figure his attraction to her out.

When he finally stopped trying to get some sleep this morning, he decided today would be the day he told Cassydie about the council.

He couldn’t gauge how she might react, but he hoped it didn’t add a whole lot more to his plate, because one thing about the council, what they said was law.

If they wanted to meet with her, he would have to make that happen.

He didn’t want them stepping in, because things could get ugly.

Once he was downstairs, he was surprised to see Cassydie and Tato in the living room lounging on the couch with the TV on.

It didn’t seem like they were even watching it.

Cassydie had her phone out, and Tato had his tablet clutched in his hands.

Marcellus realized they were showing each other pictures.

Cassydie had tears in her eyes but a big smile on her face while Tato spoke animatedly.

“Daddy was the best bowler ever. I could never beat him,” he said.

Cassydie giggled. “I don’t know. I’m pretty good myself. I bet I could have.”

Tato shook his head with wide eyes and a smile. “I don’t believe you.”

Cassydie cocked her head to the side. “Do I sense a challenge? Do we need to go bowling soon?”

Tato jumped up in excitement. “Yup.” He spotted Marcellus at that moment and smiled brightly before racing over to him and hugging his waist. “Cell, Cassy is going to take me bowling. She thinks she’s better than Pops.”

Marcellus’s heart warmed. This little boy . . . he had no idea the depths Marcellus’s love went to for him. He’d been extremely selfish when it came to Tato and his responsibilities. He had no choice but to change that now. He only wished he’d listened to Grim and did it sooner.

Marcellus hugged him back. “Yeah? We gon’ have to see about that, ain’t we? You eat yet?”

Tato nodded. “Cassy made me pancakes.” Tato glanced back at Cassydie and then leaned into Marcellus and tried, but failed, to whisper. “I think I like having a big sister. She does whatever I want.”

Marcellus chuckled. “And I don’t?”

Tato thought about it before he shrugged. “I guess you do.”

Marcellus playfully swiped a hand down Tato’s face. “Why don’t you go get a game of Mario Kart started in yo’ room? I’ll come up there in a minute. I need to talk to Cassydie.”

Tato’s eyes lit up, and he took off toward the room Marcellus had set up for him since he was born.

Marcellus’s eyes landed on Cassydie. She wore a red pajama set with black hearts on them.

He tried to stop his eyes from wandering all over her body as he rounded the sofa, but he couldn’t help it.

She was petite and slim-thick with beautiful toffee skin.

Today, her thick hair was down and cascading down her back, and she smelled like peaches.

When he sat down, he discreetly adjusted his hardening dick in his basketball shorts and cleared his throat.

“How are you?” she asked before he could speak.

His eyes studied her as warmth spread through him. Nobody ever really asked him how he was doing. He figured it was because he was always so hard on the exterior that people were either too intimidated to ask or didn’t think they needed to. Cassydie clearly saw through all that.

Finally, he blew out a long breath and ran a hand down his face. “Could be better. What was you and Tato down here doing?”

She looked like she wanted to pry, but he was glad she didn’t allow her nosiness to win.

A small smile covered her face as she looked down at her phone and swiped a few times.

“We were showing each other photos. It was cool to see Gregory and Tato. There were a few photos of you too. I can see how much you both love Tato. I’m glad he knows love. ”

“Mind if I see?” He nodded his head toward her phone.

Her brows rose. “These? They’re just photos of my parents and my best friend . . .”

He gestured for the phone. “Let me see them.”

She timidly handed the phone to him, and he swiped through the photos.

He studied each photo as if he was looking for clues about who she was a person.

He had a feeling he understood her, but he wanted concrete proof because he was about to drop a top secret bombshell in her lap.

Her disobedience from this point forward could cost her life.

There were photos of her as a kid, videos of her and a pretty, light-skinned woman dancing, her parents and her on picnics and celebrating birthdays .

. . She had a whole album with her life story, it felt like.

He suddenly felt like he needed to do better at documenting Tato’s life so he could have something to look at when he grew up.

“Looks like you had a good life,” he muttered as he swiped.

“I did,” she whispered. “Losing them changed everything though.”

He looked up at her and handed the phone back to her. “You don’t feel like you have a good life anymore?” he asked carefully. He wanted to see where her head was at. He hated that he had to do this both cautiously and quickly. Cautious wasn’t really in his wheelhouse.

She shook her head. “I lost the only people I’ve ever loved and who have ever loved me.

I got kicked out of school because I mentally checked out of everything.

I only had a little bit left before I got my master’s.

I lost my job. I’m broke as hell. And everything I own is either inside the guest room you’re letting me use or in the car my parents got me for my sixteenth birthday.

I’d say my life has taken a really depressing and shitty turn. ”

Marcellus wanted to choose his next words carefully and ease into this conversation, but the truth was, he didn’t know how to do that with something like this.

It didn’t matter how he worded it. Her world was about to be flipped upside down again, and he didn’t know how she would feel about it.

A lot of illegal shit came with being in the council.

But one fact remained true, . . . they were untouchable.

Prison was never a factor. They had every police department, mayor, judge, and even the president in their back pocket.

She didn’t need to be afraid of that. It was all about her moral compass, really.

Then there was the fact that she would be a billionaire overnight. Technically, she already was. Everything Grim owned was now hers. He only prayed she did right by his OG. Looking at her, he sensed that she would. She might be a firecracker, but she seemed to have a genuine heart.

“I got some shit to break down to you that might change the way you feel about yo’ life.”

Cassydie’s brows pulled in. “I’m listening . . .”

Marcellus sighed and then dove right into the breakdown of the council and Grim’s role in it.

“. . . The rules are concrete. You’re his heir, so you have to take over for him by law.

He’s the connect. We run a legal import business right here in Ellwood.

We control all the docks, ports, trucking lines, and planes through the country.

We move everything from weapons, drugs, and goods across borders.

“The import business is a front for the real money, and we’re talking a lot of money, ma. How you think I was able to afford this shit? And this house ain’t even close to what Grim has.”

He stopped to take a breath as he gauged her reaction to everything he said.

She looked confused. It took her a few seconds to speak. Slowly, she said, “Okay . . .”

“Okay?” he asked. He assumed she would have more questions or be mad or something.

“Okay . . .” she drawled once again before it seemed like she made up her mind about something. “Bring me to these council people then.”

She said it so nonchalantly, like she didn’t have to think about it at all and like it didn’t matter that she would be in a room filled with generations of the country’s biggest criminals. He chuckled.

Cassydie’s brows pulled in. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “That’s that Aries shit. Impulsive and fearless. I’m like that too.”

She seemed to think about his words before she shrugged.

“I guess I am like that. I’ve also been known to adapt easily.

Part of me feels like you’re just playing with me, but if you aren’t, I won’t lie and say I’m not curious.

I mean, shit like this only happens in movies.

Girl finds out she’s adopted. Girl finds her birth family.

Girl learns she’s an heir to billions of dollars and has a seat at the table with what sounds like the most powerful people in America?

One thing I’m not is scary or a bitch, so yeah, bring me to them. ”

Marcellus shook his head incredulously. He was in awe of her.

This was not how he thought this conversation would go at all.

When he thought about it, though, he realized he was looking into the eyes of a woman who had nothing else to lose.

He understood. He’d been there many times in his life.

Grim was always there to pick him up. Now, it was his job—his final promise—to make sure he did the same for Cassydie.

“Aight. I’ll set it up.”

She smiled softly at him, and relief flooded him. One step closer to sorting through this mess Grim left him.