"Princess, I'm upset with you," was the first thing Casadin said when Evadne answered his video call that night. She was already tucked in bed, ready to sleep, her new phone cradled in her hands.
After buying it earlier, she had immediately messaged him, along with Amanda, Bea, Delvin, and Flynn, so they could save her new number.
"Why?" Evadne frowned.
"Your mutt changed his relationship status on social media," Casadin replied with a dramatic pout. "It says in a relationship. So… is it official? Are you two together now?"
"Seriously? He did that?" Evadne blinked. "How do you even know he's referring to me? I don't have social media."
Casadin raised a brow. "Because it's impossible it's Cieryl. If he claimed it was her, Gramps would have him skinned alive. That guy's tail would be tucked so far between his legs, he'd choke on it."
"Are you jealous?" Evadne asked, smirking.
"I asked first," he muttered. "So? Are you together?"
"I offered him a deal," Evadne said with a sigh. "But he never actually said yes."
"What kind of deal?"
"That we give our parents what they want. Act like a couple in public. That way, they'll get off his back, for now. It's not like they're going to force me into marriage anytime soon. I already told him I won't even consider getting married until I'm thirty. I gave him that much time to grow a spine and stand up for what, or who, he really wants. In exchange, he doesn't pull another stunt like yesterday, and he makes sure his people stay in their lane."
"You should've just let that ungrateful mutt rot," Casadin muttered darkly. "That one bites."
Evadne laughed softly. "It's a double-edged sword, Cas. I knew exactly what he tried to pull, but I couldn't confront him in front of everyone yesterday because he played the gentleman too well. Now that I've told him I know everything, I warned him, anything he throws at me, I'll throw back ten times harder. So if he plans to bite, I'll let him. But I'll bite back. And I'll make sure I tear a limb or two off."
Casadin chuckled but quickly composed himself, putting on a mock-serious expression.
"You can't just explain things and expect me to be okay. I require a bribe, Princess. You hurt my delicate feelings."
"A bribe?" Evadne rolled her eyes. "Fine. What kind of bribe are we talking about?"
"Movie date," Casadin grinned, leaning closer to the camera.
"Okay. When? Tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow," he said with a small pout. "Mom and I are flying out early for the new branch of her jewelry store. Dad can't come, so I'm her chaperone-slash-bodyguard. We'll be back Sunday night. How about Monday? After school?"
"Fine. But I pick the movie," Evadne said firmly. "I don't trust you not to pick something rated SPG."
"What?! How did you know?!" Casadin laughed, and she burst out laughing with him.
The conversation flowed effortlessly after that, random topics, nonsense jokes, teasing and warmth that came naturally between them. They laughed until Evadne started yawning, repeatedly, despite trying to stay awake.
She didn't want to end the call just yet.
Casadin noticed.
"You should sleep," he said softly.
"I'm fine," she yawned again, stubborn.
"You're not," he smirked. "But how about this, want me to sing you to sleep?"
"You sing?" She raised a brow, clearly skeptical.
"I do. And I'm amazing at it."
"Confident."
"Talented," he corrected, flashing a grin. "So, shall I?"
Evadne didn't answer. She just gave a lazy nod and snuggled deeper into her blanket, her breathing starting to slow.
So Casadin started singing softly, his voice low, warm, and surprisingly soothing.
And though Evadne didn't say a word after that, the faint smile on her lips before sleep took her said everything.
"Goodnight, Princess," Casadin whispered, his voice low and gentle, before setting down the guitar he'd used to sing her to sleep.
But he didn't end the call.
Lying back in his own bed, the screen still glowing softly in the dim light, Casadin stared at her sleeping face. Her expression was peaceful, lashes casting long shadows against her cheeks, lips parted slightly as she breathed.
He watched her like that until his own eyes finally drifted shut, and sleep claimed him, still connected to her.
From that night on, distance didn't matter. Even with Casadin abroad, time zones mismatched and days packed with travel for his mother's business, he always found time to call or message. And Evadne, who once thought silence was the only company she could ever trust, now looked forward to his voice like a lullaby.
Evadne no longer felt bored waiting for the new school year to begin. Apart from her daily meditation to sharpen control over her mind-reading ability, which was starting to bear real results, she could now silence background thoughts and, more impressively, focus in on only the thoughts she wanted to hear.
The Rebels would often invite her out, dragging her into new places and experiences. At first, she thought The Rebels was just a random name they gave their friend group to sound cool, but it turned out to be their band name. Which explained why Casadin was so good at singing.
Through Amanda, Bea, Delvin, and Flynn's stories, she found out something else, Casadin owned a bar. Not a high-end luxury place like Zeus's infamous Olympus, but one that welcomed the masses. A place for soul and sound.
"You didn't tell me you owned a bar," Evadne said during a video call one afternoon. She was floating lazily on her unicorn float in the pool when he called. She paused her swimming to chat. "If Bea hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were a businessman already. You should treat me sometime."
Casadin chuckled. "Sure, Princess. One of these days, I'll take you there. I'll get you drunk enough to finally crawl into my bed and wear out my manhood."
Evadne rolled her eyes hard enough to cause a ripple in the water.
"I'm being serious," Casadin added with a grin. "I'll bring you there soon. But don't expect too much, okay? It's not fancy, but it's mine. You know, I lived on meatloaf for two years just to save enough to build Nirvana Bar. Every damn day."
Evadne tilted her head, genuinely intrigued. "Why didn't you ask Dee or Casey for help? They could've invested."
"Of course they offered." Casadin confirmed. "But I said no. I wanted to do it myself. I wanted something that, every time I looked at it, I could tell myself, I made this happen. It's not something handed to me. I saved every cent. Ate meatloaf for two years straight just to pull it off."
His voice was quiet, but the pride behind it was unmistakable.
Evadne was quiet for a moment, digesting that. It surprised her. Not the effort, but that he chose to suffer when he had other options. Just because he wanted to build something on his own terms.
Their conversation drifted on from there, jumping between music, memories, nonsense, and secrets.
While Evadne had once heard about Casadin through Diana while she was still in France, it had always been colored with his mishaps, the reckless adventures and epic fails. Diana never mentioned his wins, only the chaos.
But now that she was seeing him for herself, talking to him late into the night, learning who he really was beneath the cocky facade, Evadne couldn't deny the admiration slowly building inside her.
Casadin was still cocky. Still full of himself. But now, she could see something else. He was loyal to the bone. Passionate. And not the kind of man who did things to prove himself to others. He did things because he wanted to try, because he needed to give everything he had before saying it was too much.
And when it was too much?
He wasn't ashamed to ask for help.
"Cas, I have to end the call," Evadne said after a while, her voice soft and almost regretful.
"What? Why? Tired of me already?" Casadin teased, feigning offense with a dramatic pout.
"Of course not," she replied, shaking her head with a chuckle. "But Hades is here."
"Oh? So?" Casadin leaned closer to the screen. "Just keep me on the line, Princess. I want to hear what that mutt wants from you."
"The 'mutt' you're referring to is my boyfriend, mister," Evadne replied with a raised brow, her voice dripping with mock authority.
Casadin stared at her.
Then, at the exact same moment, they both cracked, and burst into laughter.
"Hey, end the call already," Evadne said between giggles. "I'll give you a bribe."
"What kind of bribe?" he asked, pretending not to care, though the gleam in his eyes betrayed his curiosity.
"It's a surprise," she said with a teasing smile. "But I know you'll love it."
"Fine," Casadin sighed dramatically. "It better be worth it. If not, I'll have that 'boyfriend' of yours cursed."
They laughed again.
"Bye, Princess." Casadin made a playful mock kiss at the screen.
"Bye, Cas." Evadne mirrored the gesture and ended the call.
As she looked up, Hades stood at the poolside steps, holding her robe, freshly taken from the lounge chair.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, lounging lazily on her unicorn float, one leg trailing in the water. "We didn't have any plans to see each other today, right?"
"I brought your uniforms and your class schedule for the semester," he replied, trying to keep his tone casual.
"Thanks," she said, still lounging on her float, completely unbothered.
Does she not get the hint? I'm holding her robe. Can she seriously not see I want her out of the pool? If it were Cieryl, the moment she saw me coming, she'd have stepped out immediately.
Evadne's brow arched slightly as Hades' thoughts brushed through her mind.
"Do you need anything else?" she asked lazily, spinning the float slightly with her fingers.
She's really not getting out?
"I also brought cheesecake and iced coffee," Hades added with a smile, forcing patience. "You need to try on the uniforms so I can take them to the tailor for adjustments if they don't fit."
My arm is getting numb already.
Evadne sighed under her breath and finally dove off the float, cutting through the water effortlessly. She stayed under longer than necessary, and for a brief moment, Hades tensed, his heartbeat accelerating in concern. But then she surfaced, water cascading down her shoulders.
"Thanks," she said, taking the robe from him and slipping it on.
But she didn't bother tying it.
The nude-toned one-piece clung to her body like a second skin, the robe hanging loose and open, framing her silhouette instead of hiding it.
Hades swallowed hard despite himself.
Because yes, she was beautiful. More than that, she was stunning. Effortlessly sensual. It irritated him how easy it was to notice. To want.
And Evadne smirked knowingly.
Because she heard it. Every thought he didn't want her to hear.
She walked past him without a word, wet footprints trailing behind her on the marble tiles, the robe fluttering open with every step.
And Hades, fists clenched at his sides, could do nothing but watch her go, still pretending it meant nothing.