The city skyline blurred beneath a curtain of rain, but inside the penthouse, the air was thick with something far hotter than storm clouds—secrets, betrayal, and a craving that neither man could deny.
Cassian paced restlessly, the weight of his crumbling empire pressing down like a vice. Every whispered rumor, every shadowed threat gnawed at him. Yet it wasn't the threat of business rivals that twisted his gut—it was the growing distance between him and Riven.
The door clicked softly. Riven entered, eyes dark and unreadable, carrying a tension that set Cassian's blood on fire.
Without a word, Cassian closed the distance, gripping Riven's wrists, pulling him close. The room pulsed with electricity as their bodies met—hungry, desperate. Riven's lips parted beneath Cassian's, breath hitching in the storm of need.
But even as desire burned between them, the unspoken truths hovered like ghosts. Riven pulled back, fingers tracing Cassian's jaw. "We can't keep pretending."
Cassian's voice was a low growl. "Pretending what? That this—" he gestured between them "—is everything?"
Riven's gaze faltered. "That I don't know there's something you're hiding."
The confession hung heavy, and Cassian's jaw clenched. "There are things you don't understand."
"Try me," Riven challenged.
Their lips met again, fiercer this time, a collision of passion and defiance. Clothes fell away, skin against skin, heat surging through every touch. But even in the heat of their connection, the cracks were deepening.
Later, as the city lights shimmered through rain-streaked windows, Riven lay beside Cassian, the space between them filled with unsaid doubts.
Cassian's hand ghosted over Riven's skin, voice husky. "I'm trying to protect you."
Riven shook his head, heart breaking. "Protect me from what? From yourself?"
---
The next day brought a storm of a different kind. Riven's phone buzzed—a message that shattered the fragile peace.
A photo. Cassian with Nyra.
Not just a business meeting—but a touch too intimate, a smile too familiar.
Riven's fingers trembled as he stared at the screen. The betrayal wasn't just in the image—it was in the lie Cassian had fed him over and over.
Anger and hurt collided with the desire that still bound him.
---
That night, the confrontation exploded.
Cassian's penthouse was a battlefield—voices sharp, accusations flying like daggers.
"Why?" Riven demanded, voice cracking. "Why hide her from me? What is she to you?"
Cassian's eyes darkened with pain and guilt. "She's part of the empire… a necessary ally."
"Necessary? Or a threat?"
Cassian stepped closer, voice low and fierce. "You think this is easy? I'm fighting for us—"
"For us?" Riven's laugh was bitter. "You're fighting for your power while I'm left to pick up the pieces."
The tension snapped. Cassian seized Riven's hips, pulling him into a fierce kiss—hungry, possessive, a desperate claim.
Riven didn't resist.
Their bodies tangled, flames igniting despite the ache beneath.
Yet even as passion surged, the betrayal festered, threatening to turn everything to ash.
---
Later, in the dark silence after, Cassian whispered against Riven's skin, "I don't want to lose you."
Riven's fingers curled into his hair. "Then stop lying."
The kingdom Cassian built was crumbling—but the greatest battle was between them. Trust was the kingdom's foundation, and now it was turning to dust.