Tamara halted directly in front of Cixi, close enough for Cixi to notice the stronger resemblance between her and Rafael now—the colouring, the sharpness around the eyes, the inherited hauteur.

"Cassian’s fiancee," Michael supplied. And Cixi’s eyes rested on Michael, who was watching her with a passive expression and an air of arrogance. An arrogance she had seen in Cassian.

Rafael, who had been taking pleasure in the drama until now, had the smile on his face die at once after hearing Cassian’s name.

Tamara looked again, this time with attention instead of contempt alone, and recognition slowly settled into her face. Her eyes dropped to Cixi’s belly.

"Right," she murmured at last, taking a step back. "She was here last time."

Rafael leaned forward, keeping his perfectly strong arms on his knees as his interest turned keen. "The rumoured Cassian’s rumoured fiancee?"

A curse slipped from him under his breath for the throne of his life. "She is that Bastard’s fiancee..."

While Rafael’s emotions were visible on his face, Michael’s cold gaze remained fixed on Cixi, revealing nothing from his unreadable expression. "Why are you here?" he questioned her.

Her mouth had gone dry from stress, but she pressed her tongue briefly to her lower lip before answering. "I am pregnant with Cassian’s child, and I need a safe place to stay until the baby is born. I don’t feel secure out there... I just need three more months, and then I’ll be gone."

"Emily did mention something about you yesterday," Michael said in an unbothered tone. "In fact, I told her to block you and warn you never to reach us...." He folded his hands with cold composure. "And yet here you are, standing in my house and claiming to be carrying Cassian’s child. Did you truly think we were fools enough to accept that on your word alone?"

"I am not here to play happy families or to gain anything from you. The only thing I am looking for is protection for three months." The more she lies, the more confident her lies are becoming. That worried Cixi a lot... And how was it that these rich people automatically thought everyone was behind their wealth? There were always exceptions. And she was one of the exceptions. "I do not want your money, and I am not asking for a claim on this house or this name for the child. I am here for one reason only, and I am certain Emily already told you what I told her yesterday. If she didn’t, I can repeat myself word for word, and you might not like what I have to say."

Tamara gave a brittle laugh. "Repeat yourself? Who do you think you are?"

Cixi ignored Tamara and kept her eyes on Michael. The anger in Cixi’s chest rose with every second she stood before him and Tamara. Neither of them looked like people who had ever lost sleep over Cassian, unless his absence inconvenienced them.

"If you refuse to let me stay here," she continued, her voice growing firmer rather than louder, "then I will go public. I am not threatening you for sport. I will use the law. And I will use public attention as well. Let people see what kind of father failed his own son and drank tea and enjoyed life while his son was missing, and what kind of grandfather he turned out to be, who looked away from his blood before it was even born."

Cixi’s defiance took Rafael by surprise. A smile spread slowly across Rafael’s mouth. "Now I see why Cassian chose you," he muttered under his breath. "Feisty."

The way he looked at her, Cixi didn’t miss it.

His gaze lingered in places where a decent man should not have lingered. She chose not to look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her. It was probing and unwelcoming, resting where they absolutely shouldn’t have been.

Cixi felt grateful for the false belly strapped to her body. Good. Let that stand between her and whatever breed of men this palace kept producing, she comforted herself silently.

Rafael’s grin widened. "I like her."

"You like drama?" Tamara snapped at Rafael. "Rafel—"

"Yes," he returned lightly, "and she brought it with luggage. Naturally, I am charmed." And Cixi glared at him.

Michael lifted one hand, and the room quieted again. When he spoke, the decision already sat in his voice. "One of the servants will take you to a room.... Watch your back, child. You have walked into a predatory house."

A chill ran down Cixi’s spine, but she refused to let even one shard of it show on her face. "I expected nothing less from this place." Cixi was only this confident because of Cassian’s promise. He would protect her.

Michael reached for the bell sitting on the small table beside the couch and rang it. A maid entered almost immediately and bowed.

"Take her to Cassian’s room."

For the first time, even Rafael looked surprised.

Tamara swung towards Michael. "You cannot be serious."

"I rarely wasted time being anything else."

"She? In Cassian’s room?"

Michael rose without haste and adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. "If she is lying, we will know soon enough through a DNA test. If she is not, then I would rather keep this matter where I can see it and keep it hidden from the public." And he left the room.

The maid stepped forward and gestured for Cixi to follow. Before leaving, she glanced last time at Tamara, who was staring at her with naked loathing, and at Rafael, who was watching her in a way that made her want to leave the Palace immediately.

But that did not stop her from feeling triumphant. She had won the first step. She mentally patted herself. She couldn’t wait to tell Cassian she was fulfilling her end of the contract.

"I will see you around." Said Cixi before turning.

However, just as Cixi turned away, Rafael’s voice followed her. "I will be waiting for our time together."

Cixi rolled her eyes, choosing to follow the maid instead of responding to a man who clearly didn’t know when to say the right thing.