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Mine to Lose
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On her 18th birthday Athena Diamante Castellanos met and had a unforgettable night with a mysterious stranger left her longing for more. Five years later, the memory of their encounter still haunts her dreams and fuels her fantasies, even though she never learned his last name. Cassian Lemaire Covington, a celebrated artist, has spent those same years haunted by the elusive woman who became his muse. She has inspired his work and consumed his thoughts, making her a shadow in every stroke of his brush. When fate brings them together again, their reunion is as intense and unexpected as their first meeting—but this time, the stakes are higher. Athena is on a date with Cassian’s brother, and their families are locked in a bitter feud. As passion reignites between Athena and Cassian, they must navigate a web of rivalry and deception that threatens to tear them apart. Will their forbidden connection survive the obstacles between them, or will family loyalties and past grievances eclipse their chance at true love?
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Mine to Lose CHAPTER 26
Athena's POVI arrived at work early, eager to get the meeting I had asked Pamela, my P.A., to move up so I could get it out of the way. The plan was simple: handle business, then move on with my day. But as I walked into my office, I stopped in my tracks.My father was sitting there, waiting for me.“Daddy, good morning,” I said, forcing a smile, pretending everything was fine, as if we hadn’t had a huge argument last night.“So, you're talking to me now?” he asked, his voice calm but sharp as he handed me a cup of coffee.“If you're here to tell me to break up with Cassian, it's not happening,” I said firmly, my fingers instinctively brushing the engagement ring on my finger. The ring that Cassian had given me.His eyes followed the motion, a frown creeping across his face before he forced a smile. "Actually, I'm here to say that if you want to be with the Covington boy, I won't stop you."“What?” I asked, confused by the sudden shift.“Yeah.” He smiled again, but it didn’t reach hi
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 25
Athena's POVOnce we had driven away, I glanced over at Cassian, who sat beside me, watching me intently. I wanted to apologize for kissing him—we had agreed to be platonic friends, in fact, I had suggested it myself—but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.“So, do you know why the Covingtons and the Castellanos hate each other?” Cassian broke the silence.“I thought you would know,” I replied. “I tried asking my parents, but they wouldn’t tell me anything.”“I don’t know either,” Cassian said. “It goes back to our great-grandparents, though.”“Yeah, I think so,” I agreed with a nod.“Do you want to find out?” Cassian asked.“Are you kidding? Of course,” I said.“Okay, good. I know where we should look,” Cassian said. He then instructed the driver to take us somewhere.A few minutes later, we were in the Upper East Side, parked at the curb of a grand building. Cassian grabbed the food takeaway bags while the driver opened the door for us.“We can eat as we look,” Cassian said as w
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 24
Athena's POVWhen we arrive at my parents' house, my anxiety peaks to the point where I feel like I might throw up.“Hey, hey, you’re okay. Everything is fine. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you alone,” Cassian says reassuringly until my breathing steadies.As we get out of the car, I notice Cassian holding a bouquet of white roses—my mother’s favorite—and a bottle of bourbon—my father’s favorite. I can’t help but smile as I watch him. “I told you not to bring anything,” I say, but he just smiles back.“I can’t show up to my in-laws empty-handed,” he replies, just as Melinda, the housekeeper, opens the door with a bright smile.“Miss Castellanos,” she greets me warmly, then looks up at Cassian, standing beside me. “Hello,” she says, and Cassian returns her greeting with a friendly smile.“Where are they?” I ask as we enter the house.“In the living room,” Melinda responds. “I thought it was just you,” she adds. “Let me add a place at the table,” she says with a smile.Just then, my mot
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 23
Athena's POVWhen I arrive at Cassian's loft, Hailee looks surprised to see me. “He’s upstairs in his studio,” she says. I head up the stairs and find the door to his studio open, so I don’t need to knock. Cassian doesn’t hear me come in; he’s engrossed in painting with his AirPods on. I could watch him all day—he looks so perfect, so absorbed in his work.I stand there for a few more minutes until he glances up and his face lights up with a deep, genuine smile. The happiness in his eyes makes my heart flutter.“Hey, sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” he says, setting down his paintbrush and removing his AirPods.“You looked so engrossed, I didn’t want to interrupt,” I reply, pointing at his painting. “What are you working on?”“You’ll see it when I’m done,” he says, his smile widening.Just then, a woman with a thick French accent walks out of the bathroom in a towel that barely covers her. I remember her, she was with him at the auction. My stomach drops and I feel a wave of nausea.
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 22
Athena's POVI wake up to the sound of the home assistant coming in, I had fallen asleep last night after bing watching schitts creek on the couch. “Sorry Miss Castellanos I didn’t see you there,” she apologizes. “Its fine, can you make me a cup of coffee please.” I say getting up.I pull my phone off the coffee table, scrolling through my contacts until I find Hailee’s name. I dial her number, my mind still reeling from the yesterday’s events. After a few rings, she picks up.“Hey, Athena! How’s it going? Did everything go alright at the auction?” Her voice is bright and upbeat.I take a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “Hailee, you won’t believe what happened tonight.”“What happened?” She asks, her tone immediately shifting to concern.I launch into a detailed account of the evening, starting with my initial distress, the confrontation with my father, and then the surprising twist of Cassian's unexpected appearance. “I just— I lost it. I told him that Cassian and I are engag
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 21
Athena's POVHarold is already waiting for us at the curb. Cassian and I slip into the back seat of the car, and I instruct Harold to take us home.Cassian greets Harold with a polite nod and a “Hello,” before settling next to me. As the car pulls away from the event, a heavy silence fills the space between us. We exchange fleeting, intimate glances, our eyes speaking volumes in the silence.The drive feels like the perfect nature of tranquility amid the chaos of the evening. We sit side by side, our hands brushing occasionally, each touch a silent reassurance. Though we don’t say much, the connection between us is palpable, filling the silence with its own kind of intensity.By the time reached the front of my building I felt so anxious it was hard to breathe, I did my best to climb out of the car without falling on my ass. It was simple enough, though with the compounding factors of the uneven gravel and the starlit darkness—plus the painful clench of my inner muscles—I held on to t
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 20
Athena's POVI practically jump out of my skin when Cassian walks in. Getting up quickly.“Startle you?” The throaty rumble of Cassian’s voice makes my pulse double.He makes his way to me approaching so quietly.“Are you okay?” Cassian asks his voice laced with concern.“Yes of course.” I lie, forcing a smile.“Athena I know you. I know when you’re not okay.” He says and I frown looking away.And then his fingers were sliding into my hair. He rubbed my straightened-out locks between the pads of his thumb and index finger, as if fascinated. His warm breath accelerated so close to my mouth, and it was a heady thing, our inhales and exhales matching, quickening, our gaze linking. Holding. His was glazed. Heavy. He looked at my mouth as though it was the only thing he needed, and he went for it desperately.He was so close my back flattened against the wall, and he quickly moved with me, rubbing his thumb against my cheek, as if apologizing for being here. But he didn’t seem capable of s
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 19
Athena's POVOnce I get my emotions in check and stop crying, I text Hailee.Hey Hailee, I need a boyfriend ASAP.Her reply comes back instantly.You’re back from Belize? Let’s get you a boyfriend! she responds with a dancing emoji.I haven’t told her I didn’t go to Belize, so I simply ask if she can come over and give her my home address. I also let the security know she’s on her way.About twenty minutes later, she arrives.“Athena!” she exclaims as I come down the stairs to greet her. “You live here? Oh my god! My whole apartment building would fit in here,” she marvels, and I laugh.“Do you want something? Tea? Coffee? Vodka?” I offer, and she laughs, shaking her head.I ask Kelly, the chef, to make us some Bellinis anyway. We head upstairs to my bedroom, where I fill Hailee in on what happened with my dad and why I need a boyfriend—real or fake—to show him.“I’m so tired of this,” I confess. “I just want to prove to him that I have a life of my own, not just be his pawn.”Hailee
Mine to Lose CHAPTER 18
They spend a week away, and not once do they call to check up on me. On a random Thursday, I receive a call from my P.A. She hadn’t contacted me while I was away because she knew I was traveling, and when I didn’t show up, she wasn’t sure what to do.“Mr Castellanos is back and wants to know if you’ll be joining him for a meeting today,” she says. That’s how I find out he’s returned.“I won’t be at work this week,” I reply, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. “And tell him I won’t be joining him. Also, you should take some time off, too.”When she started working with me, I didn’t like her much, mainly because she reported every move to my father. But once I made it clear that she worked for me, not him, she began to behave differently.Later, packages start arriving at my door—bags and bags of clothes and jewellery from my mother. It’s her way of showing love after abandoning me, though it only feels like another form of neglect. I don’t call to thank her.My dad also calls, but
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