Chapter -8

Third person POV

"Tobias? Why aren't we eating at the cafe?" Cassie asked as they wandered hand in hand into the busy street.

"No." He said curtly and kept on moving into the crowd.

Cassie got confused as to why he got mad suddenly but decided to stay silent about it. "Do you like the waiter?" He asked suddenly.

'What? Why is this even the point of our discussion?' Cassie thought.

"Tobias, I only smiled at the kid and you're asking me if I like him?"

"Well you never smiled at me like that. You need even-" He cut his words short and stopped by the biscuits selling cart.

"Good morning, sir. Which sweet do you like to eat this fine morning?" The elderly looking man asked Tobias. Tobias instead turned over to Cassie and asked. "Which one would you like?"

Cassie on the other hand was very delighted by the smell of freshly baked sweets. She was looking at them from far away and thought about getting one someday. But thanks to Tobias, now she's having it. But the problem was, she doesn't know which one she'd prefer.

"You choose for me, uncle." She said looking at the baked biscuits.

"My child, did you have your breakfast?"

"No?"

"Ok then, this one right here-" the old mad pulled a big round biscuit out of the cart and handed it to her

"This tastes delicious on an empty stomach" Cassie took the biscuit out of the old man's hand and smiled at him saying her gratitude.

"Thank you uncle." She said and started munching on the sweet biscuit.

"What about you, young lad?" The old man asked, looking at Tobias who's so engrossed in watching Cassie as she enjoyed her breakfast.

"Tobias, he's talking to you." Cassie looked back at him and broke his entrance.

"I will have what she's having." He said not looking back at the old man and the old man bent over to take out the biscuit again.

Tobias on the other hand bent over to Cassie and took a bite of the biscuit she's having, making sure he took the largest bite.

"Hey that's mine!" Cassie wailed and snatched her food away from him.

"It is delicious." He said, wiping his mouth with his hand.

"Well then buy your own food!" She said, a deep frown forming on the forehead which Tobias found absolutely adorable.

"There you are." The man handed him the biscuit and Tobias paid the man with more money. "God bless your life together." The old man blessed the couple as they went ahead through the long street. They reminded him of his younger self with his wife.

Cassie enjoyed her breakfast like never before. For once in her life, she's eating something she dreamed of.

For anyone else it would seem easy and simple but for her, it was something special. It was something she thought she would never do.

She always eats with a plate, goes to places with a car and talks to rich or dangerous people.

But today, she was eating street biscuits, walking with a gorgeous looking man in a crowded street and she talked with a peaceful old man.

"I like this." She voiced her thoughts.

"What did you like, baby?" Tobias asked, never taking his eyes off of her.

In his eyes she looked like an angel, talked like an angel and when she smiled? God, he wishes it was the only thing she does whenever she's around him.

"This. Eating biscuits, walking like normal people, having a blessing from an old man…" she blushed again when she recalled the old man's words, she tried to ignore it in the beginning but now that she said it aloud, she couldn't help but think more of it.

'Maybe the old man thought we were couples. But that could never happen right?'

"Really? Do you like this crowd?" He asked dumbfounded. Every girl he met, they wanted to drive in his Bugatti or something fancy. Cassie here says she likes walking in crowded streets enjoying normal things.

"I mean look at it, it's…normal. Nobody is thinking about the danger that awaits them. Nobody is hiding from another.

"They are living their normal life and maybe people don't even notice how great of a gift it is." She said looking at the passing people.

That's when Tobias realized Cassie doesn't like fancy things. She likes 'normal', not too fancy, not too shabby. Just normal. And he liked every bit of it.

But something also told him that she had more things hiding. She is definitely hiding something from him, something big. It is evident in her voice.

"Cassie? Why are we here?" He asked her while they walked.

"What do you mean by that?" She looked up at him and asked innocently.

She knows why she's here. She definitely does. But as to why 'they' are here? She needs to ask him the same thing too. Why are they here?

"Why did you come here? Why didn't you listen to me when I told you not to go?"

"I have to be here, Tobias. I need to be here but you have to know I will take the consequences after-"

"Stop telling me secrets, Cassie. You are nonexistent here!

You have no record of birth, no school information, nothing! This is too much of a coincidence don't you think?" He had enough of her secrets.

He tried to look at her background in this place but the only thing he found was- oh, nothing! How is that possible? Not even one single thing?

"Why are you so interested in it? This got nothing to do with you." She argued more.

"Just tell me why you're here Cassie. Stop with your secrecy."

"If I tell you, will you help me?" She asked carefully.

"Yes, definitely."

That's what she needed to hear to assure her no matter what, he will get involved and she will never tell him of her mission here.

"It's because of Leah." She said curtly.

"Who's, Leah?" Tobias asked attentively.

"She's one of Carolina's friends. She-" Cassie sighed and stopped mid on her tracks. "She has some videos. Videos of my highschool life, which I want deleted."

"What is in that video that you want so badly to be deleted?" Tobias asked, confused.

'This is too simple of a reason to try and run from someone as dangerous as me.

I will never dare to hurt her but she doesn't know that. For her I am a mafia who would kill anyone as he wishes. Then why dare she do that for a mere video?'

"I promise you one thing, Tobias. Once you find the video, you will understand everything. But for now, focus on the video. Please." She said and kept walking on the same street.

By suddenly something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes, she saw the same black tinted van she saw earlier in the cafe.

And now she is sure someone was following her. Not only her, but her mafia boss too. They are in danger.

Instinctively she grabbed Tobias by his shirt and pulled him to an abandoned corner. Putting herself In front of Tobias as a shield, she looked carefully at the van which was following them.

"What is it?" Tobias got alerted by her sudden shift and asked, watching their environment.

"Someone is following us." She said, still following the van with her eyes.

At her voice, he looked over her direction of sight and found the same black van where his bodyguards were in.

He is a mafia boss, of course he couldn't enjoy the normal life of a man without his enemies lurking around in the corner looking for the right moment to strike at him.

He had to take his bodyguards with him. But he didn't think his attentive girl would notice them. He almost forgot that she was his top assassin. He is proud of her. Always has been.

He looked around them carefully, he swiftly pulled Cassie and cornered her behind the wall of the abandoned street.

"Love? Do you think your beautiful delicate body would help in protecting me?" He said, smirking dangerously at her stunned face.

Now she noticed that his signature silver metal is back on his lip. And it gave her a familiar aura. Dangerous.

That's the aura she always feels emitting out of him. And that's the situation she's in right now. But she isn't catching up with what is happening around her at the moment.

"Tobias, stop with your teasing, we're in danger, people are following us." She whispered, her voice full of worry.

"What if they are? Do you fear anyone can hurt you while you're with me?" He asked again.

"Oh, come on. I'm not afraid for myself." Fear? She doesn't remember what that feeling was like. She doesn't fear something bad happening to her, but him.

"Oh so you are afraid about my safety?"

'Oh my God, why is he asking so many questions?' Cassie tried to ignore their closeness and focus on the van.

"Baby, look at me." He instructed and she obliged. "That's my van. That's where my men are, and they aren't any threat to us." He said, smiling genuinely.

He was happy about how she cared about him. It was good to see that she cared for him. At least this means he has hope. Hope, that one day she could be his…

Realization dawned up on Cassie when he said whom the van belonged to.

Why didn't she think about that earlier ?Of course he has bodyguards following him. 'And here I am making a fool out of myself.' she cringed at what he would think of her now. A crazy woman who thinks she could protect an international mafia.

"Why are you blushing?" He asked with the softest voice he ever voiced out. Her face was red like a tomato and he found it adorable. Very adorable, and he wanted to see what else he could unfold behind her distant demeanor.

"I'm not -"

"You are, baby. And you look so cute when you do that." He said touching his forehead with her.

She lowered her eyes to the ground trying to avoid his beautiful green eyes.

"Why are you calling me that?" She asked. He never called her 'baby' or 'love' but since they met at the ball last night he was acting odd.

"Baby?" He asked. "Because I like how you blush when I call you that." He said still enjoying her reaction. It brought him some sense of joy when he is close to her.

It made him want more of her. More than he ever wanted. More than he could ever imagine wanting from someone else. She was his addiction.

He almost went mad when he found out she ran away from him.

Almost killed Michael when he couldn't find out about her whereabouts.

Almost shot his bodyguards for not letting her go.

Almost got hospitalized of overdose. Almost everything when she's not close to him. But now she's here. Right in his arms and he is not letting her go. Ever.

"So this is all for teasing?" She got upset by his response.

"No, not only that but that's what I want to call you from now on." He said, lowering his head to the crook of her neck. It was his new favorite place.

He rested his face on her soft skin and inhaled deeply, making her close her eyes shut involuntarily. He is doing new things to her and she can't control it.

Whenever he's around her, she can't control herself. "Don't you like the name?" He murmured under her neck. But she shook her head 'no' fearing her voice would come out as a squeak.

"Good, because I am planning to keep calling you that for the longest time." He said and sneaked his free hand behind her waist.

"Tobias what are we doing?" She whispered softly, her breathing got heavy when he pulled her flushing to his body.

He was wearing white T-shirt behind his leather jacket and there was nothing underneath the shirt. That's why he felt like gravity turned upside down when her chest came in contact with his.

"No, what are you doing, Cassie? What are you doing to me?

"You almost drove me crazy when I found out you were gone. I thought I would never see you again." He said and pulled out of her neck to see her flushed face.

She didn't dare to look at him when he started talking about the time when she ran away. And he continued "Don't ever, ever do that again, baby. It will hurt me not to feel your presence around."

He didn't let go of her waist when he returned back to her neck and placed a soft kiss on it, making her gasp for air. The sudden coldness of his lip piercing awoke the senses she never even acknowledged before.

"Tobias-"

"Promise me. Promise you won't ever do that again, baby. Promise you would come back home after I find this video. Promise me." He asked, still not leaving her neck.

She put her hand on his shoulder and soothed his tense muscles around his nape. She can't make promises. She is here for revenge and her heart is tainted. She can't make him promises.

"I promise." Her tongue made it up and said the exact opposite of what her mind wanted. She wants to run from him. Never cross paths between him. That's how it has to be because she is lying to him.

"Just let me stay like this a little bit longer." He said, burying his head deeper into her flesh.

Cassie wrapped both her hands on his neck and welcomed him closer to her. She wants to push him away but the rawness of his voice made her miserable against his confession. She wants him in her life. But she can't start whatever this is with a lie.