Chapter 4
Cass's POV
The car keeps moving. I watch the streets pass by, my mind pulling me back to my past life.
The days after I married Adrian felt like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
During the day, he'd take me to events and hold my hand in front of everyone. "I'll take care of her," he'd say, voice all gentle.
At night, he'd lock me in the bedroom. Stick needles in my fingers. Burn my arms with cigarettes. Keep me awake till morning.
I tried to leave. But in the Callahan family, nobody gets out without Eleanor's permission.
Then Dominic got killed in a shootout. Adrian took over everything. He was so busy fighting for power and control that he finally stopped coming after me.
But in the end, Vivienne got jealous of my position and planned that car crash anyway.
The car stops near the docks.
There's a massive warehouse ahead. Looks run down from the outside, paint peeling off the walls. But I count at least a dozen guards patrolling the area.
Security's tight here.
Eleanor leads us into the office section. A huge map covers the wall, covered in red and blue markers. Those are Callahan territories, bases, zones of control.
I glance at it once and look away.
Stuff like that, one look's enough. Stare too long and you're asking for trouble.
"Wait here," Eleanor says. "Dominic and I are going to check the shipments."
She turns to me. "You're coming too."
Then she looks at Adrian and Vivienne. Her voice turns cold. "You two stay put. Don't go anywhere."
She walks off with Dominic, and I follow.
I look back over my shoulder.
Vivienne's standing there, eyes glued to that map on the wall.
All that territory... if I could get my hands on it...
My stomach drops. She's about to do something stupid again.
Eleanor takes us deeper into the warehouse. It's packed with cargo. Liquor, cigarettes, crates I don't recognize.
She points at the crates. "These shipments come from Europe. High-end stuff for the bars and clubs. All sourced from here."
Dominic's off to the side checking ledgers. Doesn't say a word.
Then there's a scream from outside. Vivienne's voice.
We head back fast.
In the office area, two guards are holding Vivienne. They've got her phone. She's gone white.
Adrian's standing nearby. He looks furious but won't move.
"Adrian! Help me! What gives them the right to grab me like this?!" Vivienne's crying, begging him.
Adrian's jaw clenches. He doesn't budge. He knows better than to try anything in front of Eleanor.
Eleanor walks over. Her face is like stone. "What happened?"
One of the guards steps up. "Ma'am, we caught her taking pictures of the map on the wall. I stopped her right away, but she'd already taken several shots."
He hands over the phone.
Eleanor takes it, looks at the screen, then slaps Vivienne hard across the face.
"You're reckless!" Eleanor's voice cuts through the room. "That map shows family territory. It's confidential. You took photos? You planning to sell those to our enemies?!"
Vivienne covers her face. Tears streaming down. "I didn't... I wasn't..."
Eleanor slaps her again.
"I don't care if you meant to or not. In this family, some things you don't touch. Period. You can't even manage that much, so why should I trust you?"
She turns to Adrian. Voice even colder. "Take her and go. From now on, she doesn't get involved in family business. You can't control her, then both of you can get out."
Adrian goes pale. He grabs Vivienne's arm. "Yes, ma'am. I'll handle it."
He drags Vivienne out fast.
I hear what they're both thinking.
This is all her fault... if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be suffering like this...
Useless idiot! She ruins everything! I'm going to make her pay for this when we get home!
I watch them leave, expression blank.
Vivienne still doesn't get it. She brings all her problems on herself.
She always blames other people. Never looks in the mirror.
Same in my last life. Same now.
Eleanor turns to me. "You see that? In this family, rules matter more than anything. Women like her don't last. Sooner or later, she's out."
She pauses. "Stick with Dominic. Learn from him. I can tell you're different from her."
After Adrian and Vivienne leave, Eleanor takes off too.
Dominic brings me to a conference room.
"Wait here," he says, then disappears into the next room.
I peek through the crack in the door.
Inside, Dominic's talking to a middle-aged guy in a nice suit. The man's wearing this eager smile.
"Mr. Callahan," the guy says, "I've got a shipment of top-shelf French wine. All 1982 vintages. Hard to find on the market. I know your family runs high-end bars and clubs. This batch could make you serious money."
He opens a bottle and pours a glass for Dominic.
"Try it. Guaranteed authentic."
Dominic takes the glass and tastes it.
I hear what he's thinking.
Heard the Callahans are expanding their bar business. Perfect timing. This fake wine cost me a few thousand to make. Mixed it well enough that most people can't tell. If they buy it, I'm walking away with half a million.
I stare at the man, shocked. He looks so professional, so sincere. You'd never guess what he's really thinking.
Dominic stays quiet, like he's considering it.
The guy sees an opening and pushes harder. "I've got two hundred cases total. I'm offering them to you for five hundred thousand. I'm cutting you a deal here. Anywhere else, you're paying at least eight hundred grand. If you're interested, we can sign the contract right now."
