Tasting 165

165–He Invited Natalya

Nora:

I studied his face for a moment before closing my eyes to take a deep breath and ask him again.

“You did what?” just to be certain I heard him clear the first time, I asked him again.

“I burned it down,” he repeated his answer with an even carefree attitude.

“Cain, can you just once be serious and not lash out because you’re upset about something else?” I

was so sure he wouldn’t destroy my painting that I couldn’t believe he was saying those words

himself.

“Why do you think I’m lying?” He frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Because there’s no way–” I didn’t finish before he cut me off sharply.

“Nora! There’s no painting of you in my studio anymore. This conversation is over. I have a guest

coming and I need to make arrangements. Can you please leave me alone for a while?” His gentle

tone when he requested this didn’t soften the offense I felt at his

command.

I wasn’t finished yet, but the way he interrupted me made it clear he

didn’t want to talk to me.

“May I ask what’s wrong?” Standing my ground stubbornly, I questioned his sudden change in

behavior.

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“Nothing’s wrong anymore,” he replied wearily.

“There definitely is. How else would you go from loving me to being so rude? Is it because of

Brody?” I asked, and he scoffed, rolling his

eyes.

“No! I’m not happy that he’s dating you, but that’s because neither of us brothers likes him. If you

were to choose someone from the pack, I’d be happiest.” That was it. His calmness was now

irritating me.

How could he treat me like this? Acting as if it was okay for me to date anyone?

“Remember, we’re mates, don’t you?” I hissed through clenched teeth. He tilted his head but didn’t

respond.

Then his phone beeped, and he pulled it out to check the notification.

“Hey, I’m talking. Can this wait?” I scoffed, demanding he finish this conversation and be honest

with me.

“There’s nothing more to talk about. I told you I have a guest coming over. It’s best for you to stay in

your bedroom and not come out,” his urgency to confine me made me regard him skeptically.

“Who’s coming over? Is it some model you’re going to paint?” It had to be a model. He doesn’t have

friends, and no other males come over to our mansion like that, especially to his studio.

“Think whatever you want. I can’t change your mind,” he shrugged, stepping back and leaving me

stunned with my jaw hanging low.

Before I could ask anything else, he had shut the door in my face. I was not just shocked but deeply

hurt, standing motionless in front of his door.

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Part of me wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt me, to say things that would ache his soul like he

did mine. But I couldn’t even do that. He shut the door without letting me respond.

I stormed back into my bedroom and paced hastily. I was seething, recalling one thing after

another.

He said he burned down my painting, why? And was he still dreaming about that woman in the

veil?

My phone rang, distracting me for a few minutes. It was Brody calling. Seeing his name on the

screen gave me a small sense of relief. I wasn’t alone. If these brothers thought they could leave

me broken and unwanted, they were wrong.

I answered the call almost instantly.

“Hey,” I forced a sweet voice, greeting him.

“Whoa! That sounded seductive,” he remarked.

“I meant to call you sooner and ask about your health. But I was so ashamed of my stepbrothers

that I couldn’t,” mentioning Ryker as my stepbrother, I clenched my jaw.

“I’m fine. I just had to leave before things got worse, and I didn’t want you to witness all that

violence,” his words brought a fleeting smile to my lips.

I felt somewhat relieved now, but not entirely. Soon, memories of Cain. would bring anger rushing

back into my veins.

“So, I heard about the ball. Your stepfather sent me an invitation card,” he continued, causing me to

pace idly.

“Yeah, he told me today too,” I replied.

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165-He invited Natalya

“I thought it was obvious we would go to the ball together, but then I decided to ask you, just for the

sake of romance,” his voice softened sweetly, “will you come to the ball with me?”

I stared blankly ahead and replied, “Of course.”

“I was hoping we could go together to get you a gown, but then decided to keep it a surprise,” he

continued, speaking for a few more minutes.

Throughout this time, I responded absentmindedly.

After he hung up, I sat down and sighed tiredly. I couldn’t find comfort after Cain treated me like I

didn’t matter.

It was then that I realized I needed to confront Cain and tell him one last time what I thought of him.

He hurt me, so now it was time to hurt him.

Leaving my room with even more determination this time, I reached his

studio and knocked harder than before.

There was so much I wanted to say to him before telling him I was done with him. I waited, and just

like last time, he took some time before opening the door.

However, he was dressed completely differently this time. Wearing a black suit, he looked like a

handsome fictional character.

“What are you doing here again?” The bored look on his face hurt my feelings. It was as if he didn’t

even want to watch my face anymore.

“Because you didn’t let me speak last time,” I uttered, however he rolled his eyes tiredly.

165 He invited Nataly

“Because there is nothing left to talk about,” he hissed. I wasn’t going to stop, I planned to ask for

answers and give him a perfect response to his rudeness too.

“I ne–” Before I could finish, I heard a familiar voice from the

background.

“Is that Nora?”

My heart sank when I realized he had none other than Natalya with him in his studio.