Damien PoV
Toren hummed and bounced on his bed. "I'm so happy you're my cleaning buddy, Damien!"
I smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm happy, too, dino buddy! Now, let's clean this room."
He nodded and started to pick up my clothes, while I focused on arranging the stuff Shelly had put my nightstand earlier.
As I worked, I couldn't help but worry about her. While she had brushed off my cousin's advances, Cassian was a force of nature. He could be charming and manipulative. Not to mention, he was a Veyron, which meant he had the money and power to get what he wanted. I couldn't let him use Shelly like he used all the other women in his life. She deserved better than that. She deserved someone who would treat her right, not just use her and throw her away.
I... I didn't want him to hurt her. She was strong on the outside, but I could tell that she was vulnerable on the inside. She had been through a lot, and she didn't need someone like Cassian to come in and make it worse. I didn't want her to be another notch on his bedpost. I wanted her to be happy.
"Rawr! Dino gonna bite you!" Toren said as he threw a pillow at me.
I chuckled and threw it back. "Rawr! Dino gonna get you, little one!"
He giggled and ran away, hiding behind the bed. "Dino hiding!"
I laughed and pretended to look around. "Where's the dino? I don't see him anywhere. Well, this cleaning dino will just have to clean without his little buddy."
He peeked out from behind the bed and giggled. "Dino here! Dino help!"
I smiled. "There's my little buddy. Come on, let's finish up."
He nodded and went back to picking up clothes. I chuckled, grateful for the distraction. Else my mind might've wandered to the gutter, thinking about the fact that Cassian and Shelly were alone together in his room.
I huffed and sped up. "Hurry, Toren! Team Cleaning Dinos must prevail!"
Toren giggled and ran around, picking up clothes. "Team Cleaning Dinos, go!"
I chuckled and focused on the task at hand. Before long, my basket was full of clothes and Toren was bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Basket full!"
I snickered and picked it up. "It sure is! I'm gonna go throw it in the washing machine. Do you wanna come with me or stay here and finish up?"
Toren hummed. "Me stay. Gotta protect the room from the scary Cassaurus."
I chuckled. Did he think Cassian would come in and trash the place? He was underhanded, though. "You're a brave dino, aren't you? Well, I'll be right back, little buddy."
"Okay, bye-bye," he said, waving at me.
I chuckled and left the room, heading to the laundry room. On the way, I passed by Isadora. She looked at me and turned away, scoffing. I rolled my eyes. That girl was a total brat. I couldn't understand how Cassian put up with her. I was about to walk past her when I heard her say something.
"Your new friends are so annoying," she said. "It's like they're rubbing their poverty in our faces. Disgusting."
I continued to walk, my jaw clenched. I couldn't let her get to me. I had to be the bigger person. But, the way she talked about Shelly and Toren made my blood boil. They didn't deserve that. They were good people, despite their circumstances. I wasn't going to let some spoiled brat talk badly about them. I turned around and glared at her, but she had already turned the corner. I shook my head and kept walking.
When I reached the laundry room, I saw Cassian leaning against a machine, waiting for his clothes to finish. He had a pensive look on his face, as if he was deep in thought. What was he thinking about? Was it about Shelly? I couldn't help but worry. I had to do something to protect her.
I cleared my throat. "Hey, Cass."
He looked up and grinned. "Oh, hey, Damien. What's up?"
"I came to wash my clothes," I said, throwing my clothes in one of the other washers. "So, how's the competition going? You and Shelly getting along?"
He grinned. "Yeah, we're having fun. I'm showing her that I'm more than just a jerk."
I scoffed. "Right, a jerk with a heart of gold. Sure."
He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a complicated guy."
I narrowed my eyes. "Remember what I said, if you hurt her, I'll make you regret it."
He rolled his eyes. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just being friendly."
I glared at him. "Friendly? You?"
He laughed. "Yeah, me. I'm not always a bad guy, you know. We used to be friends, remember?"
I grumbled. "That was a long time ago. Before you became an asshole."
He shrugged. "People change, Damien. You never know, I might surprise you and go back to being that nice guy you used to be friends with."
I snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."
Cassian grinned and walked up to me. "Why are you so protective of her? Do you have a crush on her or something?"
I blushed and pushed him away. "Shut up! I'm not into her like that. I'm just trying to protect her from guys like you."
He laughed. "Oh, really? So, you're not into her at all? You're just trying to be a knight in shining armor, huh? Protecting the damsel in distress from the big, bad wolf."
I rolled my eyes. "Wolf? More like a vampire. Or maybe a cockroach."
He laughed. "Ouch, Damien. That hurts. But, seriously, why are you so protective of her? I mean, you only met her, what, two days ago? You're not falling for her, are you?"
My cheeks burned. "I told you, it's not like that. She's just a friend, that's it!"
He hummed. "Maybe you're trying to marry her to take her shares, huh? That's smart. If you marry her, you'll have a lot of control over the company."
My face burned. "I'm not that kind of person! I would never try to use her like that. I'm not like you."
He chuckled. "Oh, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, you could have your cake and eat it, too. Marrying a pretty girl and taking her shares, it's a win-win for you. Or me. I could also marry her and have her shares."
I clenched my fists. "Don't you dare."
He laughed. "Why are you so upset? I'm just joking. You really do have a crush on her, don't you?"
I scoffed. "Shut up, Cass. I'm not into her like that. But, I'm not letting you get your fangs into her, either. I'll make sure of that."
He grinned and shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll see what happens. Maybe she'll fall for my charm, and you'll be left in the dust."
I huffed and threw a punch. "Stay away from her!"
He dodged and laughed. "Wow, Damien. You're getting worked up over this. Maybe you really are falling for her."
I clenched my jaw and turned away. "Shut up, Cass. I'm done talking to you."
"Aw, come on, don't be like that," he said, grabbing my shoulder. "We're just having a little fun, that's all. No need to get all serious."
I shoved him off. "Fun? This isn't a game, Cass. This is her life. She's not some toy for you to play with and then toss aside. She's a person with feelings and dreams and ambitions. She deserves respect and kindness, not some asshole who's going to use her and then break her heart."
He stepped back and looked away. "I...know that."
I scoffed. "Do you? Because, from where I'm standing, it doesn't seem like it. You're just a spoiled rich boy who thinks he can get away with whatever he wants. You're just a jerk who doesn't care about anyone but yourself."
He huffed. "You don't know me, Damien."
I laughed bitterly. "I know enough. If you did care about others, you wouldn't have done the things you did. You wouldn't have slept with all those girls and then tossed them aside. You wouldn't have betrayed your friends and family."
"That was then," he said. "I'm not that person anymore."
I scoffed. "You can't expect me to believe that. You're just saying that to get me to back off."
"Believe whatever you want," he said. "But I'm not the same guy I was back then. I've changed."
"You just taunted me about being into her," I said. "You're the same old Cassian. The only thing that's changed is that now you have more money and power to throw around."
He glared at me. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough," I said, glaring back at him. "I know that you're a liar and a cheater. I know that you're a womanizer who doesn't care about anyone but yourself. You even slept with Alicia, knowing full well that I loved her."
Cassian's face paled. "Damien..."
"Save it," I said. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say."
He ran off, leaving me alone in the laundry room. I sighed and leaned against the washer, my head pounding. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. I should have just ignored him and walked away. But, I couldn't help it.
Even now, the image of Alicia and him was burned into my mind. I couldn't forgive him for that. I couldn't forgive him for ruining the one good thing I had. The one thing that brought me joy in this world of business and money. Then he dumped her after a month, breaking her heart, and shattering mine even more. I wasn't going to let him hurt another girl I cared about. I wasn't going to let him use Shelly and then throw her away. I was going to protect her, no matter what. I had to. She deserved it.