'I wonder how pretty she looks when she cries… Should I make her cry?'
What the hell is wrong with this asshole? He's probably high.
Evadne narrowed her eyes slightly, keeping her smile perfectly in place as she stabbed at her food with her fork.
She tried, really tried, to ignore Casadin's thoughts. If she didn't, she might actually lose it in front of everyone.
What confused her the most was that she had no problem pretending to be sweet and polite around Hades, Cieryl, and their passive-aggressive circle. Even when their thoughts were dripping with disdain, calling her a spoiled brat, a homewrecker, or the villain who came to ruin their perfect Hades-Cieryl love story, she smiled.
She didn't even know they were a couple until a few minutes ago.
'Seriously,' she thought, biting her cheek, 'if they've been dating for two years, why the hell didn't Hades tell our parents? Then maybe they wouldn't have gone out of their way to set us up. Like the limousine stunt earlier, or now, forcing us together like dolls in a twisted play.'
'If Hades loved Cieryl so much, why not fight for her?'
Instead, she was the one catching shade for something she didn't ask for. Like it was her fault their golden boy didn't have a spine.
She smiled wider.
Perfectly fake. Perfectly polite.
And then Casadin's thoughts hit again.
'Her tears probably taste sweet. Fuck, I wanna make her cry just to taste them. Gods, I'm so fucking obsessed.'
It took everything in her not to whip her glass of juice into his smug face.
Because what pissed her off the most wasn't even the perverseness of his thoughts anymore, it was how calm he looked. Cool. Charming. Like he wasn't mentally undressing her with every glance.
'God. I'm going crazy,' she screamed silently in her head.
"You don't like the food, Princess?" Casadin suddenly asked, watching her idly poke at her seafood plate. "You allergic? Hades forgot to ask earlier, huh? Pretty common sense. Everyone knows seafood is Cieryl's favorite, so of course he assumes everyone loves what she loves. Right, brother?"
The word brother cut like a blade, because everyone at the table knew it was a lie. Whatever brotherhood Casadin and Hades once had had ended the moment Hades made Cieryl his girlfriend.
Evadne didn't even flinch.
"It's fine," she replied with a tight smile. "I'm not allergic. It's just… I don't eat seafood unless my mom's the one who made it. I had seafood at a restaurant in Germany once. Got food poisoning. My body's kind of been traumatized since."
"Ahhh," Casadin nodded, mock-serious. "I thought you were a peskyterian."
"You mean pescatarian," Evadne corrected flatly.
"No, no, I meant what I said. Peskyterian. That's what you call someone who's a pesky eater, right? Peskyterian," he grinned, clearly proud of his own dumb joke.
Some of the others chuckled. Evadne didn't.
But she understood exactly what he was doing.
He wanted to get under her skin.
"Wait, what's that?" she said suddenly, pointing to his neck with wide eyes.
"What?"
"That thing. Right there," she said seriously, narrowing her eyes.
Casadin straightened. "What is it? What's on my neck?!"
"Oh… never mind," Evadne replied sweetly. "Just your stupid face attached to it."
For a second, Casadin was actually speechless.
The table fell quiet.
"Excuse me, Princess?" he asked, blinking. "Did you just call my face stupid?"
His tone feigned offense, but his eyes gleamed with amusement.
"If the cap fits," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Huh! FYI, Princess," he said, puffing his chest slightly. "Did you know science actually considers my face a perfect example of the word handsome?"
"Really?" Evadne asked, eyes flat.
"Really," Casadin repeated, smug as ever.
Then without blinking, she delivered her line. "Then science must be dead."
Casadin burst out laughing, the sound rich and unapologetic.
Evadne rolled her eyes again, but there was a flicker of amusement in her expression, even if she tried to suppress it.
Their banter continued, effortless, sharp, and far too natural. So much so that neither of them noticed how the rest of the table had fallen silent.
Especially Hades and Cieryl.
Hades sat rigidly, his fingers pressed into the side of his chair.
He had been given explicit instructions by his parents to look after Evadne. To "make her feel welcome." To sit beside her, talk to her, attend to her every need. And from time to time, he could feel their eyes from across the pool area, checking on him.
He already knew what they would say later.
You didn't try hard enough. You let someone else steal her attention. What were you doing just sitting there?
Like he was some assigned butler instead of a person.
And as much as he didn't like Evadne, there was something infuriating in the way she and Casadin talked, like they'd known each other for years. Like everyone else around them was background noise.
His jaw tightened.
He wasn't sure what pissed him off more, their shameless flirtation, or the way Casadin called him out earlier. Publicly. With that snide remark about the seafood. That dig about him not asking if Evadne had allergies.
What the hell was Casadin trying to prove?
In his relationship with Cieryl, he always took the lead. He chose where they ate. What they did. What she wore to events. He was always in control. And Cieryl loved it. She let him lead. That was their dynamic.
But now?
Casadin was mocking him. Challenging his authority. Undermining him in front of her.
And what made it worse?
The way Casadin twisted it, as if Hades didn't care enough to ask Evadne what she wanted.
'Of course I knew,' Hades thought bitterly. 'I know everything about her.'
His parents had made sure of that.
He knew her favorite dishes, her favorite colors. He knew she hated the texture of bananas, didn't eat avocado, and only liked fish when it was grilled by her mother. She had no known food allergies, but her body had reacted badly to some cheap shellfish in Germany once. He knew all of it.
Because they made sure he did.
Because his role wasn't to fall in love.
It was to be perfect for her.
But did she know anything about him?
Not a damn thing.
When his parents told him that morning he'd be joining them to pick up the Monteverdes from the airport, he had considered… trying. Maybe he could befriend her. Talk to her. Convince her, gently, that they weren't right for each other. Maybe if she refused the engagement, things would be easier for everyone.
But that thought shattered the moment he saw her walk off the plane.
The way his parents rushed to embrace her, cooing "Sweetheart" with voices he'd never heard directed at him, that was the moment something in him snapped.
Whatever fragile hope he had of being civil died right there.
What was left was resentment.
Because she got their love without trying. Without asking. Without earning it.
She just stood there, and they adored her.
Meanwhile, he had spent his entire life trying to be exceptional. Academic excellence, athletic achievements, charm, obedience. And yet he'd never once heard the words 'We're proud of you.'
And now?
Now she sat beside him, laughing with Casadin, like they were in their own private world. Like he didn't even exist. Like his position, as the son, the chosen fiancé, the one forced to be perfect, meant nothing.
And maybe it didn't.
Because Casadin was free to say what he wanted, do what he wanted, laugh when he wanted.
Evadne was free to roll her eyes, curse under her breath, and flirt back.
But Hades?
He had to stay composed.
Smile.
Stay clean.
Stay flawless.
Stay perfect.
Even if he was rotting inside.
So focused was he on his seething thoughts, he didn't notice what was happening beside him, until he heard a soft whimper.
He turned just in time to see Evadne fanning her mouth with one hand, her eyes watering, lips parted in distress.
His heart lurched.
She looked like she was in pain.
Then realization struck.
Her face was flushed. Her eyes were tearing up.
Spicy.
His gaze snapped to her plate.
Shit.
Evadne couldn't tolerate spicy food. He knew that. He had made sure there was nothing spicy in the food he served to her earlier. He'd even personally arranged the meal.
So how...
"Owww… what's wrong, Princess?" Casadin drawled, feigning innocence. "Can't handle a little spice? Oh no. Is the Princess going to cry?"
Evadne frantically grabbed her water glass and chugged it down, but the burn spread up to her sinuses, making her eyes sting harder.
"You bastard!" she choked out between breaths. "You didn't say that barbecue was spicy!"
She tried to fan her tongue like that would make a difference.
Casadin gave a smug shrug. "Oops. The Princess is going to cry."
"I'm not going to cry," she snapped.
"You sure?" he teased again, voice low and cruelly amused. "Go on. Cry, Princess. It's okay."
'Gods. Cry already. Is that a tear? Shit, I want to lick it.'
That was it.
Evadne's fist moved before her thoughts could catch up.
A clean punch landed square on Casadin's nose.
"Motherfucker!" he yelled, reeling backward, one hand flying to his face. He hadn't expected her to hit him, and definitely not that hard.
"What the fuck, Princess? Are you even a girl? That punch hurt!" Casadin growled, holding his nose with both hands.
Evadne leaned forward with a wicked smile.
"Aww, is the stupid Prince Charming going to cry now because the Princess punched him? Go on, it's okay to cry," she mocked, mimicking his tone earlier.
But then she froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my god!"
"What?" Casadin snapped, still holding his nose.
"Your nose," she gasped. "It's bleeding! Mommy!"
Panic replaced her smugness.
Evadne instinctively reached out, clutching his face to examine the damage. The moment her hand touched him, everything went quiet.
All the voices, gone.
For one brief moment, the noise of thoughts vanished again.
'Shit. She's touching my face. Please don't stop. I'd let her break my whole nose if it means she keeps touching me like this.'
"Hon, what's happening?!" Cielo rushed over with Diana and Romos in tow, alarmed by the sound of her daughter screaming.
"Cas's nose is bleeding!" Evadne cried. In a panic, she pinched his nose shut hard, like she was trying to stop a dam from bursting.
"Princess! I can't breathe!" Casadin wheezed, voice muffled.
Diana took over quickly, guiding her son to lean forward so the blood wouldn't flow into his throat.
"What is wrong with you two?" Diana scolded, torn between amusement and exasperation. "You only just met. Are you trying to kill each other already?"
They'd heard the bickering from across the pool, but this was beyond anything they'd expected.
Romos sighed and ordered a nearby helper to grab the first aid kit.
"She started it," Casadin muttered dramatically, pouting at the adults, though he shot a gleeful grin at Evadne when they weren't looking.
"I did not! You started it!" Evadne hissed.
"Me?! You're the one who keeps swearing at me! I was being friendly! And she called my face stupid!" Casadin added with wide, fake-hurt eyes.
"Hon…" Cielo looked at her daughter, unsure whether to reprimand her or not.
But deep down, she was relieved.
This, this fire, was the first glimpse of the old Evadne she'd seen in weeks.
"She called me peskytarian! Pesky eater!" Evadne defended.
"Okay, okay. Children, behave," Caspian chuckled, appearing just in time with the first aid kit. He handed it to Evadne. "Now, no matter who started it, since you made our son bleed, Vee, you get to fix it."
The adults, reassured now that it was mostly harmless roughhousing, returned to their table, leaving the two fuming teenagers alone.
But not before Hades caught the pointed look his father, Jupiter, shot him.
It said everything.
Step up. Do better.
Hades looked away.
And silently clenched his fists.