Chapter 83 Provoking Owen
Easton's voice was like a demon's whisper, sending chills down Cassidy's spine.
"Cassidy, where do you think you're going?"
Easton pinned Cassidy to the bed, staring at her with a cold, emotionless gaze.
"I set up this room just for you. Do you like it?"
"You'll stay here, away from everyone else. Just stay by my side, and no one will ever hurt you."
He knew she cherished her freedom, which was why he had never told her about this room. But now, he realized he preferred keeping her close, even if it meant imprisoning her.
Only this way would Cassidy's eyes always be on him. Only this way would her heart always think of him, long for him.
"Easton, you can't do this to me! You have no right!" She was terrified.
She had always known Easton was a brutal man, but he had never shown his true colors to her, which had made her let her guard down, leading to this situation.
Cassidy knew her words would only anger Easton, but she couldn't bring herself to beg for mercy.
Facing Easton now, Cassidy felt nothing but fear.
This fear drove her to say things Easton disliked, as if speaking them would give her strength, would calm her wildly beating heart.
Easton ignored her resistance, cuffing her hands to the bed.
His eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a ghost when he wasn't speaking.
The more Cassidy resisted, the angrier Easton became, forgetting all about Cassidy's injuries.
He didn't speak, nor did he stop Cassidy from screaming.
He just watched her, his cold eyes fixed on her, then gripped her waist and forcefully entered her again and again.
She was forced to endure Easton's assault. Refusing to submit, she bit her lip hard, determined not to make a sound.
"Cassidy, you will stay in this room. You will never leave my side!"
Sweat dripped from Easton's forehead, mixing with Cassidy's tears as they fell onto her face, sliding down to soak the pillow.
He was no longer gentle, driven by primal urges as he pounded into Cassidy.
She couldn't understand why Easton was doing this to her.
With his status and power, he could have any woman he wanted. Why did he have to treat her this way?
Easton would never give her an answer, so she could only close her eyes, biting her lip hard, forced to endure his brutal thrusts until she passed out.
Cassidy didn't know how long she had been unconscious when she finally woke up.
Easton had removed the handcuffs, but now a chain was attached to her ankle, the other end secured to the bed.
Cassidy couldn't leave the room; her movements were confined to this space.
That day in town, Easton had discovered Owen's second attempt to help Cassidy escape. In a fit of rage, he had beaten Owen, then taken Cassidy away, leaving Owen to be taken to the hospital by others.
When Easton returned to the Cooper Manor, Owen had just been discharged and was back home.
Thinking about what Owen had done, Easton smirked as he walked into Owen's room.
Owen's injuries hadn't fully healed. Since regaining consciousness, he had been worried about Cassidy, but he couldn't tell anyone she was still alive. So, he returned to the Cooper Manor, hoping to get news about Cassidy from Easton.
Seeing Easton enter his room, Owen's expression changed, and he instinctively became wary.
"Looks like you're recovering well, Owen. Don't be so tense; I'm here to thank you." Easton's tone was light, but Owen didn't sense any gratitude.
It felt more like Easton was here to taunt him.
"Owen, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found Cassidy so quickly."
"So, even though you helped her escape, you also helped me bring her back."
Easton smiled, but to Owen, it was a mocking smile.
Hearing Easton mention Cassidy made Owen's expression darken even more. "Easton, what did you do to Cassidy? Where did you take her?"
Cassidy's escape was a betrayal to Easton. How would he deal with someone who betrayed him?
Owen had a guess, but he couldn't accept that Cassidy was suffering because of him.
He could only keep questioning Easton.
Easton looked at him coldly, not answering his questions.
As Owen grew more anxious, wanting to punch Easton, his loud questioning drew Declan to the room.
Declan sensed the tension as soon as he reached the door.
He looked at the two men in the room, puzzled. Owen's face was flushed with emotion, while Easton stood calmly, a mocking smile on his lips.
"What's going on?"
Hearing Declan's voice, Owen stopped questioning Easton.
Everyone thought Cassidy was dead. He couldn't let anyone else know she was still alive.
No one answered Declan's question, so he didn't press further. Instead, he looked at Owen, frowning with concern. "Owen, what happened to you?"
"You should be at school, not in the hospital. Did a family enemy come after you?"
Declan's face fell at this thought.
If it was a family enemy, what were they trying to achieve by injuring Owen?
If they wanted to use Owen to threaten the Cooper family, why send him to the hospital?
Declan couldn't find the answers, so he looked at Owen, waiting for an explanation.
Owen couldn't tell Declan the truth.
He avoided Declan's gaze. "I saw someone bullying a girl and stepped in to help."
"Afterward, they retaliated by ganging up on me."
It sounded plausible, but on closer inspection, it was full of holes.
But Declan couldn't understand why Owen would lie, and he knew that if Owen wanted to hide the truth, no amount of questioning would reveal it.
Since Owen wanted to keep it a secret, Declan didn't press further.
After questioning Owen, Declan turned to Easton.
Easton never cared about the family's well-being, so why was he in Owen's room? Was he here to check on Owen?
If so, what had they talked about to make Owen so agitated?