Chapter 446 A Bad Idea

Not long after Cecilia left, Nicholas saw Cassandra standing nearby. Anger filled his face. When he recalled the previous night's events, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He approached silently.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Cassandra, accustomed to princess-like treatment in the Evans family, hadn't yet adjusted her expectations within the Rainsworth family.

“What?” Nicholas retorted.

Cassandra choked back tears. “We’re engaged. I’m your fiancée, but why can’t I touch you?” She was too proud to mention Cecilia, fearing the embarrassment of admitting Nicholas's feelings for her.

“Haven’t I said this before? Wait until after the wedding,” Nicholas replied, his tone gentle yet impatient.

Cassandra clenched her fists. “Aren’t you being too conservative?”

Her disdain reached its peak just as Jocelyn called. After answering, he reassured Cassandra, “If there’s anything, we can talk later.”

“I’ll go home,” she said.

“Okay.”

Cassandra had planned to move into the Rainsworth residence, but Nicholas explained renovations were ongoing, suggesting she wait until the house was finished.

He watched her drive away, then picked up his phone. Jocelyn hadn't actually called. He dialed a number. “Stop the Bentley that just left the Rainsworth residence, then have men kidnap the occupant…”

An hour later, Cassandra lay unconscious in a dimly lit room, watched by several men and a video camera. Outside, Nicholas sat quietly in a silver-grey car.

A subordinate cautiously asked, “Mr. Nicholas, isn’t this a bad idea?” Cassandra was publicly his fiancée; harming her could have dire consequences if he regretted it.

Nicholas dismissed the concern nonchalantly. “A disobedient dog needs discipline.” He leaned back, closed his eyes, and signaled his subordinates to begin.

Cassandra’s cries filled the room. Eventually, the men left with their cameras. After a while, Nicholas emerged and ordered the door opened.

Cassandra was badly bruised and scantily clad, her hair disheveled, her haughty demeanor gone. At the sight of someone entering, she trembled, crying, “Don’t come closer!”

Nicholas stepped forward, draping his coat over her. “Cassandra, it’s me.”

His gentle voice calmed her. She looked up, embracing him, tears streaming down her face. “Nicholas!”

Suppressing his disgust, he didn't push her away. “Take Ms. Evans to the hospital,” he instructed the man behind him.

As Cassandra regained her senses, the memory of the assault flooded back. Nicholas’s mention of the hospital caused her to refuse. “I don’t want to go, Nicholas!”

He patted her shoulder, feigning consolation. “Don’t worry. Our engagement remains unaffected.”

“Nicholas, someone took photos and videos. Can you help me? Please don’t look down on me,” Cassandra pleaded, knowing he suspected what happened.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” he assured her.