Toxic Affinity: Crash With The Villain

At my engagement party, someone locked me in a bathroom stall and dumped a bucket of freezing, filthy mop water over my head.

Cassius, my fianc, leaned against the stall door. A cocky smirk played on his lips.

Well, Blair. Never had the pleasure of a dirty bath before, have you? he drawled. How's it feel?

"Refreshing." I wiped the dripping grime from my chin and flashed a smile sharper than his. "But you know what felt even better? Watching your precious little sweetheart bawl her eyes out on the floor."

Chapter 1

My fianc's little sweetheart was my half-sister.

From the day Willow was dragged into our home, I knew I hated her guts. I constantly marveled at the sheer toxicity of our family's bloodline. If I was the straight-up villain, Willow was the covert bitch. Bottom line? Neither of us was any good.

The minute she slipped something into my champagne, Id grab her by her blonde hair and slam her face straight into a glass liquor tower.

From age ten to twenty, I always kept the upper hand. The reason was simple. My mother was a billionaire heiress, the legitimate wife. And me?

Her only daughter. The undisputed heir to the family empire. As for Willow, she was just the bastard product of a mistress.

"What did you do to her?" Cassius's smirk vanished.

I watched the muscles in his jaw feather. It was absurd. This was the guy.

The one Id been into for fourteen years. He was the one who handed me my first massive, glaring defeat in my lifelong war against my bastard sister.

I met him first. I was the one wearing his ring. Why was he obsessed with Willow and not me?

Honestly, I never bothered wasting brain cells on stupid questions like that. It didn't matter. As long as my family held the power, Cassius belonged to me, Blair. Dead or alive.

I shoved past Cassius and faced the mirror, running my fingers through my damp, ruined hair. "I drove her out to the mountains," I said, my voice perfectly steady. "Took her phone, too. Its a shame she got all dressed up just to miss the engagement party."

"If she keeps a good pace, she might hike her way back by the day after tomorrow. Unless" I spun around, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Unless her luck runs out and she runs into a bear. Then she might not make it back at all."

Cassius stared at me, his eyes dark. "You're going to pay for this, Blair."

"Pay with what?" I threw my arms out and spun in a slow circle. Drops of filthy water flew from my red silk dress, splattering directly onto his expensive shoes.

"Another bucket of dirty water? Please. Cassius, compared to the games Willow and I play, your little revenge tactics are strictly amateur hour."

He didn't say another word. He just turned on his heel and walked out, his strides fast. He didn't even bother pulling the bathroom door shut behind him. He left me exposed to the hallway, dripping like trash.

A violent shiver ripped through my spine, but I locked my knees, pulled my shoulders back, and walked out with my chin high.

Dirty water dripped from my dress with every step. Whenever a guest let their gaze linger a second too long, I offered them a polite, sweet smile. "Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out with a cocktail fork."

The so-called engagement of the century between our two families ended with both stars abandoning the stage. Add in my exclusive drowned-rat couture, and it was the perfect recipe to make me the ultimate laughingstock of the city's elite.

But I didn't care. Not even a little bit.

I knew Harrison would never allow our family name to take a hit. My dear father built his entire empire by marrying the richest girl in town. To him, public image was worth more than his own pulse.

Sure enough, what should have been a massive scandal got spun into a glamorous success story. Not a single unflattering photo made it onto the internet. As for Willow.

Cassius tracked her down in the woods and played the hero. By the time he brought her home, she was burning up with a severe fever, unconscious. A tragic, pitiful sight.

Harrison always turned a blind eye to the vicious power struggles between me and Willow. As he loved to say, "If you can't survive a little playground hazing, the corporate sharks will chew you up and spit out your bones."

For our beloved father, as long as nobody ended up in a body bag, everything was fair game.

Chapter 2

In the end, Harrisons punishment for my vicious behavior was a half-hearted three-day grounding.

I met the murderous glare of Willow's mother, letting out a laugh so loud the security guards outside the mansion could probably hear it.

During my three days of house arrest, Willow's room next door was a revolving door of visitors.

Willow was a master at playing the victim, so naturally, she was the darling of our school. I couldn't care less about playing nice with those people. Even if they despised my guts, they still had to hold their breath and step aside when I walked down the hall.

Honestly, I almost pitied her little friends. With me in the house, a simple hospital visit felt like walking through a minefield.

I lounged on my sofa, mindlessly mashing the faded buttons on a beat-up retro Game Boy. The laughter bleeding through the wall from next door made my head pound. I grabbed a heavy crystal vase from the side table and hurled it at the drywall.

The wall shuddered. The noise stopped instantly.

A minute later, my bedroom door clicked open. I shifted my eyes and saw Cassius. He opened his mouth, then froze, his eyes locking onto the console in my hands. "Why do you still have that piece of junk?"

He bought it for me when we were seven. Growing up, the money poured into my clothes, my diet, and my endless private tutors was astronomical. The only thing they didn't fund was actual fun. The mighty heiress of the family empire, throwing a tantrum because I envied the street kids playing games.

It sounds pathetic, but in my world, it was just Tuesday.

Cassius was a bastard child. Back then, he had just been dragged into his father's house, living like a stray dog. He saw me staring at another kid's toy.

He didn't say a word. He just starved himself of his meager allowance for a year and bought me this exact console.

When we were kids, he was the only person who treated me like a human being. But now? He was unrecognizable.

I kept my thumbs on the buttons, not bothering to hide it. "Because I'm obsessed with you, obviously."

A harsh scoff ripped from his throat. "Blair, you're delusional if you think I'd ever fall for a toxic bitch that everyone avoids like the plague."

The only weapon he had against me was his rejection. But I? I had a thousand ways to tear his life apart.

I pushed myself up from the sofa, a predatory smile stretching across my face. "Do you think I care who you like? You could be in love with the fucking Pope, and you'd still be putting a ring on my finger the second we graduate."

"Cassius, don't forget your place. You're just a mutt on your family's leash. You don't have the luxury of talking about love in front of me."

I knew him too well. Better than anyone breathing. His dirty secrets, his deepest insecuritieshe handed them all to me when we were kids. Now, I took the knife he gave me and buried it straight into his chest.

If my ribs were cracking, his were going to bleed too. Mutual destruction.

His jaw clenched, the air between us dropping ten degrees. "You make me sick, Blair."

Sick? A sharp burn prickled the back of my throat. I dug my fingernails into my palms and laughed harder, loud and hollow.

"Really? Willow plays dirty in the shadows all day long. Is she not sick?"

"What does that make you, putting her on a pedestal? Newsflash, Cassius: we're all swimming in the same gutter. Stop acting like you're above it."

He stared at me, his upper lip curling. "So you play the villain out in the open. What does it actually get you, besides everyone's hatred?"

My ribs ached from laughing. "It gets me a rush. Watching you all choke on your hatred because you don't have the power to take me down? It's the best fucking high in the world."

A muscle ticked in his cheek. He spun around and headed for the door. Right before he crossed the threshold, he dropped one last line. "I really wish I was the one who poured that bucket of water on you."

The smile cracked on my face. My breath hitched.

He didn't pour the water?

Chapter 3

But my "gift" had already been delivered. Was Cassius going to murder me when he saw it?

The day after my grounding ended, I strolled onto campus, a light hum slipping through my lips. While everyone else was stuck in class, I was up on the rooftop, busy giving someone a "bath."

The girl was tied to a metal chair, soaked. Her expensive silk dress clung to her shivering body. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"Blair, you psychotic bitch, you're going to burn in hell for this."

I stared at the half-empty bucket of freezing water, then dropped the ice tongs in my hand. I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Wow. What did I ever do to you, Cora?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're bullying me! Are you insane?!"

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. "Don't be dramatic. Haven't you ever heard of returning a favor tenfold?"

I picked up the bucket and dumped the remaining icy water directly over her head. I flashed her a brilliant smile. "I'm just saying thank you."

After finding out Cassius wasn't the one who dumped the water on me, I had my people pull the security footage from the banquet hall. The video showed a girl following me right into the bathroom. That girl was none other than Cora.

Before this, I didn't even know she existed. I'd only heard rumors about some pretty, straight-A freshman. Now, I could finally put a face to the name.

I didn't know why she was coming for me. And I didn't care. The line of people who wanted me dead stretched from New York to Paris. I didn't mind crushing one more bug under my heel.

By the time Cassius found us, Cora was on the verge of passing out. If the ropes weren't holding her upright, she would have slumped straight onto the concrete.

Cassius took one look at her pathetic state, and his jaw locked tight. "Blair. Let her go."

A heavy sigh slipped through my lips. This guy really had a sick obsession with playing the knight in shining armor. He saved me, then he saved Willow, and now he was here to save Cora. What a busy man.

I unknotted the ropes and let Cora collapse onto the wet ground like a broken doll. I wiped the icy water off my hands, an easy smile stretching across my face. "Judging by that look on your face, you got my present."

A slow, ragged breath expanded Cassius's chest. "If your present was a pile of ashes, then yeah. I got it."

I knew Cassius despised his bloodline. Ever since his mother was pushed to her death by the older generation of his family, he dreamed of burning their empire to the ground. For years, he played the role of the perfect, obedient lapdog. All just to gather evidence of their illegal off-the-books operations.

Except now, every single page of that evidence was sitting in a trash can, burnt to crisp ash.

It wasn't just revenge. It was pure selfishness. I couldn't let Cassius break free. The second he slipped his family's leash, the only thing tying us togetherour engagementwould be severed.

I met his eyes. A brief tightness hit my chest, but only a fraction. "I thought you were the one who dumped the water on me. Fighting water with fire seemed like a fair trade."

"Blair, you know exactly how many years I spent" Cassius cut himself off, his eyes darting to the shivering girl on the ground. He dragged his gaze back to me, his dark eyes unreadable. "You crossed the line this time."

A thick vein pulsed at his temple, yet he forced up his usual gentle mask. His hoarse voice even carried a sickeningly soft edge.I rolled my shoulders in a careless shrug. "Blame yourself for not clearing things up sooner. You know better than anyone how I hold a grudge."

On the wet concrete, Cora finally gasped in a ragged breath.

Chapter 4

"Blair, justice might be late, but it never" I backhanded her across the face, snapping her self-righteous rant in half. "Did I say you could speak?"

Bitches always love to wrap themselves in victimhood. She came for me first, and now she was crying like some holy saint. Honestly, comparing the two, my bastard sister was almost likable. Willow might be stupid and toxic, but at least she owned her villainy right out in the open.

I shifted my gaze and caught Cassius turning to leave. I nudged Coras stunned body with the pointed toe of my heel and called out to him. "You're not taking out the trash?"

Cassius tapped his phone screen and let out a low scoff. "She belongs to Caius. I already texted him. He should be up here any second."

Caius was technically Cassius's friend. He was also the heir to the only empire in the city that could rival my family's power. The kicker? He was exactly like me. He'd burn down the world to get what he wanted, consequences be damned.

But for years, we stayed in our respective lanes. He ruled downtown; I ruled the upper east side. We never crossed boundaries. Especially after he left the country to study abroad, I practically had the entire city as my personal playground.

A dark smirk tugged at Cassius's lips. "So, Blair. You touched Caius's property. How do you think he's going to tear you apart?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Since when is he back in town?"

"If I stayed away any longer, this city would have been handed over on a silver platter, wouldn't it?"

I snapped my head toward the heavy metal door. Caius leaned casually against the frame, his narrow, predatory eyes locked on me. He smiled, looking dangerously gentle. "Blair. Wanna play?"

I mirrored his smile. "What's the game?"

The second Cora saw him, she scrambled frantically off the wet concrete. Reeking of dirty water, she threw herself straight into his chest.

When Caius caught her, a microscopic flinch of disgust tightened his brow, but the smile never left his mouth. He lazily dragged his gaze back to me, perfectly calm. "How about a game of chicken?"

I caught that split-second of revulsion and let out a dry laugh.

Caius tilted his head. "Not a fan of the rules?"

I shook my head. "I love the game. But if you want to kill me, you really don't need to waste time with this D-list acting."

I shot a look at Cora, trembling in his arms. The stupid girl probably had no idea she was nothing but a pawn he was using to manufacture a feud.

A game of chicken was exactly what it sounded like: a death wish. Two cars facing each other, pedal to the metal. Whoever swerves first, loses.

Caius wasn't actually obsessed with Cora. He wouldn't risk his own neck over some random college girl. There was only one real reason for this: the massive plot of commercial land up for bidding downtown. My family was his only real competition.

My sports car was parked in the VIP lot downstairs. Caius had plenty of time to have his people mess with the brakes. If the sole heir to my family's empire suffered a fatal accident, our stock would plummet, and he would sweep the bid without breaking a sweat.

Caius caught my drift instantly. He let out a low, knowing chuckle. "So? Do you have the guts?"

"Bring it on."

We set the location on an unfinished coastal highway.

Cassius had business to handle. Before he left, he muttered something under his breath to Caius. Caius gestured for his men to drag Cora off to the hospital.

Cora bit down on her lower lip so hard that ugly droplets of blood oozed out, but she obediently climbed into the back of the SUV. Right before the door slammed shut, she shot me a venomous glare.

I just smiled.

Cora better hit her knees and pray I died on that highway today, or I was going to make her wish she was dead.

Before heading out, I signaled my security team to run a full check on my car.

Chapter 5

Caius caught my hesitation. An unreadable smirk played on his lips. "If you don't trust your brakes, I don't mind a beautiful passenger. If we crash and burn, at least we'll die together."

"Your corpse isn't exclusive enough to share my coffin." I flashed him a mocking grin, spun around, and slid into the driver's seat. I slammed my hand onto the ignition.

In the rearview mirror, I watched Caius strip off his suit jacketthe one Cora had just sobbed all overand casually toss it straight into a nearby trash can.

Just picturing the look on Cora's face when she realized she was nothing but disposable trash sent a thrill straight down my spine. I slammed my foot harder on the gas pedal.

Caius fired up his engine and tore after me. Within seconds, his car roared past mine.

I locked my grip on the steering wheel, swerved into the next lane, and cut him off. We traded paint and tore down the highway, neck and neck, all the way to the unfinished coastal road.

Caius stepped out of his car, a dangerous thrill lighting up his narrow eyes. "If we're playing a game, we need stakes. Ladies first. What do you want?"

I closed the distance between us. I lifted my hand, dragging my manicured fingertips slowly along the sleek hood of his sports car. "Nice ride," I purred.

Caiuss gaze locked onto my fingers. The dark amber of his eyes deepened. "You want the car?"

I let out a low hum, sliding my hand off the metal and dragging it straight to the center of his chest. "And you? You want that commercial lot downtown?"

"That was the original plan." Caius kept his eyes locked on mine, an arrogant smile on his face, as I slipped my fingers into his breast pocket and hooked out the small, black detonator switch. "But I changed my mind."

"I want you