Sweet Hatred
Chapter 70: Casual Destruction

Chapter 70: Casual Destruction

His jaw tightened. He wasn’t used to this version of me. He didn’t know what to do with silence.

I stepped forward and stopped in front of his desk, the air between us thick with tension and a thousand unsaid things. He sat back, watching me with narrowed eyes, waiting.

I didn’t let myself breathe as I spoke.

"I need your help."

The words cut deeper than I expected. Each one felt like a blade carving out a piece of whatever was left of me.

Kael didn’t move. He studied me.

"What’s going on?," he said, voice low.

And just like that, it was time to spill it all.

I took a slow breath.

My chest felt tight, like the words were locked behind ribs that didn’t want to move. But I forced them out anyway. One by one. Ugly. Humbling. Necessary.

"My sister... her husband..." I paused, staring somewhere over Kael’s shoulder, afraid that if I looked him in the eye, I’d choke. "Michael. He borrowed money from the wrong people."

Still no reaction. Just that same, unreadable mask.

"The kind of people that don’t just knock when they want to collect," I continued. "They come in masks. Weapons. Threats." I swallowed. "And now they’re circling again."

His gaze sharpened, but he said nothing.

I hated this.

Hated having to be here. In front of him of all people. But I hated feeling helpless more. I hated the idea of lying awake, thinking about what they’d do if I didn’t find a way, if I didn’t cough up an outrageous amount in such a short time. What they might do to Michael. To my mom. To the house we barely managed to keep upright.

"I know this isn’t your problem," I said, voice cracking in a way I hated. "But I thought—maybe—maybe you could make some calls. Scare them off. Just enough to buy me some time."

I finally looked at him.

He hadn’t moved an inch. But something in his jaw was tighter now. The silence dragged. Long enough for my humiliation to set in.

"This won’t be a habit," I added quickly, my voice low. "I’m not asking for a handout. Just... leverage. That’s all."

God, I hated this.

Kael leaned back in his chair, arms crossing slowly. "How long has this been happening?"

"Recently."

"And how much is the money?"

"Five hundred..." I hesitated. "...thousand. Although Michael only borrowed a hundred but those bastards keeping raising the interest because he hasn’t paid." I exhaled deeply.

Kael stood up, his expression unreadable.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration simmering just beneath his skin. I watched him pace behind the desk for a moment before he stopped and looked at me again.

"You should’ve come to me sooner."

That made me scoff. "Oh right. Because coming to you is such a safe choice. Like you hadn’t just gambled with my life. Forgive me for not jumping at the opportunity to be thrown into chaos and torn apart while I’m already drowning." My voice was sharp. "And besides I only heard about it the day I was kidnapped so I guess I was a little too busy trying to stay alive because of someone’s mess."

His expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes again. Not pity. Not sympathy.

Something else. Hurt? No. That couldn’t be right. Not someone who enjoyed seeing me irritated.

He sighed through his nose. "Fine. Those fools will be handled. Discreet. No noise. I’ll take care of it."

I blinked, stunned for a second. "Just like that?"

His stare met mine again. Hard. Unyielding.

"I don’t give a damn about the money, Aria," he said. "You know that."

Of course. I almost forgot how easy it was for people like him to get rid of problems like mine.

I asked it before I could stop myself.

"Then what do you care about? Other than yourself."

The words came out hollow, sharper than I meant them to be. Kael stilled, his jaw ticking once. I could practically hear the shift in the air.

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he walked around his desk, slowly—like he was still figuring out if he even wanted to respond at all. Then he stopped in front of me, hands slipping into his pockets, expression unreadable.

"You know," he said, tone distant, "when you snapped at me last night, I was trying to understand where I went wrong."

I stiffened.

His gaze flicked to mine.

"I know you think I’m some cold bastard. Maybe I am. But I didn’t let that happen to you because I didn’t care. I knew it would be handled. I had everything in place. I just..." he trailed off, voice clipped.

He looked away, exhaled through his nose. His next words were quieter.

"You can take some time off if you want. A few days. No one will question it."

I blinked.

Was this supposed to be compassion?

"Thanks," I muttered. "But you don’t have to pretend to be concerned. We both know what this is."

He frowned. "What, what is?"

I gave him a sharp, almost bitter smile. "Whatever this is between us. Just sex, right? Casual destruction. You don’t owe me anything."

He didn’t say anything. The silence stretched too long.

I laughed—low and humorless. "Don’t strain yourself trying to be decent now. It’s not a good look on you."

Kael tilted his head a little, watching me carefully. Then, to my surprise, he chuckled—soft, dry, and sharp around the edges.

"You’re right," he said. "Decency’s never been my thing."

I felt something twist in my stomach. Something ugly. Hot. Heavy.

He wasn’t even trying to deny it. Of course he wasn’t. I should’ve felt satisfied with that, but it just made everything worse.

I turned without another word, my chest tight and aching in a way I didn’t understand. I should’ve hated him. I did hate him. But that didn’t explain the sting behind my ribs. The way my legs suddenly felt heavier with each step toward the door.

As my hand reached for the handle, he spoke again.

"We can end this if you want. "

I froze. This bastard—

Kael didn’t move. His voice was low, almost quiet. "You don’t need to feel like you owe me anything."

I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. Because if I did, I knew I’d break.

So I opened the door and walked out. And it wasn’t until I got back into my office that I realized something terrifying: I cared. And I had no idea why.