When Stella actually met Cassius, she along with all her sisters realised that the evil man they were supposed to destroy wasn't evil at all.
He was just a playboy. A charming, flirtatious, endlessly amusing playboy who loved women and wasn't ashamed of it.
And somehow, infuriatingly he wasn't even the kind of playboy you could hate.
He was funny. Sincere. And sometimes ridiculously dumb.
He made comments that were so absurd, so completely beneath his station, that you couldn't help but laugh.
Not to mention he was kind.
The people of his estate worshipped him. The maids adored him.
His wives and yes, there were many were all deeply, obviously in love with him.
And he loved them back, with a fierce devotion that made Stella's hardened heart ache.
She had seen the worst of men. The absolute worst.
And yet here was a man who defied every expectation.
