LOGINAlaric’s POVCassandra’s gaze froze on me, her eyes wide with shock at the sight of me, but it slowly went cold. My heart was racing from the run, but it still ached at the sight of her.Exhaustion was etched into my face, my eyes looked hollow, like someone barely holding on. Blood trickled from my hand where I had yanked at the IV line in desperation. Pain shot through my body at every movement, and my legs were barely holding up.Every instinct in me screamed, every nerve burned with panic and guilt.I couldn’t believe what had happened. One moment I had been collapsing from exhaustion, overworked and driven on caffeine, the next I was being sedated, only to have Nathan tell me that Cassandra had been admitted and our baby was in danger. Someone had poisoned her. The thought hit me like ice, and I barely registered anything else.I could vaguely hear Natasha’s voice screaming at me to stay in bed, or Nathan insisting I shouldn’t move, that my body was still weak. But I couldn’t sta
Cassandra’s POVFor a moment, I simply stared at the dark screen of my phone, unable to process what had just happened. Natasha had hung up on me.The words she said replayed in my mind like a cruel echo. Alaric is currently busy. My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white. A surge of anger rushed through my chest.Busy? My baby might be dying and he was busy. Busy with what, and why was she with his phone? Everything I was scared of started to weigh down on me.My hands trembled violently as I dialled his number again. The call did not even ring this time. Instead, a cold electronic voice filled my ear."The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later."For a second, I thought I had misheard it. My heart slammed painfully against my ribs as I pulled the phone away and stared at the screen. The phone was switched off.A wave of disbelief washed over me. Natasha hung up his phone. What right did she have? My head began to sp
Cassandra’s POVBy the time I arrived at the resort later that morning, the entire place had transformed into a winter wonderland.Christmas decorations filled every corner of the property. Strings of lights hung across the pathways, and large artificial snow displays had been placed near the main filming area.Excited chatter filled the air as staff members rushed around preparing for the finale.Viewers had been voting throughout the week, and the results would be announced during the final broadcast that night.Since it was a Christmas special, the participants were scheduled to take part in several festive games and activities throughout the day. My favourite segment was the opening event.A Christmas themed photoshoot. The images would later be turned into holiday greeting cards for the resort’s promotional campaign.Cameras had already been positioned across the set while the celebrities prepared in their colourful outfits.Theodore stood near the monitors, watching the camera a
Cassandra’s POVAlaric did not return that night.I tried to fall asleep again, but it was impossible. My mind kept wandering back to the message Natasha had sent me and the picture that came with it. No matter how many times I told myself it meant nothing, the image kept replaying in my head.The following days passed quietly, yet something felt wrong. I barely saw Alaric.Gregory mentioned that there was an urgent situation at the company that required Alaric’s attention, so he had been working late almost every night. At first, I accepted the explanation without questioning it. After all, the company had always been important to him.Still, something about the situation felt different. Alaric slowly became like a ghost in the house.Sometimes he returned home long after midnight. Other nights he did not return at all. The rare moments I saw him were brief and fleeting. He always looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath his eyes and tension etched across his face.Each time I con
Cassandra’s POV The ride back to the estate was unusually quiet. The radio played softly in the background as the weather forecast was announced. The static voice " THERE ARE EXPECTED TO BE MORE SNOW STORMS IN THE COMING DAYS." The weather forecaster said drawing my thoughts from the window I was staring blankly at watching the snow fall softly outside. "WE WILL BE HAVING A WHITE CHRISTMAS.." the forecaster said and my eyes flickered. Christmas was close, and we were already in December. The snow came pretty early this year in November but ever since we got to December the weather has been gradually getting colder. Christmas was in a few weeks and because of how successful the reality show was, production was extended by a few weeks. The final was on Christmas Eve. Not only did the show boost the resort but other Von Duvall businesses got an increased patronage. It was terrifying what people would do for their idols at times. The car came to
Cassandra’s POVMy stomach twisted painfully as I stood there watching them.For some reason, my feet refused to move. It felt as though they had rooted themselves to the floor while my mind struggled to process the sight in front of me. I did not understand why it hurt this much.Natasha was the one Alaric had loved. That was the truth I had already accepted. I was simply the woman who appeared later in his life when the person he truly wanted was gone.I had repeated that fact to myself countless times. Still, seeing them together like this made something inside my chest tighten painfully.Natasha stood between them, looking fragile and pale beneath the soft hospital lights. Even from a distance I could see the way her shoulders trembled slightly as she spoke. Her expression carried a vulnerability that made her seem almost pitiful.Alaric was watching her closely. Concern was written clearly across his face, just like when he was worried about the baby. For some reason that small d
CASSANDRA'S POV " Dear Satan can you give me a fucking break!!! " My thoughts screamed. He didn't only have a vicious cat named Angel whose name should be something like Lilith because she was a demon or better jinx because my day had been crappy because of her Or better Lucifer the evil cat fr
CASSANDRA'S POV The grip around my waist tightened, guiding me away from the steps. The jacket slipped just enough for the light to filter through again. I was stunned and overwhelmed by everything.Rebecca's panicked voice faded by my side. This cologne, with its amber and cedar scent, was ma
CASSANDRA'S POV Soft footsteps stopped behind him and before I could fully register what was happening, Alaric’s voice filled the space. His tone was calm, steady, yet sharp enough to slice through the tension.“Then do you mind explaining to my wife what she is getting into?” he said draw
CASSANDRA'S POV I was left dumbfounded. My brain was still processing the fact that Alaric had announced me as his wife I could not even process the fact that he was Sinclair's uncle I stared blankly at the man who was supposed to be my ex-uncle and found it hard to believe. He loo







