Cassandra’s POV
“Thanks Dillon.” I sighed.
“Never mind, ready to enjoy your traveling?” Dillon smiled and winked at me.
“Yeah, but I gotta call Stella first.” I took the calling card out and threw it in the bin and got a new one. I then called Stella on Facetime.
“I’ll be gone for about a month,” I told Stella. Stella was my best friend, one of the only people I’d been able to count on through everything. I trusted her with my life, so it only made sense that I trusted her with my company.
Then I gave her the rundown on all the business affairs of Hot House Flower. I’d only be gone a month, so I only told her what she needed to know. Stella had a degree in fashion, just like me. Although my degree was in design and hers was in fashion marketing. But still, I knew she was the right person to look after my company while I traveled to clear my head.
“Don’t worry, Cass, I got you,” she told me, giving me a flying kiss. “Just go and heal. And when you get back, we’ll celebrate you dumping his sorry ass.”
I smiled at her and waved bye-bye. I was lucky to have her and I hoped she knew it.
***
A month later, I came back to the Stoneworth Estate, tanned and feeling refreshed. The month away had been good for my soul and spirit. A month on the French riviera tended to do that.
During my vacation, I’d checked in with Syracuse a few times, and ran a few meetings online. But I’d been sitting at a café, with the glorious Mediterranean spread out before me, sipping on the very best French wines. So the meetings hadn’t been a bother at all.
Besides, I loved my job, so I didn’t mind the occasional meeting.
I didn’t hear a single word from Jordyn the whole time I was gone. Not even a peep. It was fabulous. It allowed me to fully unwind and reflect on our marriage.
“Sister!” Cameron exclaimed, as I dumped my bags on the curb. “You look positively radiant!”
We air kissed. “Thank you. I feel wonderful,” I said. He scooped up my bags and put them in the trunk. “And thanks for picking me up from the airport.”
“Of course,” he said. Then he eyed me up and down again. “You know, sis, the French Riviera suits you. Look at that tan! Maybe you should move there.”
“What? And leave you? Never,” I smiled, as I climbed into the car. We took off from the airport. So Mom and Dad are home?” I asked. Cameron had told me they’d arrived back at the Stoneworth Estate a couple days ago.
“Yup,” he said, taking an unfamiliar exit off the freeway.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m taking you for dinner. Mom and Dad will be ALL over you when you get home. I want some alone time with you first. So you can tell me all about your escapades.”
I beamed. “That’s very selfish of you,” I told him. “In the sweetest sort of way.”
We pulled into the parking lot of a lavish restaurant.
“It’s new,” Cameron said. “It’s a raw restaurant.”
“A what?” I asked, as Cameron handed the valet his keys.
“It’s a new trend. All the food is raw. Nothing’s cooked. I think it will be a hoot!”
“Oooo…kaaayy,” I said hesitantly. Leave it to Cameron to find the most bizarre new restaurant in the city.
We were led straight to our table.
“I need to freshen up,” I told him. It had been a long flight, and Cam was right, this restaurant was VERY trendy. I didn’t want to run into someone we knew with smeared mascara and messy hair. I’d thought we were going straight home, so I hadn’t checked my make-up. But now?
Let’s just say those bright, neon lights overhead weren’t very forgiving.
“Order me a drink?” I told him.
“Merlot?” he asked.
“You know it,” I winked. Then I dashed off to the bathroom.
On the way to the bathroom, though, I saw Jordyn. He was sitting alone, hunched over the bar, a whiskey neat in hand. He had dark circles under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
He looked rough. Like, really rough.
He glanced over at me. I quickly turned away, hoping he hadn’t seen me. I walked towards the bathroom, and cautioned a quick look before I went in. He was looking in my direction, his eyes narrowed. But then he got up from the bar and left, headed towards the door.
My heart hammered in my chest.
He hadn’t recognized me. I couldn’t blame him. I looked nothing like I had during our marriage. During our marriage, I’d been very conservative. Whenever I accompanied him to a function, I chose plain, understated dresses. I never wore anything flashy. ‘Blend in’ was my mantra.
But now?
I was wearing a bright blue chiffon skirt with an orange designer blouse. MY designer blouse from MY designer fashion company. I had jewelry, shiny, beautiful bracelets and earrings. My hair had auburn low lights and it was shorter and curled. I was even wearing high heels, something I NEVER did when we were married.
Of course he hadn’t recognized me. I barely recognized myself.
In the bathroom, I reapplied my red lipstick (also something I never wore when we were married). Surprisingly, that was about all I needed. So I left the bathroom.
But on my way out, I accidentally bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” I said, looking up at the woman.
Then my heart stopped.
Ellie.
It was Ellie.
I put my head down and tried to step around her. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I hoped that, like Jordyn, she wouldn’t recognize me. This time, though, I wasn’t so lucky.
“Cassandra,” Ellie gasped. And only then did I realize we were wearing the EXACT same outfit. “What the hell?” she asked, her hands on her hips. “Where did you get this?” She pointed at my blouse. “Did you steal it? Because there’s no way you could afford ANYTHING from Hot House Flowers. Let alone an entire outfit!”
Of course, Ellie didn’t know that I owned Hot House Flowers. It was a secret I’d kept for years. And I wasn’t about to let Ellie in on the secret now. So I just stood there while she mocked me.
“Oh…I get it,” she smiled sardonically. “You’re a KEPT woman now, huh? Found yourself a silver fox? Is that it? A rich, lonely old man to buy you designer clothes.”
I sighed deeply. I REALLY didn’t want to get into this with her. I was tired. I just wanted to have a nice dinner with my brother. She could think whatever she wanted. I honestly didn’t care.
“It’s none of your business, Ellie,” I said. Then I pushed past her. I motioned for my brother to follow me as I made a beeline out of the restaurant.
“Get the keys from the valet,” I instructed.
“Cassandra, what’s wrong? Is it the raw food?” Cameron asked, confused at our abrupt departure.
“No,” I said. “I’ll explain in the car. Let’s just get out of here.”
We grabbed the keys and headed for the parkade. But just as I put my hand on the car door handle, a voice called out to me.
“Cassandra!” The voice echoed through the parkade.
It belonged to Jordyn.
Cassandra’s POV“Come on,” Cameron said, tugging my hand. We saw Jordyn’s figure approaching us. He just have followed us into the parkade.“Can you…just go ahead without me? To the car? I won’t be long, I promise.”Cameron studied my face. He was wary to leave me alone with Jordyn. But I wanted to handle this situation on my own. He finally relented.“Okay. But not too long. And I’ll be right over there if you need me.”“I know,” I smiled.Cameron walked away just as Jordyn approached. The parkade was well lit, and the harsh fluorescent lights shone down on Jordyn’s distraught face.“Look, we need to talk,” he said.“I agree. I assume you’ve had your lawyer look over the divorce papers,” I said.“I know you cheated on me.”Umm. What? He just ignored my comment and went straight to his own accusations. This was SO typical.“Excuse me?” I said, aghast. “Don’t even try to hide it,” he told me, his voice firm.I blinked, staring at him in disbelief.HE was the one who cheated, not me!
Cassandra’s POVI eyed myself critically in my floor-length mirror. After a long, drawn out deliberation, this was the dress I’d chosen. A calf-length, A-line dress of emerald green silk. It cut into a halter style at the top and plunged dramatically in the back.I nodded approvingly at my reflection. The dress was, of course, one of my own designs. It was the perfect choice for the Talks and T***s banquet.It hadn’t taken me long to decide. By the time Stella and I had finished our bagels and lox, the decision was made. I would attend.Jordyn could be damned for all I cared. I wasn’t going to let him prevent me from attending this banquet. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Stella had agreed whole-heartedly, and we’d spent the past week ensuring that I chose the perfect dress.If I was going to run into Jordyn, I might as well look hot as hell, right?Ping.It was a text from Stella.“Good luck! Knock ‘em dead.” Heart emoji, dancing girl emoji, four-leaf clover emoji.An
Cassandra’s POVI felt everyone’s eyes fall on me. None of them recognized me because I never accompanied Jordyn to any events. As such, I’d been completely out of the public eye during our marriage. I’d never really been identified as his wife.Ellie’s eyes narrowed and looked at me, a malicious expression on her face.“Oh, I…um…beg your pardon,” the woman said, withdrawing her hand from Ellie.I saw the looks of confusion pass through them. If I was his wife, then why had he entered with Ellie on his arm?“I wouldn’t really call myself his wife,” I smiled politely. “Not anymore. We’re in the midst of a divorce.” I shot Jordyn a look that said ‘how dare you do that to me?’Everyone nodded, relieved that the mistaken identity had been a minor mishap. Jordyn, however, was angry.“Why are you here, Cassandra?” he asked, his eyes fixed on me.I balked.Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to make a scene in front of all these people? The group of people uncomfortably aver
Cassandra’s POVI struggled.At first, I really did.His lips pressed into mine and I struggled against him.But then…His lips were warm. Warm and familiar. The lips that I’d kissed so many times before. And despite all my anger, I felt myself unwillingly wanting his kiss.My mind screamed at me: Push him away! My mind knew better, knew that I shouldn’t let this happen. My mind wanted me to run, far away. To stop this kiss immediately.But my body?My body still wanted him. My body always had. So many nights, I’d lay awake in bed, longing for him to touch me, for his lips to kiss my hot flesh. My body wanted this kiss.My mind and my body fought hard.But my body won.I parted my lips and the kiss deepened. I tilted back my head, allowing him to kiss me passionately.It was ironic. I’d always longed for Jordyn to kiss me like this. I’d longed for it our entire marriage. Our kisses had been lifeless. Cordial. The kind of kiss you give a friend.He had passion, all right. But this pas
Cassandra’s POVI whipped my head toward the voice at the door.Dillon?My jaw fell open.Dillon was the last person I expected to see here!Luckily, Jordyn was surprised, too. Surprised enough to let go of my hand. This gave me the chance to step away from him.Dillon stepped in front of me, blocking Jordyn.Jordyn was pissed off. He glared at Dillon.“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jordyn seethed.“She doesn’t want to be in here with you,” Dillon snapped back.“She’s my WIFE! Mind your own fucking business,” Jordyn said, his voice rising.I saw them both clench their fists.Shit. They were going to fight. That was the last thing I wanted.“Let’s just go,” I said, touching Dillon lightly on the shoulder. “Come on. It’s not worth it.”Dillon didn’t respond, but I could see that he was breathing heavy. He was clearly very agitated. They both were.My hand on Dillon’s shoulder must have really pushed Jordyn over the edge. His face contorted with rage. “It’s HIM, isn’t it
Cassandra’s POVI laid out the suit one last time on the desk. Then I inspected it with a scrupulous eye. I wanted to ensure that every single detail was perfect, right down to the last stitch.It was a gift for Stanley Smith, Jordyn’s grandfather. I had been working on it for months. I hoped it would show him just how much I respected him, and how much I’d enjoyed our time together.I carefully placed it in a garment bag, realizing that it was probably the last gift I would ever give the old man.Once Stanley heard that Jordyn and I were getting divorced, he’d want nothing to do with me. At least, that’s what I assumed. So this birthday tonight was going to be bittersweet. I still had no idea how I was going to tell Mr. Smith that we were divorcing. But I had to face the music some time. And tonight seemed as good a time as any.Just then, there was a light knock on my office door.“Come in,” I said, and Stella entered.“Cass, we have a bit of a problem,” Stella confessed, holding ou
Cassandra’s POVImmediately, the room broke out into whispers and murmurs.“A fake?” I heard people gasp.Various expressions plagued the faces of the guests. Some were perplexed, some were shocked, some were skeptical, and then there was Ellie.She was smug.She was smug as shit. And my blood boiled with her accusation.However, I didn’t want to make any more of a scene. And I knew there was no point in arguing with her. So I calmly said:“It’s not a fake. I assure you. In fact, I can prove it. May I?”I reached for the suit jacket and pulled down the lip of the chest pocket. Everyone watched with wide eyes.“See? Right here?” I asked, pointing to a small logo. It was a white orchid. “This is how I know it’s not a fake.”“That doesn’t prove anything,” Ellie scoffed.“Oh, but it does,” I smiled triumphantly at Ellie. “Each designer at Hot House Flowers has their own, unique logo. This one here is an orchid, as you can see. They sew their logos into discreet places on every piece of clo
Jordyn’s POVI was shocked. Shocked and embarrassed.What had she just said?I couldn’t believe it. Cassandra had just told everyone that we were getting a divorce!How dare she?I was caught between my anger and utter humiliation.I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. My parents were staring at me, a scrupulous look on their faces. And my grandfather? His jaw was hanging wide open.Not cool, Cassandra, I thought to myself. Not cool at all.I had to say something. I had to regain my composure. Everyone was gawking. This was awful.I put down my fork and cleared my throat. My cheeks were flushed from humiliation.“Is this true?” my mother asked.“Not entirely. I haven’t agreed to the divorce,” I said, my eyes focused on my plate. I felt Cassandra’s eyes boring into me. She was clearly very, very angry at my mother. But this? This was crossing the line.I looked up and locked eyes with Cassandra. “This is a personal matter, Cassandra,” I said, each word slow and enunciated. “Plea
Cassandra’s POVThere are no words to describe Bora Bora. That was the first thing I thought as our plane landed. The water was so clear you could see right through it. And the colors in the ocean were so spectacular, it didn’t even seem real. There were palm trees everywhere, and a huge, towering mountain in the distance. The moment we stepped off the plane, we were hit with warm, salt-scented air. It was impossible to be stressed here. The island had a welcoming, relaxed vibe that washed over you immediately. It truly was one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and I had to physically pinch myself because I couldn’t believe we were there.We climbed into a luxury sedan that drove us along a coastal road, past sun-kissed beaches. Dillon and I were sitting beside each other, and I couldn’t help but glance at his profile. He had clearly put a lot of effort into this trip and I was touched by it. This wasn’t just some run of the mill vacation. This was a once in a lifetime
Cassandra’s POV“This is already amazing,” Stella said, bubbling with excitement. “And we haven’t even left yet!” She popped the cork to a champagne bottle and it fizzled over. We both giggled.Dillon had sent a limo to pick us up, to our surprise. We were meeting him and Cameron at the airport.“It’s a pretty great way to start the vacation,” I agreed. I could only imagine what Dillon had in store for us, but if this limo was any indication, then we were in for a real treat.I felt a little bad about not telling Stella that I’d taken out a loan against our company to pay off the venue bill. But I was still confident it had been the right choice. Besides, we were on our way to an amazing vacation, so what was the use in bringing it up now? With all the shit that Stella and I had been through, we both deserved to have a marvelous time on a tropical beach somewhere. I made a vow to myself to leave work behind and to just have a fabulous time.“You still have no idea where we’re going?” S
Cassandra’s POVI would have taken out a personal loan if I could have, but I didn’t have enough collateral to take out a personal loan.So the only way I could take out a loan big enough to cover the venue bill was to use Hot House Flower as collateral, which meant it would have to be a business loan.The idea had come to me late in the night, but I’d dismissed it right away. It had seemed too risky. If I defaulted on the loan, the bank could seize our company. But as I sat there in my office, the idea of a business loan started to seem more and more appealing.I mean, we had more than enough orders coming up to make the payments on the loan. Heck, I could possibly even pay it off before any one even noticed. One of our orders in particular, from a filthy rich heiress in Europe, would cover a good portion of the loan. She’d seen our designs in a high end fashion magazine and she wanted ten different pieces of unique formal wear. TEN!Plus, we had some orders for high end department st
Cassandra’s POVMonday morning at the office and felt like it was crawling at a standstill. I’d barely slept the night before because I was so stressed about the bill. I chugged coffee, trying not to feel like a stressed out sleep-deprived zombie.The venue called again, at exactly 9am, and this time, I didn’t even pick up. It went straight to voicemail. I felt bad avoiding the calls, but I didn’t even know what to tell the woman on the other end at this point. She’d want to know when we were going to pay the bill, and I didn’t have a definitive answer.The unpaid bill was causing me so much stress, that I was biting my nails down to the skin. I tried to focus on work, but I couldn’t.Stella came into my office around 11am, perky and polished, with two cups of fresh coffee in her hands.“You sure know how to hire them,” she told me, taking a seat.“What?” I asked.“Everything okay?” she asked, passing me my coffee. “You seem a bit distracted.”“Everything’s fine,” I forced a smile.“Th
Cassandra’s POVI stepped out into the early evening air and shut the door behind me. I stumbled down the front steps, steadying myself on the hand railing.What the hell had just happened?My mind spun as I tried to process it. Jordyn had kissed me. He’d actually kissed me. I was furious and shocked. I was mad as hell. What had he done that? It was inconceivable to me.I got into my car and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.His company was bankrupt? I was stunned. He was a hot mess and I knew why now. He’d wanted to merge with my company to protect his assets. It was the only way to save him company. But what about my company? Did he even care what a merger would have done to Hot House Flower?“Fuck!” I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. This was so typical of Jordyn. He hadn’t been honest from the start. He’d hid the fact that his company was in financial trouble, knowing damn well we’d find out sooner or later.Needless to say, this was NOT what I’d been expecting whe
Jordyn’s POVThe moment I kissed Cassandra, I regretted it. She shoved me, tossing me from her. In my drunken stupor, I lost my balance and tumbled to the floor.“What the fuck, Jordyn?” Cassandra seethed, daggers in her eyes. “Why did you do that?”“I’m sorry,” I said from the floor. “I didn’t mean to. Honestly. I just…got confused.”She stood up. Her anger was palpable. “You didn’t MEAN to? Are you serious? Was this all just some ploy? Some master plan to make me feel sorry for you?”“What? No,” I shook my head.“Is it even true? Is your company really bankrupt?”It took me a moment to understand what she was saying. She thought I was lying? About all of it? That I was just trying to earn her sympathy so I could…“This is unbelievable!” she shouted. “But I guess I should have known better.”“It’s all true, Cassandra,” I said, scrambling to my feet. “My company is bankrupt. I would never lie about something like that. I honestly didn’t mean to kiss you. I’m not…I’m not myself. I’ve be
Jordyn’s POVIt was stupid, I know. Thinking that just because our companies merged, they’d all somehow accept me as their friend. But the pressure and the lack of sleep were catching up to me, and my thoughts were hazy.All I knew as I stood there in that door at Dillon’s house, was that I wanted to be inside, with them, celebrating whatever it was they were celebrating. Our business collaboration was over so Cassandra had no need to see me anymore. And given the way I was treated at the hospital, I doubted any of them would ever willing hang out with me.BUT…if our companies merged and I was working alongside Cassandra, if we were colleagues, then they’d have to include me. It sounds so pathetic, now. Like I’m some kid on the playground, sitting alone on a bench because no one will play with him. But that’s honest to God how I felt.I harboured no delusions of winning Cassandra back. Not anymore. I just wanted to…to be her friend. So, in my twisted way of thinking, there was a lot mo
Jordyn’s POVAs soon as I said the words, I was embarrassed. I hadn’t meant to just blurt that out. I blamed the alcohol. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’d been drinking all day.Cassandra’s face contorted into a shocked expression. I didn’t blame her. Hell, I was shocked too. I’d known the company had been in trouble, but I hadn’t known how bad. Apparently, we had a very irresponsible CFO and he’d gotten us into some really hot water. He’d brokered some bad deals, big ones, without really crunching the numbers. And now?We were fucked, for lack of a better term.I’d received the frantic calls while we were in the hospital with Dillon. First from my business partners, then from the members of the board of directors. Our quarterly financial reports had just been released and all hell had broken loose. We were spending way more than we were bringing in. And the business deals that the CFO had made went bust.At first, I’d been convinced that we could dig our way out. We had assets that we c
Cassandra’s POVI glanced down at my arm. He was holding it way too tightly. I saw anger flash in his eyes, but then as quickly as it had come, it dissipated. A shadow crossed his face as he furrowed his brows and frowned.“Let go of my arm,” I told him curtly. He did, but his gaze remained fixed on me.“Please,” he said. “You can’t cancel the meeting. You have to…think about it. The merger.”I remained standing. I didn’t want to think about. Hell, I already had. But Stella had seen it all so clearly. The merger would benefit Jordyn’s company far more than ours. Hot House Flower was on the up and up. We were becoming quite well known. That was all Jordyn care about. He wanted to exploit the little bit of fame we’d built.I knew how his business mind worked. His company was not the right match for us. We didn’t have the same values. We didn’t want to be a corporation, not in that sense. We cared about our brand, our image, and our employees. If we merged, we’d lose all sense of what ma