Cassandra’s POV Stella loved the designs, as I knew she would. She was very impressed by the entire store. She met some of the staff before I told them to take off early for the weekend. “This is…this is amazing,” she said, fingering the soft lace of one of my designs. “It’s more than I imagined. It’s…perfect.” I nodded enthusiastically. I still couldn’t believe Stella was actually standing right in front of me. And she looked great. The pink was back in her cheeks and she’d put on some weight, so she didn’t look so frail. She was waiting for her breast reconstruction surgery, and in the meantime, she was wearing nice, thick, padded bras. Her hair was still glowing back so she was still wearing wigs. But her eyes sparkled. It was an entirely different person than the one I’d left back home a few months ago. She looked like her old self again, and nothing could have made me happier. After we’d had a good tour
Cassandra’s POV “You sent the car for her, right?” I asked Suzette, my latest intern. She nodded. “You bet. The car will be waiting for your friend with a big sign that says ‘Stella’,” she confirmed. A wave of excitement washed over me. Stella was coming! Right now, she was on a flight, edging her way closer and closer to Paris by the minute. I’d sent a car for her so I could finish up things at the store. I didn’t want to waste a moment of my visit with her. She was only staying for three days, and we had a jam packed itinerary. Museums, dinners, a stroll along the Champs Ellysse’s. A wine tasting. A burlesque show at the Moulin Rouge, which I knew Stella would love! And of course I was going to show her the store and the designs I’d picked out for the launch. I smiled to myself, imagining Stella and I sitting on my patio, sipping wine, catching up with the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop. God I’d m
Cassandra’s POV The next morning, I woke up to a sun-filled room with Sebastian beside me. My mind instantly went to the night before. It had been passionate to say the least. Sebastian was opening up a side of me sexually that I’d never experienced before. Don’t get me wrong. Love-making with Dillon had been fantastic too, just in a different way. Dillon was tender and sweet. Sebastian was edgy and raw. He was demanding and took charge, which was something I wasn’t used to. I sat up and Sebastian rolled over, a languid smile on his face. “Come here,” he said, reaching for me. I let him hold me, our naked bodies pressed together. He began kissing my neck and I giggled. “We have to get back to the city,” I said, trying to pry myself away from him. “What’s the rush?” he said, his voice low and husky. “I have my launch coming up and my to-do list is a mile long,” I said, rolling away from him
Cassandra’s POV “I was just rolling the dice for Prince Milo and…” “Stop it,” he said, his voice edged with anger. I tried to take a step back, but he was still gripping onto my arm.I looked at him, confused.I’d never seen that look in his eyes, that fire, and it caused me to recoil. I wanted him to let go of me. He was raising his voice. People were looking at us. “You were flirting. I saw you. I came back from the bathroom and stood right over there, watching you. How dare you make a fool out of me.” I was struggling to process what was happening. A fool? Flirting? What was he talking about? He’d barely been gone for fifteen minutes. It was just honest, innocent fun. “I…I wasn’t,” I stammered. “He asked me to roll the dice and I…” “Stop lying,” he snapped at me, his jaws tight. A shadow crossed over his face. He leaned in close to me and lowered his voice. “I won’t have you lying to me.” “Let go of my
Cassandra’s POV The party was everything it promised to be. Over the top, opulent, and full of high society members and royals. Sebastian kept his arm linked in mine as he paraded me around the room. He introduced me to several people, and we stopped to chat with them. No matter where I was though, I was aware that almost all eyes were on me. As the official girlfriend of Sebastian Montgomery, I was the object of interest that night, which only fueled Antoinette’s fury even further. I felt powerful, on Sebastian’s arm. I saw some of the women glance at me and then whisper behind their hands, but I didn’t care. I knew what they were whispering about and it didn’t phase me because… I was their envy. Sebastian had been a player for a long time, making the rounds through these women. But I was the one who had snagged me. Sebastian had never had a girlfriend before. Not a real one. He had a slew of mistresses that he left in his wake,
Cassandra’s POV I took a moment to straighten myself out. Then I flashed Antoinette a sly smile. I’d been here before. I knew all about these games. I wasn’t going to let her push me around. “I know what you’re trying to do,” I said, looking her square in the eyes. “And it won’t work. You don’t intimidate me,” I said. “I’ve dealt with bitches like you. I know you’re game. Sebastian and I are together. So no, I’m not going to back down.” This caught Antoinette by surprise. So I seized on her pause. “This is really messed up,” I told her. "He's your brother. Have you no decency?” “He’s my step-brother,” she said, correcting me. “It doesn’t matter. He’s still family. You shouldn’t be in love with your family members. Not like this.” She sighed heavily. Then she shook her head back and forth slowly. “You don’t know anything about it,” she said. “You know, there was a time when it