CATHY The dim room stank of damp wood and secrets. I could hear the traffic outside, but it felt miles away. Safe.Asher paced like a nervous dog, his fingers running through his hair. “You’ve ruined this,” he snapped. “That wasn’t the plan, Cassie.”“It’s Cathy now,” I muttered, staring out the dusty window.He slammed his hand against the table. “Don’t play games with me! We agreed. Take Luther down, humiliate him, destroy his reputation. That was the plan.”I slowly turned to him, eyes narrowed. “And you thought that little video would do the trick? You really thought the media would hold onto it long enough for it to stick? Please. They’re already sniffing out inconsistencies.”He stiffened. “They found him unconscious, Cassie. Drugged. That makes it clear something was done to him.”“Exactly,” I hissed. “So when that all comes out—and it will, who do you think they’ll look at? Me. I’ll be the liar. The psycho. The desperate secretary who faked an assault. And where will you be,
JOANNA. The mansion was quiet, too quiet for what we’d been through.I sat on the couch beside Luther, my body still sore, my thoughts even more fragile. The television glowed in front of us, and the voice of the newscaster filled the room like an echo:> “...the sexual assault allegations against Luther Martins remain under investigation. However, preliminary findings from a private investigator hired by his team reveal that Mr. Martin t was discovered unconscious in one of the private event rooms. Medical reports confirm the presence of a strong sedative in his system...”I exhaled slowly.The screen shifted to a blurry still from the party, Luther being helped into an ambulance, Dickson close by.Beside me, Luther reached out and took my hand. He squeezed gently, his fingers trembling a little. I looked over at him dark circles under his eyes, but the warmth in his gaze was still there.I gave him a small nod and turned back to the screen.> “Additionally,” the reporter continued,
DICKSON “Oh my God,” I muttered, heart hammering as I rushed toward Johanna. Her body was slumped near the edge of the room, tied, limp… vulnerable.Tied.What kind of monster does this?My hands shook as I struggled to untie her wrists. The fire alarm was still blaring in the background, and my brain was racing with images—Kathy, the projector video, Luther, the panic in the crowd. It all clicked too fast.She planned this.I should’ve listened to my gut. Something had been off with Kathy from the moment she started crying those perfectly timed tears.As soon as Joanna's wrists were free, I slid my arm beneath her shoulders. Her head lolled slightly, her breath shallow but present. Relief poured through me like water. She was alive.“Come on, stay with me,” I whispered, lifting her carefully and rushing toward the exit. Smoke was starting to fog the air.. but the alarm had drawn responders already.Outside, the parking lot was chaos. Flashing red and blue lights, security holding ba
Chapter 173CATHY I was almost at the hallway when I heard hurried footsteps and a familiar voice call my name.“Asher” He caught up with me quickly, his brow furrowed, his expression unreadable.“I think the plan was successful,” he said, his voice low, urgent. “So… what next?”I turned slowly to face him, my face blank. “Go home, Asher. I’ll take care of the rest.”He blinked. “The rest? What ‘rest’? Where’s Joanna? I’ve been looking for her ever since that video played. Everything is chaotic—people are already leaving. Where is she?”I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you asking me that? Am I her keeper now?”“Cassie” He stepped closer. “I trust you didn’t do anything stupid. We had an agreement. The target was Luther. Not Joanna.”I tilted my head, my voice calm but cold. “An agreement is an agreement, Asher. Don’t worry. I remember.”He studied me for a moment too long. Then, with a sigh, he shook his head. “I’m going to take my leave. You should go too.”I offered a sweet, fake smil
CATHY. The room was pure chaos—and I loved it.Phones were buzzing, faces were turning pale, voices were rising. That scandalous footage of Luther stumbling toward me, looking like the predator I painted him to be, was plastered on every screen. Headlines were already flooding the media outlets I fed."CEO Luther accused of sexual assault at prestigious company launch""Breaking: Launch ruined by disturbing leaked footage..."Perfect. Absolutely perfect.The hall was like a hive of confusion and disgrace. Luther’s name was already halfway buried.But that wasn’t even the masterpiece.No, my real target was Joanna. And this news was just a distraction. It wasn't even effective enough because once investigations are carried out they would figure out something is off. Let the world choke on Luther’s scandal. Let his empire crumble. But Joanna... Joanna was going to burn. Literally.I gave a subtle nod to Mike, one of the men I’d hired weeks ago. Our signal. He slipped out of the crowd
JOANNA I kept checking my phone.It had been almost thirty minutes since Luther left with Cathy, and I was beginning to worry. He said it would just be a minute. That was before Asher’s speech turned into a drawn-out fairytale of ambition and second chances.Blah blah vision, blah blah future, “New York is home again” I wasn’t even listening anymore. I was too busy scanning the room.Where was he?I looked at my phone again, tapping the screen. No messages. No missed calls. Just the time: 8:26 p.m.And then it happened.A sharp flicker cut across the projector screen behind Asher..At first, I thought it was a glitch — until the screen froze, and a video began to play.My blood turned cold.Luther.On-screen.Drunk. Disoriented. Grabbing Cathy no, being filmed as if he was grabbing her. She looked terrified. Disheveled. She stumbled back. There were no words—just tension and heavy breathing, and…No.The room gasped.Somewhere to my left, someone’s phone dinged. Then another. Then ano