Tangled Webs

Cassie’s POV

I arrived in the office in disarray, my carefully set routine disrupted by Jeffery's surprise visit. His painting that had been sent to me lingered in my mind, a nagging specter from the past residing in my desk drawer. I tried to push away the touch of melancholy creeping onto the periphery of my mind, my mind preoccupied with the piles of work in front of me.

The night rapidly descended into chaos. My phone rang continuously, the alerts gathering faster than I could clear them from my inbox. I missed a beat, watching the screen flash with a news story unfolding.

Jeffery Richards was being investigated for conspiracy and fraud

Words in front of my eyes were blurring. I was clicking with bated breath on the link with Jeffery's face appearing on news websites in my vision, his usually unflappable face contorted in a look of contained shock.

I'd barely had time to grasp the seriousness of what was happening before Claire strode into my office, her face fixed in a stern expression. "Cassie, to my office, please."

I followed behind him hurriedly, my heart thudding in my temples.

"This is a scandal," Claire whispered once the door shut. "We do PR crises, Cassie, we do not create them. Your relationship with Richards - is that a problem?"

"We don't have any kind of relationship," I insisted, forcing my voice to come out even though the lie was searing in my throat. "I'm here to do my job."

Claire gave me a suspicious look. "See to it. We cannot risk having distractions."

I was leaving her office when I received a text on my phone. Ethan Carter's name sent another wave of panic:

We should discuss this in earnest.

Ethan was a fleeting moment in college—something I wanted to put behind me. Today, I interacted with him as Titan Dynamics CEO, R.R.'s rival in business, notorious for his ruthlessness and cleverness. I grudgingly agreed to meet with him with a sense of foreboding that evading Ethan was going to be more of a hassle than confronting him

***

Jeffery's POV

My phone rang constantly, and my personal rep was disintegrating piece by painful piece. Every ring filled my stomach with a sense of foreboding until I picked it up.

Jeffery, you're in serious jeopardy." "We've received a whistleblower." My attorney's voice was unflinching. "We've got a fraud case against you and we're building evidence."

"I didn't do it," I growled. "I'm being framed."

We will be resisting, but you'll need to use your heads.

The door groaned, and my assistant hesitated to enter with her head. "Ethan Carter to see you."

"I'm busy," I snapped, and in any case burst in on Ethan, beaming.

"Don't tell me," replied Jeffery in a dry, sarcastic drawl.

My expression was set to neutral. "Did you come to gloat, Carter?"

"No," he replied calmly, sitting in the chair in front of my desk with ease. "I'm here to negotiate a deal. Resign at once, sell R.R. Conglomerate Holdings to Titan Dynamics, and the scandal will vanish."

You're to blame," I exclaimed in frustration. "You set the whole thing up."

He shrugged. "I'll call it a business strategy."

Leave at once, I commanded firmly. You shall never win over me.

"Suit yourself," Ethan rasped, getting to his feet slowly. "But it hurts to fall. And you're not going to be the only one who it hurts. It will hurt everyone you love—including Cassie Jones."

My heart skipped a beat momentarily. Ethan's smile broadened at seeing the look of fright in my eyes.

Consider that," was his reply, walking away serenely.

***

Cassie's POV

I arrived at the hip coffee bar, where I found Ethan sitting and waiting, his suit neatly pressed, and his typical haughty smirk on his face again.

"Cassie," he slurred slowly, sitting down across from me. "Always a pleasure."

What do you need, Ethan?

Down to business, then," and getting his chair close to hers. "Come with me and I'll protect you in the fallout of Jeffery's scandal."

"I don't need any protection," I insisted stubbornly. "I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"You're," he sneered, smiling smugly. "Jeffrey's whole world is going to come crashing down. You'll go down with him if you remain with him."

"Why do you even care"? I erupted into a shout of rage.

His eyes turned misty for a fleeting instant. "Because I care about you, Cassie. More than he did."

I rose to my feet, frowning at him. "The session is over."

"Think carefully," Ethan urged, as I walked away. "Your good name and your professional reputation are at stake." 

***

Jeffery's POV

I paced back and forth in the apartment, my stomach in knots of apprehension. All I was thinking about was Cassie's safety. Ethan's threat hadn't been hollow, and I was aware that he'd burn down the entire complex if that was what it took to get what he was after.

I jumped at the sound of the ringing doorbell and stiffened. When I opened the door, I saw Cassie standing on the porch with her brow furrowed in anger and concern.

"Tell me," she commanded, pushing past me and into the room. "Now,"

I shut the door and turned to confront her. "You're being manipulated by Ethan," I revealed. "Ethan is taking over the R.R. Conglomerate."

She looked at me keenly, examining my face closely. "Did you do it, Jeffery?"

No," I replied, advancing closer to her. "Cassie, I swear to you, I didn't

She halted, a furrow of concern etched over the bridge of her nose. "He threatened me also."

Home was where the horror was. "I will never allow him to harm you."

She gazed up at him, his gruff exterior subtly covering the glimmer of vulnerability. "How do you even know that?"

I wrapped them both in mine. "By any means and at any cost, I'll do all my power to protect you."

We shared a thick silence and the sense of unspoken thought and danger that was palpable in the space of a moment.

She hesitated and agreed, nodding her head.

I calmed the palms of her hands, and a spark of hope ignited amidst all the chaos around us. Whatever tomorrow morning held in store, at least we had ourselves to meet it together.