5: Legal documents

CASSIE

The hope I’ve been clinging to for three days quietly slips away. I hate myself for feeling disappointed. After Zoren’s explanatory phone call, why am I still looking for him?

Mr. Marlowe closes the distance. Instead of greeting me with the confident smile I’ve known since childhood, he pulls me into a gentle embrace. I freeze. Until his hand rests softly against the back of my head, the same way my father used to comfort me whenever I was upset.

“Little one, I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

The tenderness in his voice almost breaks me.

“Me too,” I manage to say, though I’m not even sure why.

He smiles sadly. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

When he steps aside, Mrs. Marlowe wraps her arms around me, holding me tightly as tears roll freely down her cheeks.

“If there was anything I could do to take your pain away, I would,” she whispers.

Unable to find words to reply, I hug her back. Katherine waits until her mother lets go before rushing forward. The moment she hugs me, neither of us can stop crying.

Why didn’t Zoren show up?

“Hey,” I sob. “I missed you.”

“Oh, Cassie. I missed you too.” She pulls back just enough to cup my face between her hands. “You’ve lost weight.”

“Yeah?” I laugh weakly through my tears. “I guess I forgot food exists.”

“Cassie.” She frowns. “Don’t joke about that.”

“Well, I wasn’t joking.”

Her expression softens into the faintest smile. “I’ll make sure you eat.”

“You sound just like your mother.”

“I learned from the best.”

The warmth of that simple exchange reminds me of all the afternoons we’d spent together growing up. Katherine has always been the sister I never had.

Mr. Marlowe clears his throat gently, and we all slip into the house. The staff remains outside, but the man with the briefcase follows. Austin and Emilia mutter a greeting. But Mr. Marlowe doesn’t seem to care about that as he stops in the center of the living room with a scary expression.

“There are a few matters we need to discuss,” he begins. His words draw everyone’s attention to him. He points to the strange man. “This is our family lawyer. Eric Lawson.”

My heart pounds. “Why does he need a lawyer?” Elaris asks.

Eric steps forward and places his briefcase on the coffee table before removing several neatly arranged documents. I peek at the headings, and my stomach tightens.

They are all legal documents. My knees weaken, and Katherine nudges me onto the couch. Mr. Marlowe notices the shock on my face and sits opposite me with a sad smile.

“Cassie, your father wasn’t just my business partner.” A faint smile appears on his lips, but the sadness in his eyes lingers. “People often joked that Richard and I had to be brothers because no friendship could possibly be that strong.”

A smile ghosts across my lips. I remember. Even news reporters used to ask if they were secretly related.

“We always laughed back then whenever we heard them,” Mr. Marlowe continues. “Richard would say blood makes people relatives, but loyalty makes people family.”

“Sounds like what Dad would say,” I mutter.

“Yeah.” His voice falters for the first time. Tears blur my vision again. “And to me… you have always been family. When your father became the chairman of Lunara Corp, I stood beside him. When I became Alpha of the Arlowe Pack, he stood beside me. We carried each other’s burdens because neither of us believed a man should fight alone.”

He looks down briefly before meeting my eyes once more.

“Many years ago, I made him a promise.” A lump forms in my throat. I don’t like where this conversation is going. “If anything ever happened to either of us, the other would take care of the family left behind. I never imagined I would have to keep that promise this soon.”

Silence settles over the room. Austin retreats toward the staircase, his gaze lowering. Emilia hides behind him. Thankfully, we’re on summer break, or I would have had to force her to leave because of school.

Mr. Marlowe gently pushes the documents toward me. “I don’t want you to feel like you’ve lost your family, Cassie. Because you haven’t. You are, and always will be, one of us. I want to adopt you as my daughter.”

Tears slip down my cheeks. My mouth opens and closes.

“Not out of obligation or pity, but because that is exactly what Richard would have done if our roles had been reversed,” he adds. “Richard may no longer be here, but the bond between our families didn’t end with him.”

For the first time since losing my parents, I feel less alone. He glances at the framed photograph of my parents resting on the fireplace before looking back at me.

“You’ve called me Uncle Hayden since you were little. You’ve celebrated birthdays with us, spent holidays in our home, and grown up alongside my children.”

“Uncle,” I gasp.

“The only thing these papers change is what has already been true in my heart for years. Richard once told me that if fate ever played such a cruel trick, the other should make sure no child of ours ever felt alone. We laughed after making that promise. We were convinced we’d grow old together arguing over company meetings and pack affairs. I never imagined it would happen this soon.”

The room falls silent. Even the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner seems louder than before. I lower my eyes to the documents.

Adoption papers.

A new birth certificate.

Legal guardianship.

Three days ago I was Cassie Bennett, daughter of Richard and Eleanor Bennett. Now I’m signing papers because they no longer exist.

“I know this is sudden,” Mr. Marlowe murmurs. “If you don’t want this, no one will force you.”

His expression holds only patience. I imagine what my father would say. Trust Marlowe. Slowly I pick up the pen.

My hand trembles as I sign. The lawyer slides another document forward. I sign again. And again. With every signature, another chapter of my old life closes. When everything is finished, the lawyer gathers the papers.

“It will take a little time to complete the legal procedures,” Eric tells me. “Until then, Mr. and Mrs. Marlowe will serve as your official guardians.”

All I can do is nod. Mrs. Marlowe reaches into her handbag and withdraws a bouquet of white lilies wrapped in soft cream paper. Their scent filters into my nose.

“I almost forgot,” she mutters. “These are from Zoren.”

Zoren. Once the procedure is complete, Zoren will become my brother.