Chapter 7

Cassandra's POV

The next morning, I woke up with a mild headache.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, hoping that if I stayed there long enough, it would disappear on its own.

It didn't.

I eventually dragged myself out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. After a warm shower, I felt a little better. I dressed quickly, tied my hair back, and headed downstairs to have breakfast with Dad.

I had barely reached the staircase when I heard his voice.

He sounded angry. I slowed down.

My father wasn't someone who easily lost his temper. Even when things went wrong, he usually handled them calmly, preferring to think before he reacted.

But this morning, his voice carried a sharpness that immediately made me uneasy.

"...I don't care what the excuse is," he said. "The project was approved. The contracts were signed. So tell me how the entire thing suddenly started falling apart."

I stopped near the entrance to the dining room.

There was a pause.

My father listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone, his expression becoming darker by the second.

"Then find out who is behind it."

Another pause.

"And I want an answer before I get there."

He ended the call.

I stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Daddy."

He looked up.

For a moment, the anger on his face softened.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

I walked over and took my usual seat.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed and placed his phone on the table.

"Someone is sabotaging my projects in Italy."

I frowned.

"Sabotaging?"

"Yes."

He picked up his coffee but didn't drink it.

"Several things have gone wrong at once. Deliveries are being delayed, contracts are suddenly being questioned, and some of the people we're working with are backing out."

I stared at him.

"Can they do that?"

"Not without a reason."

He sounded certain.

Which only made me more worried.

I had grown up watching my father run his company. I had seen him deal with difficult clients, angry investors, government officials, and competitors who tried to take pieces of his business.

But I had never seen something like this.

Someone wasn't simply competing with him.

They were deliberately trying to damage his projects.

"Are you going to Italy?"

"Yes."

He finally took a sip of his coffee.

"I'll need to go and solve the issue myself."

"How long?"

"I might be gone for a week."

He paused.

"Maybe more, depending on what I find."

My stomach sank.

A week, maybe more. I did not like the sound of that.

Dad rarely left for that long unless something was seriously wrong, I was still thinking about it when his next words pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Cassandra."

I looked at him.

"Please stay safe."

His voice was different now.

The anger was gone, there was only worry.

"I want you to take care of yourself while I'm gone."

I smiled faintly.

"I always do."

"No."

His response was immediate.

He leaned forward slightly.

"I mean it this time."

I stopped smiling.

Dad looked genuinely concerned.

"If someone is purposely attacking my business, then they don't like me."

He paused.

"And if they don't like me...", his eyes met mine, "......They may be brutal enough to come after other things."

I knew what he meant before he said it.

"Like my daughter."

My heart tightened.

I looked down at the table.

For the first time, the situation felt more serious.

It wasn't just about some projects in Italy anymore.

Someone had decided to challenge my father and if that person was dangerous enough, I could become a way of hurting him.

Dad reached across the table.

"So please be careful."

I looked at him.

There was something almost vulnerable in his expression, my father was rarely afraid.

He could walk into a room full of businessmen twice his age and make them listen to him without raising his voice.

But when it came to me, he worried about everything.

I couldn't make things worse for him.

"Look, Dad..."

I reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

"I promise I'll be safe."

He didn't say anything.

"I won't go anywhere I'm vulnerable. I'll stay around the house most of the time, and I'll keep you informed about where I am."

He studied me.

"And you'll answer your phone."

I smiled.

"Yes."

"Immediately."

"Daddy."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

I laughed softly.

"I'll answer."

He finally relaxed a little.

"Good."

I smiled at him.

"Now you just focus on fixing whatever is wrong, okay?"

He nodded.

"I'll try."

"Not try."

I pointed at him.

"Fix it."

He laughed.

"Yes, ma'am."

That made me smile. For the rest of breakfast, we tried to keep things normal.

We talked about different things but I could tell his mind was somewhere else.

Mine was too.

I couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. Someone was deliberately attacking his business, someone powerful enough to cause problems across another country.

And now Dad was leaving.

I didn't want him worrying about me while he was trying to deal with whatever was happening in Italy.

After breakfast, he went upstairs to finalize a few things before leaving.

I stayed at the table for a while, staring at my untouched glass of water.

I had always known my father's world wasn't as simple as he made it seem, There were always people who wanted what he had. But until today, it had never felt like something that could reach me.

Now it did.

I pushed the thought away.

I couldn't let myself become paranoid. Dad would handle it, he always did.

A few hours later, I watched from the doorway as he prepared to leave.

His luggage was already packed, and several members of his security team were waiting outside.

He turned toward me. and hugged me.

"I'll call you when I land."

"Okay."

"And don't forget what we talked about."

"I won't."

He gave me one last look before walking toward the door. I watched him leave.

The car pulled away slowly, disappearing through the gates of the estate.

I stood there until it was completely out of sight.

The house suddenly felt much bigger.

And much quieter.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

The last thing I wanted was to make my father worry, he already had enough to deal with.

I just hoped he would be able to fix whatever was wrong in Italy and that whoever was behind it would stop before things became worse.