Chapter 7

I Am Not Cassie

"Please, Sir! There are so many people here. Who is Cassie?"

Jennifer pushed against Julian's chest, her tears threatening to fall as she remembered the man before her always embracing her like that when she was Cassandra Vance. But not anymore; she was now just Jennifer, and she must not let her resolve weaken.

"Mr. Sterling, let go of me!" Jennifer's voice trembled but was firm. "This is a workplace. I am not Cassie. Please, come to your senses! There are people everywhere."

Julian looked at Jennifer's face, then slowly realised his mistake and loosened his embrace. His eyes were like those of a man who desperately missed a long-lost love. His gaze seemed to penetrate Jennifer's defences, but she had to stay strong and not give herself away.

"I'm sorry... I thought you were a woman from my past. Why are you shaking? Are you afraid of me?" Julian asked in a low voice, his face returning to its usual coldness.

Jennifer tried to regain her composure. She forced a cold smile, trying to hide the truth.

"No, Sir. I am simply not used to being embraced by a renowned CEO and producer in the middle of a script reading. I'm working here as a professional new artist. I'm afraid gossip will ruin me before I become a famous star," Jennifer replied.

Several film crew members and a few reporters were working nearby and had witnessed the incident. They distinctly remembered who Cassie was. But they dared not ask the man. Of course, Mr. Julian Sterling was a man feared by many.

"That woman seems to have caught Mr. Sterling's attention. Who was she, really? If Mr. Sterling's wife found out her husband hugged another woman, there would surely be a fuss."

"Is Mr. Sterling remembering the former film queen, Cassandra Vance, who passed away seven years ago?"

The conversations of the people present brought Julian out of his reverie. The man stared at the beautiful woman for a long time.

'There is something behind the sparkle in her eyes, as if I have known her for ages. Cassie is gone. Wake up! You are no longer the man who should be thinking of love,' Julian muttered to himself.

"I apologise, I just... somehow, you remind me of someone who has been gone a long time. Someone I should never have let go. She was, of course, a film queen, the golden child of my company."

Jennifer turned away, pretending to be engrossed in the script in her hand, though her fingers were trembling.

'Someone who died in a car crash. The car exploded and burned. That was your doing! It was all orchestrated by you and your lawful wife; you wanted me to disappear from this world,' she thought bitterly.

Jennifer swallowed her own tears. She must not cry, and she had to become stronger to make her comeback.

'Cassie is dead. Standing in front of you is only Jennifer Jones. I have come to make you feel what I felt,' thought Jennifer, who was, in fact, the former Cassie.

"You may go, Jennifer. I did not mean to hug you. Don't misunderstand! I merely miss Cassie because she was close to me, as a friend."

Julian walked away abruptly, but from a distance, he continued to observe the girl. His heart was beating strangely, as if his body recognised something, but his logic firmly rejected it.

'Be sensible! She cannot be Cassie.'

After the reading, Jennifer quickly left the room, heading straight out of the Sterling Entertainment building.

'So, all this time, you only considered me a friend? Is this the fate of your mistress, Julian? I was so foolish to love you. I thought you were an angel, but you are a killer, a devil masquerading as the Grim Reaper.'

With a sorrowful face that was still exquisitely beautiful, she leaned against the corridor wall, closing her eyes. The scent of Julian's cologne still clung to her skin. She was afraid of losing control whenever she saw Julian; despite the pain of betrayal, it was still so difficult to move on from this cold man.

'Why am I sad? Why must I remember that I once loved you so much? You destroyed me! Be strong! Jennifer, you cannot lose control.'

The lift doors opened, and suddenly Ricard, who worked with Julian's company, appeared with a worried expression.

"I saw that embrace. You're losing control, Jennifer," Ricard warned.

"I won't let that happen. I came here with a firm resolve."

"Are you sure?" Ricard moved closer. "Or perhaps a small part of you still hopes he recognises you, Jenn? Don't be that foolish girl again; you're grown up now."

Jennifer gripped the script in her hands tightly, looking at Ricard with glistening but cold eyes.

"I am not Cassie; I am Jennifer. Julian will never recognise me."

Ricard stared at her for a long moment. "And what will you do after that? I certainly encouraged you to seek revenge, but why did you choose to become a new artist?"

"So that man remembers me. Then I will slowly torment him with regret. After that... I will truly make him fall in love with me, and you clearly know my next plan."

That night, in Julian's penthouse.

The man stood before the enormous window, gazing at the Los Angeles night sky filled with city lights. In his hand, a worn photograph of Cassie was still clutched tightly.

"Cassie... have you truly gone?" he murmured softly. "Or am I just too afraid to believe you could still be alive?"

The handsome face looked at his reflection in the glass — eyes that were once filled with ambition now held only the shadow of regret.

His phone rang. A message from Elena, his wife.

"I hear you met a new artist named Jennifer Jones. Don't let her distract you. We have a major problem with investors. Never betray me with a mere wild flower attempting to climb to the top of life."

Julian clenched his fist. He knew that cold, commanding tone. He knew Elena was growing suspicious. But this time, his thoughts weren't about business — they were focused on the woman with the intensely familiar eyes.

The following day, on the set.

Jennifer arrived earlier, attempting to appear professional. However, as she stepped onto the set, Julian was already there, standing with a stern expression, but his eyes held something else.

"You are two minutes late," Julian stated, yet his voice was not as harsh as usual.

"I apologise, Mr. Sterling."

The girl walked towards the filming area, but Julian suddenly stopped her. "Jennifer."

Jennifer paused. "Yes, Sir. I apologise, what did you call me for?"

Julian approached slowly, looking her straight in the eyes. "If I were to ask you something personal... would you answer me truthfully?"

"That depends on the question. If I can answer it, I will do so directly," Jennifer replied.

"Have you ever lost someone you loved... because of your own mistake?" The question that Julian posed felt utterly ridiculous.

Jennifer looked at him for a long time. The seconds felt drawn out. She offered a slight smile, but her eyes were teary.

"Yes, I once lost someone I loved very much. And what was even more painful is... that person didn't even know I still loved him, yet he chose another woman and threw me away," Jennifer answered.

"Who was that?" Julian asked, leaning closer, their lips almost touching.