CHAPTER 5, THE PAWN: ANXIETY AND SUSPICIONS

Flash. Flash. Flash.

The moment the black SUV pulled up the red carpet of the Vanguard Estate, the night exploded.

Ethan led Cassandra out of the vehicle and they started towards the entrance. The paparazzi were all over the place. 

“Ethan! Who is she?”

Cassandra squinted against the stretch of camera lights on her face, a wave of nausea suddenly hitting her.

“Since you are with a new woman today, Ethan Gray, does this mean things are really over between you and Tiffany?”

“Mr. Gray, a comment on the merger with Queens Group… Will that be dissolved now you ended things with Queens Heiress?”

Queens Heiress? Tiffany? Ethan had ended things recently with Queens Heiress, Tiffany? Clearly, the paparazzi didn't seem too happy about it… 

Cassandra felt her head spin even more as Ethan slid a 

protective arm around the small of her back, pulling her flush against his side.

The heat of his palm through the thin silk of her emerald custom piece dress sent a jolt of electricity straight up her spine. Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs—partly from the crowd and the noise, but mostly from the man holding her.

“Oh, her?” Ethan paused just long enough to throw a devastatingly handsome smirk at a lead reporter. He was wearing a bespoke black tuxedo that fit his broad shoulders with lethal precision.

“I’ll be making a special announcement to reveal her identity later. Be patient.”

Inside, the gala was a sea of shimmering sequins and hushed, venomous whispers. The air was thick with the scent of lilies and vintage champagne. As they navigated the room, Cassandra felt the weight of a hundred gazes. 

“Smile, Cassandra,” Ethan whispered, his lips grazing her ear in a way that looked, well, doting to the onlookers. She managed a not-so-forced smile.

They reached a private circular booth reserved for The Gray Family. 

“Father. Mother,” Ethan gave his parents curt bows. Cassandra simply offered polite smiles, too nerve-wreaked to utter a word.

Silas Gray, Ethan's father, looked like an older, more weathered version of Ethan, with eyes like flint. His wife, Beatrice, was draped in pearls and a cold, polite smile that didn't reach her eyes. 

“My brothers… Julian, Marcus, Leo.” Ethan introduced while giving curt nods to three younger men, all of which shared some resemblance with him. They weren't as handsome as him though, thought Cassandra.

Ethan’s three brothers were each flanked by women who looked like they stepped off a runway.

“So, this is her,” Beatrice's gaze landed on Cassandra’s stomach before moving to her face. “She’s… charmingly simple.”

“She’s my fiancée,” Ethan corrected his mother, his grip tightening on Cassandra’s waist.

“Fiancée? Or a temporary solution, brother?” Leo, the youngest, smirked, swirling his cognac. 

“Who are her parents even? She looks like a flat out nobody!” Julian chuckled, groping the waist of the supermodel he was with.

“She is pretty though… At least that amounts to something, I guess.” Marcus chipped in, his laughter spilling. 

Cassandra managed to keep her smile on but her fingers clutched the hem of her dress, fidgeting. Ethan noticed and enclasped her hand in his, and then leaned towards her cheek to brush a kiss on it.

“Ignore them.” He started to lead her away. 

A rather sheepish smile stretched Cassandra's lips. Oh, the softness of his lips on her skin just now felt so divine. Catching her thoughts, she cleared her throat and grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. 

Ethan took the flute from her hand after she had just a few sips, downing the rest of it and returning the empty flute to another passing waiter.

“Don't drink anything.” His voice was rather cold, and so was his gaze. She simply nodded. Throwing her face away from him. That's right, he was just a cold sociopath…

“Tiffany, I can't believe this… Why is that trashy looking girl with your man?”

“It's only been weeks since you two broke up. What a downgrade!”

Now the mention of the name Tiffany did make Cassandra's head turn. Three women were standing together all elegantly dressed but the one in the centre was especially stunning in a way that made Cassandra feel suddenly plain. Cassandra knew immediately that she was Tiffany especially when she noticed Ethan and her exchange a look, and then Ethan tensed. She could feel it as Ethan's hand was still at the small of her back.

Tiffany started to approach. “Hi Ethan,” she leaned in, giving Ethan a hug and even brushing a kiss on his cheek. Ethan let her. Cassandra frowned. 

“You always did like a project, Ethan,” Tiffany murmured, a cruel smile playing on her lips as she spared Cassandra a quick condescending glance. “But this? Getting together with a nobody just to spite me? It’s a bit beneath you, don't you think?”

Ethan smirked and then leaned down, pressing a lingering, tender kiss to Cassandra’s temple. “There is nothing ‘nobody’ about the woman carrying my child, Tiffany. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

The room went silent for a heartbeat before a low roar of whispers broke out. Ethan led Cassandra to the podium at the front of the ballroom.

He tapped the microphone, and the room fell into an expectant hush.

“Tonight is about the future of the Gray Group,” Ethan began, his voice booming with authority. “And my future includes this woman.” He passed Cassandra a perfectly-feigned affectionate look and she returned it.

“This is Cassandra Greene, my fiancée. And more importantly, she is carrying the next heir of the Gray Dynasty.”

The ballroom immediately broke into a torrent of whispers. Cassandra's breath hitched. 

Later, in a quiet corridor near the bar, the brothers cornered Ethan while Cassandra was adjusting her heel.

“You’re sure you didn't just find some pregnant whore and put a ring on her finger just to win the company?” Leo spat, his face flushed with anger.

Ethan’s aura shifted instantly from charming to lethal. He stepped into Leo’s space, his eyes flashing with a cold fire. “Careful, Leo. I won’t have you insult my fiancée. One more word and I’ll ensure your allowance is the first thing cut when I take the Chairperson's chair.”

Cassandra, standing just out of sight, felt a chill. She felt a wave of nausea—not from the pregnancy, but from the realization that she was a pawn in a war she didn't understand.

She stepped out, her face pale. “Ethan? Can we get out of here?” It was all too much. This world, it was unlike the one she knew, too hostile.

Ethan turned, his expression softening instantly. “Of course, Fireball. Let’s go.”

They began to make their way toward the exit, but as they neared the grand foyer, a man stepped out from behind a marble pillar, bumping squarely into them.

“Oh, sorry. Ethan Gray, leaving so soon?” 

The man was older, dressed in a sharp silver suit. Ethan recognized him immediately. David Hudson of the Hudson Group, top player in the business world and rival to the Gray Group.

The feel of Cassandra's fingers digging into his arm made Ethan turn to her and he noted her breathing was suddenly heavier.

Ethan returned his gaze to the man who now had his gaze fixed on Cassandra with a smirk pulling up his lips.

“Is there something you want?” Ethan asked as Cassandra looked away, her eyes darting frantically toward the door. 

“We haven't been properly introduced,” the man said, his voice smooth as oil. “But I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other now that you’ve found such a… precious treasure.”

The man then gave a mock bow and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

“You know him?” Ethan turned to Cassandra sharply.

“I… I don't,” Cassandra's voice was a whisper. Her eyes were wide, darting everywhere but at Ethan.

Ethan didn't say another word, but his jaw tightened. He had seen that look before—the look of a woman with a secret. As he led her to the car, his mind raced. 

He had been right all along… This woman, she definitely had something up her sleeves…

What the hell did she have to do with his family's group rival? Was she working for the man?