LOGINCassie already knew the answer would hurt.
Her heart had settled on one man quietly, even stubbornly while her mind clung to another because of a promise she had made when she was desperate and afraid.
Love and obligation pulled her in opposite directions, stretching her thin until breathing felt like work.
“Does it matter?” she asked finally, her voice barely steady.
“Yes, Cassie, it does.” Nathan’s voice softened, but beneath the cal
Frederick ended the call so fast it almost felt like he was trying to cut off more than just the conversation, his hand tightening slightly around his phone before he lowered it and turned toward Sienna, his expression guarded.“How long have you been standing there?” he asked, his tone sharper than usual, carrying an edge of unease he couldn’t quite hide.“I just got here,” Sienna replied, though her eyes lingered on his face like she was trying to read everything he wasn’t saying. “But I definitely heard you say you made a mistake, so don’t brush me off. What’s going on?”Frederick shook his head almost immediately, like he had already decided there was no version of this conversation he was willing to have. “It’s nothing,” he said, forcing his voice to stay even. “Dad is doing better now, so we’ll be able to go home soon.”Sienna didn’t respond right a
Franklin had been in the middle of celebrating Scarlet’s pregnancy, riding that rare kind of high that made everything feel lighter, brighter, almost unreal, when his phone suddenly started ringing and cut straight through the moment.He didn’t even hesitate at first, already smiling to himself as he reached for it, fully expecting to see Cassie’s name on the screen, but the second his eyes landed on Frederick’s name instead, that excitement dimmed just a little, replaced by a faint crease between his brows, though he still answered without letting it ring a second longer.“Frank, you won’t believe what Mom just told me.”Something in Frederick’s tone immediately pulled Franklin out of his celebratory mood, grounding him, and making him sit up straighter, his expression tightening with curiosity as well as concern. “What did she tell you?” he asked, his voice steady but edged with interest.&ldqu
The name lingered in Cassie’s mind long after Corrine said it, echoing louder with every passing second until it became impossible to ignore.The Blackridge Maritime Group.It wasn’t just some distant company she had vaguely heard about. It was one of those names that carried weight everywhere, the kind that came up in business conversations with a tone of respect and caution, the kind that didn’t just exist but dominated. And she remembered something else too, something that made her chest tighten as the realization tried to form.There had never been a confirmed CEO, only an acting one.Drake Conner, the assistant CEO who had been running things in place of someone who had never stepped forward to claim the position.Her thoughts spiraled quickly after that, questions piling over each other faster than she could organize them.Was Drake her brother?Her cousin?The weight of it all pressed down on her, heavy
Corrine’s lips curved into a gentle smile as she looked at Adrian, her voice soft but filled with quiet pride as she explained what had happened.“It was Cassie,” she said warmly. “She’s the one who brought Doctor Nathaniel Cross here to perform your surgery.”Adrian’s expression shifted immediately, something deeper than relief settling into his features as his eyes searched the room instinctively.“And where is she?” he asked, his voice still weak but carrying urgency.Corrine didn’t hesitate as she turned to go get her, but before she could take more than a few steps, Frederick moved as well, falling in behind her without asking.Sebastian noticed immediately, his expression tightening as he moved as if to block him, but before he could act, Cassie gave a small shake of her head.“It’s his father too,” she said quietly, her tone calm but final.Sebastian
Cassie didn’t hesitate this time.When Sebastian took her hand, she let him, her fingers relaxing into his grasp as he lifted it slightly, angling it just enough for the light to catch the ring resting on her finger. The gesture wasn’t loud or aggressive, but it didn’t need to be, because the meaning behind it was clear enough on its own.Both Asher and Lucien went quiet almost immediately, the expressions on their faces dimming as the reality they had been trying to ignore settled in fully. Whatever curiosity or interest they had been entertaining moments ago disappeared just as quickly, replaced by something far more restrained.Sebastian’s lips curved with satisfaction as he watched their reactions.“That’s more like it,” he said, clearly pleased, before releasing her hand and walking over to Rose.He crouched down in front of her, his expression softening again in that easy, familiar way as he looked at
A faint smile curved Cassie’s lips as she read the message on her phone, subtle but unmistakable, and that single expression was enough to send a ripple of discomfort through Frederick as he watched her from where he stood.There was something about that smile that didn’t belong to the moment, something private, something meant for someone else, and the realization sat heavily in his chest before he could stop it.Who was making her smile like that? Could it be her husband?The thought didn’t sit right with him, not in any way that made sense, because no matter how much time had passed, no matter how much had changed, there was still a part of him that resisted the idea of Cassie belonging to another man.Cassie’s fingers moved across the screen with ease as she typed her response, her expression calm, untouched by the tension still lingering around her.I’m handling things just fine, she replied. Mom and
Corrine had just slipped one foot out of her slippers, already halfway into the quiet ritual of ending her day, when her phone rang. The sound sliced through the calm of her bedroom, sharp and unexpected.She frowned at the screen, her heart giving a small, uneasy jerk when she saw the name.“Genev
Cassie forced a serene smile, the kind that could calm a storm, even as Genevieve’s sharp eyes bore into her.She could feel the older woman on the edge of declaring her a liar, and that’s when she struck preemptively, her voice smooth and unwavering.“Why would I
Cassie stiffened in Franklin’s arms, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.For a split second, she forgot where she was, forgot the morning light spilling across the wide bedroom, forgot the quiet after a night that was never supposed to happen. Then reality rushed back in, cold and rel
Jonathan lowered his head, exhaustion etched plainly into his features. But the sharp suspicion in Franklin’s eyes made him snap upright.“What?” Jonathan said flatly. “You think I did something to them?” He scoffed. “One of the girls, Ocean, or whatever her name is, mistook me for some guy she has







