MasukDiscomfort struck Sienna like a sudden draft through an open door, sharp and exposing. It felt as though her private calculations had been dragged into the light and examined from every angle.
She had Frederick exactly where she wanted him. Attentive, indulgent, pliant, but even she could not deny the truth pressing against her chest. Franklin was the real prize.
Measured by wealth and influence, Frederick simply did not compare. His reach dominated Chicago, yes, and the Manhatt
Cassie could hear the fear buried underneath his words, and for the first time since they started talking, disappointment settled heavily in her chest. “Frank,” she said quietly, pulling back just enough to look into his face, “do you really think I would give you up for Rose?” Franklin stayed silent for a moment because he honestly did not know what to say. Rose was her daughter. Every mother chose her child. At least, that was what people always said. “She’s your daughter,” he finally said, though even he could hear how uncertain he sounded. After all, Frederick might keep him away from Rose now, or even poison her against him. “And you’re my husband,” Cassie answered immediately. “Do you even understand what that means?” She stared at him, her disappointment becoming more obvious by the second as she realized that behind all his power, all his confidence, and all the fear he put into everyone around him, there had still been this insecurity sitting quietly inside him the who
Cassie pulled away from him and guided him toward the bed, the frustration in her eyes impossible to miss as she sat down beside him and let out a slow breath. “I stopped taking the pills a while ago.” Franklin looked stunned for a second, his brows pulling together immediately. “But the container is almost empty.” Cassie gave him a look before answering. “I replaced them with vitamins,” she admitted. “I just didn’t want you to find out because I wanted it to be a surprise when I finally got pregnant with your child.” For a second, Franklin only stared at her as though her words had completely knocked the air out of his lungs. Then the meaning behind them truly settled into him, and the expression on his face softened into something so full of emotion that it made Cassie’s chest ache. “You want to get pregnant?” he asked quietly, still sounding like he could barely believe it. “You want to have my baby?” To most people, that question might have sounded simple, but to Franklin,
“How is this even possible?” Franklin asked as he stared at the document in his hands. The paper looked old, important, almost too important to be lying inside an ordinary box. The second he opened it, something slipped out and landed on the floor. Another letter. Cassie bent down quickly and picked it up before unfolding it with shaky hands. Cassie, we left strict instructions that none of this should be given to you unless you are married or at least thirty years old. We hoped that by then, some of the old foxes in the family would be gone, but we also hoped you would have someone standing beside you to support you. Cassie swallowed hard and kept reading. The letter explained that the documents in the box were the company’s original ownership papers and seal. They could not be copied or forged. Without them, nobody could legally claim ownership of Blackridge Maritime Group until Cassie herself appeared. Rachel and Van had also made countless investments over the years, and
Cassie did not even realize how badly her hand was trembling until she lifted the lid off the box.Right at the top sat an envelope with her name written across it in neat handwriting.For Cassie.The sight of it alone made her chest tighten.Franklin moved behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back against him as though he could already feel her falling apart piece by piece. He buried his face against the side of her neck and held her a little tighter.“Relax,” he murmured softly.Cassie nodded even though she was nowhere close to relaxed.She turned her head slightly, and their lips met in a brief kiss before she looked back down and carefully opened the envelope.Inside was a letter.The moment she unfolded it, her eyes landed on the first line.Cassie, if you are reading this letter, then both your father and I are gone.Her throat instantly tightened.She kept r
Sebastian looked over at Violet and lifted a brow. “Do you want to talk to him? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”Violet did not even hesitate. “Nope. I’d rather go get some rest.”Lucien looked disappointed, and for the first time that night, there was something almost helpless in his face.“Why?” he asked. “You don’t even know what I want to talk to you about.”Violet crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him without the slightest hint of softness.“You’re Frederick’s friend. Frederick is my sister’s husband, and honestly, that alone is enough for me.”To her, people surrounded themselves with those who matched their character, and since Lucien stood beside Frederick through everything, she had already placed him in the same category.Lucien let out a quiet breath, clearly refusing to let her opinion of him stand without a fight.“Fred is my friend,” Lucien said, his voice calmer now, “but that doesn’t mean I support every stupid thing he does. There’s something calle
Franklin had agreed from the very beginning to keep their relationship a secret until he was legally married to Cassie, mostly because he knew Frederick too well.He knew there would come a day when Frederick would realize exactly what he had thrown away, and when that happened, he would come crawling back, full of regret and excuses.Frederick’s words had struck a sore spot, and for a second, Cassie could feel the tension in Franklin beside her, but then she spoke before things could spiral any further.“Frank wasn’t the one who wanted our relationship hidden,” she said calmly, her voice steady enough to cut through the room. “It was me, because I wanted you to have everything you always dreamed about. You wanted Sienna. You wanted that marriage. Now you have it, so congratulations. But since all your wishes came true, there’s something else you should know.”A small smile spread across her lips as she turned her eyes toward Sienna, and there was something almost cruel in the calm co
“Nathan… is it true?”Debbie’s voice trembled with fragile hope, her eyes searching his face as though the entire world might rearrange itself depending on what he said next.There was vulnerability there, raw and unguarded, and for a fraction of a second it almost looked like Nathan might falter u
Cassie stood there for a long moment after the shower, steam still clinging to her skin, the bathroom mirror fogged up like it was trying to hide her from herself, and she drew in a slow breath that did absolutely nothing to steady the storm rolling around in her chest.With Franklin and T
“It is one of the men who helped us get home the other day. He introduced himself as Jonathan,” Victoria finally confessed, her gaze hovering between the everyone presence but avoiding that of Cassie.Cassie’s brows arched in interest, recognizing the significance behind the name and the courage it
By the time Franklin’s jet finally touched down in Manhattan, a heavy kind of exhaustion had already settled deep into his chest, not the physical sort that came from long flights or lack of sleep, but the emotional weight that built up when a man carried too many memories, too many secrets, and







