Chapter 7-The Forged Papers

     Nathaniel was in his office when the news came.  

“Sir, Madam is gone,” his assistant said in a shaky voice.  

“Her bag is missing. The maids said she left this morning.”  

The glass of wine in Nathaniel’s hand dropped to the floor. The red liquid spread like blood on the white carpet.  

“She left?” His voice was sharp, cold, full of fire.  

The assistant nodded, not daring to speak again.  

Nathaniel’s jaw locked. His veins stood out on his neck.  

“She dares walk out without signing those papers?” he growled.  

He turned away from the window and hit the desk with his fist. The sound made the room shake.  

“She thinks she can win? She thinks she can shame me?”  

The door opened without a knock. Cassandra walked in, her high heels clicking against the marble floor. She wore a tight red dress, her smile painted but her eyes full of fire.  

“So it’s true?” she asked, her voice sharp. “That weak girl ran?”  

Nathaniel didn’t answer. His face was hard as stone.  

Cassandra walked closer, her perfume filling the room.  

“She is a fool. She should be thankful she even lived under your roof. Now she runs like a thief in the night.”  

She laughed, but it was cold.  

“She thinks she can escape you? She thinks she can make you look weak?”  

Nathaniel’s hands curled into fists.  

“She will regret it,” he said, his tone low and dangerous.  

Cassandra’s eyes flashed. She stepped closer and touched his arm.  

“Then make her regret it. She didn’t even have the courage to sign the papers. She left you with unfinished business. That shows how useless she is.”  

Nathaniel pulled his arm away, but her words burned in his mind.  

Cassandra leaned on his desk, her voice calm but sharp like a knife.  

“Then listen to me. Why waste time? Forge her signature. Send the papers back to the lawyer. End this mess now.”  

Nathaniel’s eyes lifted to her.  

“You’re saying we fake it?”  

Cassandra nodded, her lips curving in a wicked smile.  

“Yes. What can she do? She left you. She is gone. Nobody will listen to her even if she cries later. We will be free of her name, free of her shame.”  

The room fell silent. Nathaniel’s chest rose and fell as he thought. His anger boiled, his pride screamed. She had dared to leave him. She had dared to defy him.  

Cassandra touched his hand again, her voice soft this time.  

“Let me stand with you. I will not leave you like she did. I will not shame you like she did. Together we can finish this. You know I’m right.”  

Nathaniel looked at her for a long time. Then slowly, he nodded.  

“You are right,” he said, his voice low. “You think fast. You think strong. That is why I keep you.”  

Cassandra’s eyes shone with victory.  

“I love you, Nathaniel,” she whispered.  

“And I love you for being true,” he said, his voice cold but steady.  

She smiled, leaning against him as if she had already won the battle.  

But just then, the phone on the desk rang. Nathaniel picked it up. It was the lawyer.  

“Sir, I got the papers,” the man said. “But I must warn you. If we use a forged signature and Madam appears later, it can destroy everything. Your company, your name, your power. She could take it all.”  

Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. He said nothing for a long time, his fingers tapping against the desk.  

Cassandra’s smile froze. Her heart raced.  

She leaned close and whispered, “Don’t listen to him. Do it anyway. She won’t come back. She is too weak. Too scared.”  

But Nathaniel’s golden eyes were sharp as fire.  

His voice was low, dangerous, deadly.  

“Then we must make sure she never comes back.”  

The line went silent. Cassandra’s lips curved into a cruel smile.  

And Savannah, far away in her small motel room, had no idea the war that was about to begin.