Semua Bab Fool Me Once: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Cassie’s POV I straightened my blazer and took a deep breath before entering the R.R. Conglomerate Holdings glass building. Another client. Another job. That was it. I'd been repeating the words like a mantra, though my hands still trembled slightly on my leatherbound notebook. The corporate headquarters towered over me, mirrored windows glinting with the city skyline. A far cry from high school. But I'd built myself again: built myself into a person who was unsmashable… or so I repeated to myself. My boss, Claire Lawson, nodded professionally as I entered the meeting room. "You'll be handling a high-profile case. The client needs immediate damage control." I nodded, pulling my notepad out of my bag. "Who is it?" I passed a file across the table. "Jeffery Richards," my world tilted. My fingers tightened around the edges of the folder as memories from high school slammed into me—the kiss, the betrayal, the embarrassment. "Cassie?" Claire's voice snapped me back into th

Cassie’s POVI shut the door to my apartment harder than I needed to, putting down my bag on the counter. The weight in my chest would not move.Jeffery Richards.Why was he still able to turn me back?I breathed deeply in annoyance and smoothed my hair. I had suppressed that pain for years, telling myself that I had moved on. And yet the moment I saw him, all that I had fought so desperately to keep within me came flooding back."Bad day?"I turned to find Andrew sitting in front of my vanity mirror, applying eye pencil to sharpen his eyebrows for his drag show tonight."How did you manage to get in here?" I asked, furrowing my brow.Andrew smiled, unflustered. "Spare key. You left it with me, didn't you?"I winced. "Remind me to change my locks.""Noted." He glared at me for a second. "You're going to throw something."I crossed my arms and rested them on the counter. "It's nothing."Andrew snorted. "Bull. Spill."I paused. I didn't enjoy discussing the past, especially this part. B

Cassie’s POVMy heart pounding in my chest, I stepped out of Jeffery's apartment door with the words we'd shared in my mind. Nothing of the cold air did a thing to disentangle my mind, its cold seeping into my flesh enough to give me a shiver under my jacket. I had pledged to remain by his side, yet the persistent nagging doubt remained—was I mad to do so?The surrounding cityscape blurred in a colorful kaleidoscope that dissolved into a mist I navigated through on crowded sidewalks. Each step was a heavier burden, the weight of my decisions crushing against my shoulders. My phone vibrated in my hand constantly, jolting me back to being conscious.I peered at the screen and relaxed with reasons other than coldness itselfIt was Ethan again"Consider my proposal once more," his text read. "More favorable to you."I seethed with anger, compounded with my fright. Why was it that Ethan always acted at the perfect moment? He watched me from every direction, taking note of all my moves. I t

Cassie’s POVWith Jeffrey's departure, the rest was utterly out of my reach. I was constantly on the go in my own mind, my thoughts darting back and forth between pieces of the jigsaw of deception and the peril that hung over me. I paced back and forth in my sitting room, unease creeping over the edge of my perception. The doors of my home, which had once been warm and safe, now closed in on me and suffocated me with suspicion.Tired of the commotion, I packed my belongings and left the chaos to itself. I had my mind set on where I was going. Pale dawn was barely creeping over the city with every step that took me further towards confronting the source of my disturbance—Miranda Trent.She was always so professional and composed in my company—things that I admired and wanted to emulate myself by. It was unprofessional and awkward to accuse her of betrayal, yet Jeffery and I had determined that her cooperation was unavoidable. I was sweating with my palms and my heart pounding as I stro

Cassie’s POVA surge of adrenaline coursed through me like fire as I leaned over the beaming tablet. The office was dim except for the screen, and city illumination spilled in through the window. 2:17 glowed on the clock, but time itself didn't matter—every minute since Miranda's reveal blended with the one after it, urgency dictating tempo.We were cracking into Ethan Carter's 'digital safe.'Somewhere on his secret server, behind layers of firewalls and encryption, hid the truth that would vindicate Jeffery's name, evidence to topple Ethan's empire from its pinnacle. But we weren't hackers. We were in over our heads. And yet, I couldn't resist."Backdoor's clean," muttered Dax beside me, his fingers flying over keys at a madman's pace on the keyboard.He'd hired him as a last resort, a mercenary cyber-spy who'd owe him a debt from a few years earlier. Long shaggy hair, a hooded pullover with three elbow holes, and a paranoia level that made him inspect for bugs whenever someone snee