All Chapters of My Father's Rival Is My Lover : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cassie stood frozen at the edge of the ballroom, her pulse fluttering like butterfly wings in her chest. The chandeliers cast a golden hue across the room, glittering off the crystal flutes and sequined gowns, but her eyes were fixed on one man Damon.He looked devastating in his midnight black tuxedo, tall and commanding as always, but there was something different in his eyes tonight. Something unspoken. Something unresolved.Their encounter in the rain replayed in her mind like a dream she couldn’t wake from his words, his kiss, the warmth of his hands on her skin. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the way he had held her like she was the only thing grounding him.Now, here they were, once again forced into the same space because of their fathers’ business merger gala. Cassie hadn’t wanted to come. She told herself it was because she hated these pretentious events. But deep down, she knew it was because seeing Damon again might tear her apart."You're here," a voice murmured

The silence stretched painfully between them. Cassie’s heart pounded so loudly she could hear it in her ears.Her father’s face flushed an angry red. “Cassie, you don’t know what you’re doing.”Charles Blackwood’s lips curled in disgust. “This is foolishness. You're risking everything for what? A fling?”Cassie stood tall, her fingers tightening around Damon’s hand. She wouldn’t let them intimidate her anymore.“This isn’t a fling,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “I love Damon. And he loves me.”Damon nodded without hesitation, his thumb brushing reassuringly across her knuckles.“We’re not asking for your blessing,” Damon added, his voice hard. “We’re informing you.”Richard Langston stepped forward, lowering his voice in a way that was far more threatening than if he had shouted.“You're my daughter. You think you can throw away everything I’ve built for you? For him?” He sneered. “You don’t even know what real life is, Cassie.”Cassie’s chest tightened, but she forced herself t

Snowflakes fell softly around Cassie and Damon as they strolled hand-in-hand through the park. The city glowed under a blanket of white, and laughter echoed from ice skaters gliding across the frozen pond nearby.Cassie smiled up at Damon, feeling like she was living inside a dream.“I used to hate winter,” she said, squeezing his hand. “It always felt cold and lonely.”Damon glanced down at her, his dark eyes warm. “And now?”“Now,” she said, stepping closer to him, “it feels magical.”He stopped walking, pulling her against him. “That’s because we made it ours.”Cassie rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It still amazed her how easily he had become her home.“How about we make another memory tonight?” Damon suggested.She tilted her head back. “What do you have in mind?”His grin was boyish and irresistible. “Come with me.”Twenty minutes later, Cassie found herself standing in front of an old stone chapel tucked away in the heart of the cit

Cassie tapped her pen against her desk, staring out of the large window overlooking the city. Spring had come in full bloom, casting the skyline in golden light. From her office at Turner-Langston Enterprises, she could see the entire city they had once fought so hard to conquer.Life was good, almost too good.Their foundation was thriving, helping hundreds of young entrepreneurs and single mothers. Their businesses were expanding globally. Hope was growing into a spirited, fearless little girl.And yet, Cassie couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.Damon stepped into her office, his tie loose around his neck, a boyish grin on his face.“Working late again, Mrs. Turner?” he teased.Cassie smiled, standing to meet him. “Guilty as charged, Mr. Turner.”He closed the door behind him and crossed the room, wrapping his arms around her waist.“You know,” he murmured against her temple, “we could always take a vacation. Italy? Greece? Anywhere you want.”Cassie leaned into h

The island glowed under the golden kiss of sunset, casting a dreamlike shimmer over the world Cassie and Damon had built.Hope raced along the shoreline, her laughter mixing with the rhythmic crash of the waves, while Damon sat on a beach blanket cradling a sleepy Ethan against his chest.Cassie stood a few feet away, her heart swelling at the sight of her family.It was moments like these that reminded her why they had fought so hard for love, for peace, for each other.She crossed the sand, sinking down beside Damon.“Do you ever think about how far we’ve come?” she asked, resting her head against his shoulder.“All the time,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “And I wouldn’t change a single second.”They sat in comfortable silence, watching Hope draw shapes in the sand with a stick, Ethan’s small hand curled around Damon’s shirt.“This is everything,” Cassie whispered.Damon smiled. “This is just the beginning.”When they returned home, life picked up speed again.Hope star