All Chapters of Flash marriage with the billionaire enemy : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ENIDThe house feels different with a child in it. Lia’s laughter echoes down the hall every morning. It’s the kind of sound that sticks to the walls, chasing away the silence that used to sit heavy in every room. Even the staff smile more. They move differently when she’s around, like the air itself softens for her.Cassian, however, remains unchanged.He leaves early, returns late, and when he’s home, he stays behind the closed door of his office or on his phone. The only time I get to see him smile is when he's spending time with Lia. Every other time, he's his usual self.I try not to care, but part of me wonders if that’s how he copes, pretending we’re invisible until we stop existing altogether.Lia doesn’t seem to notice the tension. Or maybe she does and doesn’t care.By the third morning, she’s waiting for me outside my room, holding a stuffed unicorn in one hand. “Can we have breakfast together?” she asks, hopeful.I smile, tying my robe tighter. “Of course.”In the dining

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CASSIANMondays always start the same with board meetings and reports.The boardroom smells like stale coffee and ambition. By the time I finish my morning meetings, I’m already wishing for silence.When Lucas walks into my office without knocking, I almost tell him to come back later. Almost.He’s carrying two cups of coffee, a crooked grin on his face, and I'm due for another caffeine boost. “You look like you need this.”“I do,” I mutter, taking one.He sits across from me, folding one leg over the other. “Rough morning?”“Same as always.”“Ah. So chaos and capitalism, as usual.”I shake my head at his snide remark.Lucas studies me for a moment. “You’ve been quieter than usual lately.”“I’m always quiet.”He leans back. “Quieter than usual, Cassian. Especially this past week.”I don’t answer. He waits, patient, because he knows me well enough to know I’ll talk eventually.Finally, I sigh. “Lia went back to Maris’s yesterday.”His expression softens. “How’d t

ENIDI don't answer my phone when it buzzes insistently across the marble countertop. The screen lights up with a name I never wanted to see. Adrien. My chest tightens. I've rehearsed what I'd do if I ever saw him again. Pretend he doesn't exist. Ignore his calls. Avoid him like the plague. And yet, here he is, calling me, demanding my attention.Still, I swipe to answer. “Hello.” My voice is tighter than I expected.“Enid,” he says, and the familiarity in his voice makes my stomach clench. “I need to see you. Please.”I laugh at his audacity, the sound foreign in my own ears. “You… need to see me? Adrien, you cheated on me. And now you need something from me?”“No,” he says quickly. “Enid, I’m not asking for anything. I just… I need to explain. I need you to hear me.” His voice softens, like he’s coaxing a skittish animal. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know if I...”“Please,” he interrupts, almost desperate. “Just coffee. One hour. That’s all I’m asking. No string

ENIDI don’t breathe until I’m inside my room.The moment the door clicks shut behind me, my knees nearly buckle. I press my back against the wood, palms flat at my sides, staring at nothing while my heartbeat rams at my ribs like it’s trying to escape.What the hell just happened downstairs?I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath that does absolutely nothing to steady me. I’m still shaking, part from anger, part from… something else I don’t want to name.Cassian's voice was still ringing in my ears. The way he shouted. The way he stepped toward me was like he couldn't help it. The way the air between us felt hot and electric and dangerous.The way he looked at me.I push off the door, pacing across the room in fast, frantic steps. My skin is buzzing like I stood too close to a fire.I need to vent. I need to talk to someone who won’t judge me. Someone who won’t tell me I’m overreacting or imagining things or being childish.My hand is already reaching for my phone. I scroll do

ENIDThe week passes in silence.Cassian and I move around the house like ghosts occupying separate dimensions. When he enters a room, I leave it. When I come downstairs, he disappears into his office. We speak only when absolutely necessary.It’s pathetic how much I notice his absence. It’s even worse how much I feel it. We’ve chosen distance. Fine.Distance it is.But everything shifts the moment Aurelia comes back. The house brightens before she even steps inside.“Enid!” she squeals when she spots me in the hallway. Before I can even react, she barrels toward me on tiny legs and wraps her arms around my waist.I blink down at her, startled. “Hey, sweetheart.”“You said we’d see each other soon!” she beams up at me.I smile. “And here you are.”Cassian stands behind her, watching us with an unreadable expression. There's something in his eyes, softness, maybe, that throws me off balance.The day passes easily, surprisingly. Aurelia wants to show me the new stickers she collected at