جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 150

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHTCassie forced herself out of Margaret's house on the third day, telling her mother she just ran out of sanitary pads and was rushing to the store to get them but in the real sense, she just needed to feel like a person doing something ordinary instead of a woman hiding from her own life, and the boutique two streets from the house seemed safe enough and familiar enough, close to nothing that would remind her of anything.Margaret had wanted to come with her but Cassie said no gently and her mother let it go with the restraint of someone who'd learned, over the past few months, exactly when pushing helped and when it only made things heavier.The boutique smelled like the same lavender candle it always burned, and Cassie moved through the racks without really seeing any of it, scarves and blouses blurring together as background noise to the exhaustion sitting behind her eyes. She hadn't slept properly in three nights. She kept catching herself doing

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTYThe club looked almost unrecognizable in daylight, stripped of the gold lighting and the murmur of conversations and loud music that gave it its usual atmosphere. The sharp smell of industrial cleaner filled the air as a staff mopped around overturned chairs ahead of that night's opening. Dom stood in the doorway scanning before walking in, Cassie beside him, both of them dressed for a fight neither of them wanted to have but couldn't avoid.A tired man in a polo shirt stitched with the club's logo met them near the bar, clipboard in hand, clearly annoyed at being pulled away from inventory."Mr. Hale. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.""I need the security footage from the last night I was here," Dom said.The manager's face shifted immediately, careful and closed. "I'm sorry, sir, I really can't hand that over. We've got a privacy policy. Other guests are in that footage too, and legally…""I'm not asking you to post it anywhere," Dom said. "I'm as

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO“What are you saying, Dom. Are you insane?” “Madly in love with you? Yes.”“Focus…” Cassie murmured. Too distraught to want to hear a joke right now. “It's simple. We will release the news that there was a contract marriage and then we feel in love. Picture the buzz, this will give us fans, buy us attention. People love these things. But if Marcus does this first, the script will be different.”“Dom…”“Just trust me, Leo.” Arrange a meeting for me with the press, please.” “Sure.” Leo said and hung up.They were back at the penthouse within the hour, Whitfield on speaker before Dom had even taken his jacket off, Leo pacing near the window with his phone in his hand."Walk me through exactly what's in the contract," Whitfield said, his voice steady over the speaker. "I need to know precisely what we're dealing with before I can advise you on anything at all.""It's straightforward," Dom said, dropping onto the couch, elbows on his knees. "Marriage fo

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR"I want to check on Vanessa," Cassie said, over eggs neither of them had touched yet, the toast going cold in the rack between them.Dom looked up from his phone. "Vanessa?”"She threw a drink in Marcus's face on camera and then just disappeared into the news cycle. Nobody's actually asked her if she's okay since then and I feel like it's the right thing to do. We all just moved on to the next thing and treated her like a plot point instead of a person.""You hated her for months, Cassie. I remember you not being able to say her name without your jaw tightening.""I know." Cassie pushed her fork through the eggs, watching the yolk break and spread across the plate. "I'm not saying I forgive everything overnight but she's been the only person other than us actually getting hurt by Marcus this whole time, and I keep thinking about her sitting alone somewhere while we're off planning press strategy on how to get our own revenge."She paused, staring dow

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY SIXWhile so many thoughts crossed Cassie's mind at this new discovery, Dom was scheming something completely different that the very people who they had loved and been betrayed by would not see coming. "That's not a plan," Vanessa said, one eyebrow raised. "That's a vibe, Dom."Dom almost laughed despite himself, some of the tension in his shoulders breaking. "Fair enough. Let me actually explain it properly.""Please… I'm listening.""Let's move the wedding up," Dom said, turning to Cassie now, his whole focus narrowing onto her completely, like Vanessa and the coffee shop and everything else had briefly stopped existing. "I know you probably think I am crazy but I feel like this will also keep mouths moving""How soon is soon?” Cassie asked, her voice quieter now, testing the actual weight of the idea instead of dismissing it outright."In two weeks," Dom said. "If the courthouse will have us. Thankfully your dress is already ready.”Cassie stared at