Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dumped by the Heir, Claimed by his Brother : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONECassie woke up in her bed and blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, momentarily disoriented. Wait, her bed?The last thing she remembered was being on the balcony with Dom, the city lights twinkling below them, his arms around her as they talked and laughed until her head felt light. She'd been so comfortable, so safe, that she must have fallen asleep right there against his chest.Which meant he'd carried her to bed.Jesus! Heat flooded Cassie's cheeks as she imagined Dom scooping her up like she weighed nothing and walking through the penthouse with her cradled against him, tucking her into bed. Had she drooled on his shoulder? Snored? Oh god, what if she'd said something embarrassing in her sleep?But despite the embarrassment warming her face, her body felt lighter than it had in days. Maybe weeks. The constant tension she'd been carrying since the engagement party had loosened and was now replaced by something that felt dangerously close to happiness.She reached

Dom's office looked like a war room. Four different laptops were open on his desk, each showing different screens. His phone was on speaker, someone's voice droning about server access and metadata analysis. And in the center of it all, Dom sat in his desk chair, looking absolutely wrecked.His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and wrinkled and his hair stuck up in multiple different directions like he'd been running his hands through it for hours. Dark circles shadowed his eyes and his usual sharp focus looked frayed at the edges."I need it faster than that," Dom was saying into the phone, his voice hoarse. "I don't care if you have to bribe someone, I need access to Hale Industries' internal communications from the last month."He glanced up and saw Cassie in the doorway and something immediately flickered in his expression—guilt, maybe, or exhaustion—but he held up one finger in a "give me a minute" gesture."No, that's not good enough," Dom continued. "Marcus is planning someth

Cassie got out of bed and moved through her morning routine on autopilot. She showered and wore her new makeup, looking sharper than usual. That was her new armor for difficult conversations. Her hair was pulled back in her usual bun and she chose a black power suit from the new wardrobe Margot had assembled. When she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Gone was the soft, accommodating girl who'd spent three years molding herself for Marcus. In her place stood someone who looked like she could walk into a boardroom and take what she wanted.It was her fathers house she was going to, but not as his child but as someone who was ready to talk business.Cassie gathered her bag and the folder of documents she'd need, then quietly she opened her bedroom door. The penthouse was silent as she moved down the hallway, past Dom's bedroom, and paused.His door was still closed and there were no sounds from inside.That was strange. Dom was usually an early riser, especially late

She tried to wabble through the room and Dom flipped the switch. The lights instantly came on and blinded her sight. But slowly, she regained her sight and—"Oh my god," Cassie breathed.There were scars everywhere. Lines crisscrossing his shoulder, some disappearing beneath the waistband of his sleep pants. Some of them were old but others looked newer. "The scars," Cassie cried. "Dom, what happened?"His expression shuttered slightly. "That's a long story.""I have time."Dom looked at her for a long moment, something vulnerable flickering behind his eyes. Then he turned partially, showing her his back again."Prague," he said simply. "I got them on the night the deal went bad."“What?” Cassie gasped. She moved closer without thinking, drawn by the pain in his voice."Marcus didn't just frame me," Dom continued, his voice flat. "He made sure I understood that I was never to speak about what really happened. He sent three hefty men to my hotel room and they were very thorough.""Oh

Two hours later, Cassie was dressed in an outfit that screamed for attention. White linen pants, a silk blouse in pale blue oversized sunglasses. She wore chunky bangles and statement earrings. Margot had outdone herself this time.Dom appeared in a polo shirt and expensive slacks, looking like he'd stepped out of a magazine spread. When he saw Cassie, his eyes swept over her appreciatively."You look incredible," he said."So do you. But I think I am a bit too much, it's polo"“And you're not playing. You look like you came to accompany me straight from the office and it's a good front.”Cassie laughed and said nothing. The drive to the polo grounds took forty minutes. They spent most of it in comfortable silence, Dom's hand resting on the gear shift between them, so close to Cassie's leg that she could feel the heat of it.When they arrived, the view made Cassie's inner child jump It was absolutely breathtaking. Sprawling green fields, white tents and women in sundresses. From the