Todos os capítulos de Shared by the Three Captains: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

CassandraThe second I stepped through the grand double doors of the Stanford Grand Ballroom on Elijah’s arm, the whole damn place went quiet.Not the polite kind of quiet. The kind that hits like a body check on open ice. Conversations cut off mid-sentence. Glasses froze halfway to mouths. Hundreds of eyes swung toward us like someone had just scored the game-winner in overtime.I kept my chin high even though my heart was slamming against my ribs hard enough to bruise. The dress Elijah had chosen for me—deep emerald silk that hugged every soft curve I’d spent years hiding under oversized hoodies—felt like armor and exposure all at once. The back plunged low, leaving my skin bare from the nape of my neck all the way down to the base of my spine. My long chestnut hair fell in soft waves past my shoulders instead of the usual messy ponytail. The thick tortoiseshell glasses were gone, replaced by thin wire frames that made my hazel eyes look sharper, brighter. I looked like someone else.

CassyThe air inside the grand ballroom was thick with expensive perfume, clinking champagne flutes, and the suffocating stench of fake smiles. I needed to get away from it before I choked.I slipped through the heavy velvet drapes and pushed open the glass door leading out onto the high-rise terrace. The cold night air hit my skin like an icy slap, making me shiver instantly inside my dark, fitted silk gown. I didn't care about the chill. Out here, thirty stories above the city lights, I could actually breathe.I crossed the polished stone floor, my high heels clicking softly against the marble, and leaned my hands against the wide stone balustrade. The wind caught my long dark chestnut hair, whipping loose strands around my face. Down below, the city was a blur of yellow headlights and neon signs.Inside that room, Portia had spent the last two hours playing the delicate, precious socialite princess, clinging to Hendrix’s arm while casting spiteful glances at me every time the Golden

CassyThe afternoon sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the penthouse study, illuminating the floating dust motes and reflecting brightly off the massive interactive digital screen mounted on the main wall. I smoothed down the front of my cream-colored fitted blouse, adjusted my wire-frame designer glasses, and tapped the glowing stylus against my palm.Behind me, the three most dangerous men on campus sat around the heavy mahogany conference table, watching my every move like hawks tracking prey."You look stressed, sweetheart," Chase said softly, breaking the silence. He was leaning back in his leather chair, his dark brown hair falling in messy waves over his forehead. His amber-brown eyes sparkled with mischievous heat, a deep dimple flashing on his left cheek as he gave me that reckless, golden-retriever grin. He wore a fitted black henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing his corded forearms, and his silver chain caught the bright aftern

CassyThe Dean’s office smelled like old paper and cheap coffee. Portia stood in the middle of the room with her perfect platinum hair and her red lips already trembling. She had the whole act ready—shoulders shaking, eyes wet, voice soft and broken.“I saw her,” Portia whispered, pointing a polished fingernail at me. “Cassandra was sneaking around the faculty offices last night. She looked guilty. I think she was trying to plant something or steal files. She’s been acting so strange ever since she moved in with those hockey players. I’m scared of what she’s capable of.”She wiped under her eyes like the tears were real. The Dean frowned at me over his desk. I just stood there in my fitted blouse and tailored pants, glasses sliding a little down my nose, and didn’t say a single word. My heart wasn’t even racing. I already knew how this ended.Portia kept going. “She’s the one who ruined Hendrix. She’s the one who—please, you have to believe me. I only want to protect the school.”I sta

CassyThe second the final buzzer sounded and the arena lights flared, I felt eyes on me from the stands. Not the usual fans. Not the cameras. Something colder. I turned my head just enough to catch the figure standing frozen in the lower section, blond undercut catching the light, grey eyes wide with pure disbelief.Hendrix.He had watched everything. The way Elijah’s hand stayed on the small of my back. The way the other two captains closed ranks around me after the win. The way the crowd chanted my name like I belonged to them now. His face twisted. Then he was moving, shoving past people, taking the stairs two at a time.I barely had time to breathe before he hit the glass separating the ice from the tunnel.“Cassy!” His voice cracked through the noise. “What the fuck is this? You’re letting him use you? Elijah, you piece of shit, you’re abusing your position! She’s my girl—”Elijah didn’t even look at him at first. He kept his hand firm on my waist, guiding me toward the private