All Chapters of Cassie’s Secret Deal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Inside her large guest room, Cassie stood near the wardrobe, carefully putting away her clothes. Her hands moved with quiet focus, hanging each simple shirt and jacket one by one. She needed this routine. She needed a simple task to steady her mind in this huge house that felt less like a safe home and more like a golden cage.A soft knock sounded at her door.Cassie stopped, her shoulders tightening at once. She took a quiet breath, smoothed her black jeans, and walked over to open the doors.A young woman in a clean house staff uniform stood in the hallway with her hands resting together. She gave a small, polite smile. "Miss Cassie? Dinner is ready downstairs in the main room. Mr. Grey asked for the whole family to eat together tonight.""Thank you," Cassie said softly. "I will be right down."She waited until the staff member walked back down the hall before shutting the door. As a family. The words felt heavy. Her mother wanted this fresh start so badly, desperate for a peaceful

The glass doors slid shut behind Alex with a quiet click, blocking out the loud music and buzzing voices of the party inside.Cassie stood near the edge of the stone terrace, the cool night breeze lifting soft strands of hair off her neck. She turned her head slightly as the sound of footsteps approached. When she saw Alex stepping into the dim light of the balcony, her body instantly went on high alert.She turned around fully, crossing her arms over her chest to shield herself from both the chill and his intense gaze. "Did your father send you out here to find me?"Alex stopped a few feet away, resting one hand in his trouser pocket while the other held his glass of liquor. He looked down at her through the soft shadows, his face calm and unreadable."My father is busy talking to investors," Alex said, his voice deep and steady in the open night air. "I came out here on my own."Cassie let out a small, breathless laugh, looking off toward the city lights. "Why? To give me another sp

Morning sunlight poured into Cassie's guest room, pulling her out of a restless sleep. She sat up on the edge of the mattress and ran a hand through her hair. The memory of Alex pressing her against the hallway wall the night before rushed right back into her mind, making her pulse jump.She shook her head and pushed the thought away. Since she was currently on a school break with two years left before she finally graduated, she refused to sit around and waste her time. She stood up, opened her laptop, and laid out her sketchbooks on the small wooden desk by the window. If Alex wanted to play games and act like a ghost, she could focus entirely on her fashion designs and keep her mind occupied.The quiet stillness of the house broke when footsteps echoed down the hall. Cassie decided to head downstairs to grab a cup of coffee and clear her head.She walked into the bright and airy dining room where Veronica and Garrett sat together over morning coffee, talking quietly about upcoming p

Cassie woke up to a soft, rhythmic knock on her heavy bedroom door, the muffled sound pulling her out of a dark, dreamless sleep. She sat up slowly on the edge of the mattress, her body feeling heavy and exhausted. She had spent the entire late afternoon curled up in the dark, crying until her head throbbed and her eyes burned."Miss Cassie?" the polite voice of the estate chef called out from the hallway. "Dinner is served in the main dining room.""Thank you, I will be right down," Cassie called back, her voice sounding raspy and weak even to her own ears.She waited until the chef's footsteps faded down the hall before pulling herself up from the bed. She walked into the adjacent bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, her nose was slightly pink, and dark shadows rested under her eyes. She splashed icy water over her face three times, pressing a cool towel against her skin to reduce the swelling. She combed through her hair, pulled on a simple long s

The heavy double doors of the private study clicked shut behind them, cutting off the vast, dark hallway of the estate. The room was bathed in the soft, warm glow of a single brass desk lamp, casting long shadows across the floorboards.Alex let go of her wrist, walking straight toward his desk. He pulled out her phone, staring at the dark screen with a lethal focus that made the room feel tight and airless."Alex, please," Cassie gasped, her voice shaking violently as she stepped closer to the desk. "You do not understand what you are doing. I need to handle this on my own. If my mother finds out about this, it will destroy her. She barely survived him the first time. I would rather deal with his threats every day for the rest of my life than let him ruin her peace here.""You are not handling anything on your own," Alex said, his voice flat and stern. "You are being hunted by a criminal, Cassie.""It is my mess!" she cried out, her chest heaving as tears finally spilled over her eye