Cassie’s POV
"He’s here. Someone’s here."
"Where?" Edward pulled away from me fast.
"At the door. I swear I just saw someone standing there."
"Cassie, I think you need to sit down and rest." He tried to help me up.
"I’m not making this up. Someone was right there staring at us."
"Okay I believe you. Let’s just get you home so nobody’s staring at you anymore."
"You think I’m joking?"
"No Cassie. I don’t." He said it more to shut the conversation down than anything else.
He got me into the car and started driving. "Can you drop me your location?"
I fumbled with my phone but finally managed to share it. We didn’t talk the whole way back. The silence felt thick. He kept glancing at me like he was worried about something. I just leaned my head against the window and tried to stop the world from spinning.
"Stop the car," I said suddenly. My whole body felt like it was being shaken from the inside.
"I need to throw up." I swallowed hard. "I’ve always had a weird relationship with drinking. Some nights I just don’t want to feel anything. Tonight was one of those nights."
He pulled over quickly. I barely waited for the car to stop before I was out and heading for the nearest bushes. The ground felt uneven under my feet. After I was done I stood there for a few seconds breathing hard, feeling embarrassed and stupid. Then I walked back to the car. We got on the road again without saying much.
"Thank you," I mumbled.
"You’re welcome.’
We finally made it to my estate. I could barely walk straight, so he ended up carrying me to the gate. The second Kate saw us she came rushing out.
"What happened to her?"
"She’s just drunk. Too many shots."
"Cassie..." She looked at me, then at him. "Thanks for bringing her home."
He handed me over carefully and left without another word.
"You know you can’t handle alcohol yet you still keep drinking it," Kate muttered as she helped me inside. I barely registered the words. Everything felt far away.
She got me into bed, pulled off my shoes, loosened my clothes a bit, and left a bottle of water on the side table. Then she switched off the light and closed the door softly.
—
Morning hit hard. My alarm went off and my head felt like it was splitting open. My body was weak, my mind completely blank. I couldn’t remember much of the night, but I could smell the alcohol and sweat on myself.
I dragged myself to the bathroom and stared at my reflection. Messy hair, swollen eyes. I splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth.
Half an hour later I was showered, dressed, and somehow ready for work. Whatever Damien had planned, I figured I could handle it.
Kate was already in the kitchen making soup when I walked out.
"You’re dressed already?"
"Yeah. Heading to work."
She gave me a long look. "You sure you’re okay to go in today?"
"I’m fine."
"I made you soup. It’ll help with the hangover."
"Thanks." I took a quick sip. "I’m running late. See you later." I was out the door before she could argue.
I waited at the gate for my usual ride, but he never showed. He’d never been late before. After a few more minutes I just booked another one. It came quickly and got me to the office.
I grabbed Damien’s coffee on the way in and left it on his desk since he wasn’t there yet. Then I went back to my seat.
Twenty minutes later he walked in, looking expensive as always. His cologne filled the room the second he stepped inside.
"Good morning, sir."
He sat down without looking at me at first. Then: "Cassie. Come here."
His voice gave nothing away. I walked over. He pulled a pen from the drawer and looked straight at me.
"Where’s your resignation letter? I’m ready to sign it."
I froze. After everything he’d done to keep me from finding another job, now he wanted to sign it?
"Sir... I don’t actually want to resign anymore."
"No? I thought you were decided." He leaned back in his chair, watching me with something that almost looked like amusement.
"I was just... in my feelings. I’m good now."
"Alright. I’ll let it slide this time because you’re good at your job. But pull something like that again and you’re done."
"Understood, sir." I hesitated. "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Were you at that karaoke place downtown last night?"
He looked at me for a second. "No. Why would I be? Singing isn’t exactly my idea of a good time."
"Okay. I just... thought I saw someone who looked like you."
"Wasn’t me. You can get back to work."
"Yes, sir."
He denied it, but I knew what I saw. He’d been standing at the entrance, watching me with pure rage while I kissed Edward.
The memory made my skin crawl. Maybe I really was imagining things. Maybe he wasn’t there at all.
I tried to focus on my work, but I kept catching him glancing over at me every few minutes.
What if he was becoming obsessed the way Alex had been? The thought scared me. Did he actually have feelings for me?
I had no answers. Just when I thought things might finally settle down, everything twisted again.
Dylan walked into the office.
I looked away the second I saw him.
He went straight to Damien’s desk.
"Hey, bro. How’s it going?" They shook hands.
"I’m good."
Dylan’s eyes landed on me. "Who’s she, and why is she sitting right there?"
"Cassie, come here." Damien waved me over.
Was this the plan the whole time? To put me in front of his brother? After everything with Alex, I was pretty sure Damien already knew who I was. Part of me wanted to just walk out and keep walking.
Instead my feet carried me over. Dylan was staring at me like he was trying to place me.
"Have we met before?"
"I— no. I’ve never seen you before. You just look a lot like my boss. Maybe I mixed you up at some point."
Damien looked way too interested in the exchange.
"This is Cassie, my personal assistant. Dylan, my twin brother."
"Nice to meet you." I forced a smile. "I should get back to work."
"Not yet," Damien said. "Dylan, did you know Cassie lives with Kate? Your girlfriend?"
Dylan’s eyebrows went up. "Wait— was she the one who almost got killed on the roof?"
"That’s her. Doesn’t she look a lot like Kate?"
I felt my stomach drop. Damien was doing this on purpose. He’d known the whole time and just waited for the right moment to throw me under the bus.
"She does," Dylan said. "Kind of wild how similar they look."
I laughed, but it came out nervous. "People say that all the time. We’re always together, so I guess we start looking alike."
He chuckled. "How’s she doing?"
"She’s okay. Still recovering."
"I still don’t fully get what happened. Some guy was obsessed with her, kidnapped her... where do you fit into that?"
My pulse picked up. I couldn’t tell him the real version— that he’d been the boyfriend Kate dumped. That would open a whole new set of questions.
"He was obsessed with me, not her. I never gave him any attention, so he took her to get to me. Things got out of hand fast."
"That’s messed up. Glad she’s okay."
Damien let out a short laugh. "Sorry. It’s just... the whole thing is kind of tragic and ridiculous at the same time."
I stared at him. "You think almost dying is funny?"
"No. The way it all went down just doesn’t add up. What I heard is different from what you’re saying, but whatever." He turned back to Dylan. "We should do dinner this weekend. I’d like to get to know Kate better."
"Sure. I’ll text her. Didn’t think you cared that much about my dating life."
"I really don’t." He said reluctantly. I just want to make sure she’s actually good for you... and not some little liar." He looked straight at me when he said it.
The dig was deliberate. If he really wanted to protect his brother, why not just tell him everything? Unless he was playing some longer game.
"Cassie, you should come too," Dylan said.
Damien’s face lit up a little, like that was the suggestion he’d been waiting for. "I like that idea. Join us for dinner Cassie. It’ll be good for everyone."
I just stood there completely frozen. My mind went blank for a second. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Say no and make it worse? Say yes and walk straight into whatever trap Damien was setting?
I opened my mouth but no words came out.