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Chapter 22: Dinner With Dillon
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Cassandra’s POVCameron approached our table. I could see the surprise on his face. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to see me and Dillon here, alone together, having an intimate dinner.“Well, what do we have here?” Cameron asked, eying the open bottle of champagne on the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was a date.”He raised his eyebrows at us, a smirk on his face.“Hardly,” Dillon said quickly. “This is a business dinner.”“Hm,” Cameron teased. “A business dinner with champagne?”“Cassandra and I were just discussing the details of a business collaboration,” Dillon smiled.I realized in that moment that we hadn’t discussed business at all. On the contrary, our conversation had actually taken a really intimate turn.“Must be quite the discussion,” Cameron said, gesturing to the multiple plates of food on the table. He reached over and snatched a piece of bread right off my plate.“You know, Cameron, I’m a little upset with you,” I replied haughtily. I wanted to steer the c
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 24: The Emergency Room
Cassandra’s POV“I have to go to the hospital,” I told Dillon. “It’s Jordyn’s grandfather. Something’s wrong.”I stood up and pushed back my chair, grabbing frantically for my purse.Despite whatever was going on between me and Dillon, I adored Stanley. My heart raced.“I’ll drive you,” Dillon said without missing a beat.We hurried outside and rushed to the hospital.“I’ll wait here,” Dillon said, squeezing my hand. “Good luck.”I nodded thankfully and then ran into the hospital. I found Jordyn and Velma standing outside a surgery room. Jordyn looked disheveled and Velma was pacing.“Jorydn,” I said, hurrying towards him.Velma saw me, stopped, and shot me a disdainful look.“What are YOU doing here?” she scoffed snidely. “This is a FAMILY matter.”“Mother,” Jordyn snapped at Velma. “This is a hospital. I won’t tolerate your snide remarks. Not here.”Velma shut her mouth, but she glared at me. I ignored her hostility, choosing instead to focus on the real issue – Stanley.“How is he?
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 25: The Surgery
Cassandra’s POVWe all bolted onto our feet. The surgeon approached us as he removed his plastic gloves. We waited expectantly, fearing the worst. Jordyn took my hand and held it so hard, I thought he would crush my knuckles. “He’s stabilized,” the surgeon said.Jordyn let out a long breath. He released his grip on my hand.“Really?” Jordyn asked, relief in his voice.I was relieved too. I’d been so worried that the surgeon was going to come and tell us that Stanley hadn’t made it.I couldn’t even bear the thought of it.“Yes,” the surgeon confirmed, nodding his head. His tone was dry and factual. “He’s out of the woods, so to speak. His life is no longer in danger.”“Thank God,” Jordyn said.“Not God,” the surgeon quipped. “You have modern medicine to thank for this one.”“Yes, of course,” Jordyn said absently. I couldn’t tell if the surgeon was joking or not. His face remained serious.“Fortunately, the myocarditis hadn’t progressed to the point where he needed a heart transplant.
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 26: A Talk in the Garden
Cassandra’s POV“What?”He repeated himself with the same, calm voice.“I don’t want a divorce.”I was speechless!Speechless and angry! Where was this coming from? Who did he think he was? What did he mean ‘he didn’t want a divorce?’I stared at him, bewildered, unable to mutter even a single syllable.“I believe we can save our marriage,” he continued. But I held up my hand to stop him.I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to hear ANY of this.“Jordyn,” I said, regaining my composure. I gently placed Stanley’s hand down on his blanket and stood up, to face Jordyn. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”“Please listen to me,” Jordyn pleaded. “I can explain. I can…”“Stop,” I shook my head. He did. He furrowed his brows and swallowed hard. Then he waited for me to continue. My mind was reeling. I didn’t even know where to start.“It’s not…it’s not that simple,” I said. “You neglected me for years. Do you know how many nights I sat alone, waiting for you to come home? Craving your aff
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 27: The Next Morning
Cassandra’s POVI called Stella first thing the next morning and explained the situation. I wanted to go back to the hospital to visit Stanley, but I wasn’t sure how she’d react. She thought Jordyn was a total asshole so I didn’t think she’d be overly sympathetic.To my surprise, however, she was.“Of course, Cass. Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got it covered. I’ll look after things here at the company while you visit Stanley,” Stella told me.“Really?” I asked, unable to hide the shock in my voice.“Yes,” she laughed. “I’m not a cold-hearted bitch! I know you care about Stanley. I hope he recovers soon. Just check in with me, okay?”I agreed and hung up, a little flummoxed by her support. Clearly she understood that this was about Stanely, NOT Jordyn.A little while later, I pulled into the hospital parking lot and was surprised to see Ellie. She was just getting out of her car and she hadn’t seen me.“Really?” I scoffed to myself. It was hard not to get riled up when I saw her.
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 28: Stanley Awakens
Cassandra’s POV“He’s awake!” I gasped, rushing to his side. “Stanley, can you hear me?” I gently took his hand. He squinted under the bright light, waiting for his eyes to adjust. For a moment, he looked confused. Then realization dawned on him.“Cassandra?” he asked, turning his head towards me and smiling weakly. “What are you doing here, dear? There’s no need to fuss over me.”I squeezed his hand. I was so relieved to hear his voice. For a moment last night, I thought I’d never hear it again. He still looked very weak and he was hooked up to an IV, but he was awake and alert.“Nonsense,” I smiled at him. “Of course I’m here. How are you? Are you in pain? What do you need? More pillows? Water?”“Slow down,” he chuckled. “Always the caregiver, that one,” he pointed at me and winked at Persa.“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable,” I told him. That’s why I was there, after all. To take care of him. “I’m perfectly fine, Cassandra. In fact, seeing your beautiful face is medicin
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Cassandra’s POV“I meant my boss, obviously, any problem?” I said quickly, feigning innocence. I whispered a prayer that he’d buy it. How could I have been so stupid? I was overtired and careless.He nodded quickly. “Well, please let me know as soon as you hear anything,” he said. Apparently, he didn't take my words seriously.Phew. I dodged a bullet and managed to circumvent any suspicion.I told Jordyn I had to go but that I’d check back in with Stanley later. I went straight to the studio and sat down in Stella’s office.“How’s Stanley?” she asked. I sighed deeply.“He’s recovering,” I told her. “But I don’t know, Stell. It’s strange. He was perfectly healthy and then bam, he just developed this heart condition. The doctor’s looking into it. Running more tests. That sort of thing.”“Well,” she said, resting back in her chair. “I’m glad to hear he’s doing okay. Hopefully, you’ll have more information soon.”I nodded.“And Jordyn?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.“I saw him just befo
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 30: Scones With Dillon
Cassandra’s POVThe next day, I pulled up to the café to meet with Dillon. I was a bit nervous as I walked through the door. I didn’t know why I was nervous. Was it because I had to tell him we wouldn’t be moving forward with the collaboration?Or was it something else?I did my best to shrug it off. This was a business meeting, after all.Dillon had chosen the café. He said it was one of his favorite places, and raved on and on about pastries or scones or something. Originally, I’d wanted to meet in his office, since that felt far more ‘business-like’, but he’d persuaded me.He was already there, seated in the corner of the small café. He was wearing a crisp white shirt, rolled up at the elbows with a couple of the top buttons undone. He looked casual and comfortable, like usual. He saw me and waved, a huge smile breaking out onto his face.I went over and he motioned to three coffees on the table.“I took the liberty of ordering a coffee for you,” he said. “But I didn’t kno
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Cassandra’s POV“Cassandra!” Dillon exclaimed. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His eyes anxiously scanned my body.“No, I’m fine,” I said, looking up at him. I was relieved that the doors were finally open. But he was above me. Which meant the elevator was dangerously between two floors. My heart sank. The doors were open but I still had to get out. “Just stay there,” Dillon instructed. “The maintenance crew is here with me. They’re going to help you out.”I was happy to see Dillon, but I suddenly wondered what he was doing there. This was Jordyn’s company’s office building. It seemed awfully coincidental that Dillon just happened to be there at the same time I got trapped in an elevator. “What are you doing here?” I asked. Dillon flashed me a smile.“Don’t worry about that right now. I’ll explain later,” he told me in a voice that left no room for arguing. “Let’s get you out of there first, okay?”I nodded.“Do you think there’s enough room to pull her out?” Dillon asked whoever was
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Cassandra’s POV“HELP!” I cried out immediately. “Please, help me! I’m trapped in the elevator. It’s dark and I’m alone.”“It’s okay,” the voice said. It was muffled through the door. I ran to the door.“Get me out!” I cried out, my voice high and frantic.“You need to stay calm,” the voice reassured. “We’re going to get you out of there.”“I don’t have enough air,” I said, breathing heavily.“There’s more than enough air. Take a deep breath. And please back away from the door. We’re working on it. You’ll be out soon. I promise.”Relief flooded through me. They knew I was in here! They were working on getting me out! I thought for a moment that I recognized the voice. But it was faint through the door.“Are you away from the door?” the voice asked.I did as I was asked and backed away from the door.“Yes,” I called out.“Good. Stay towards the back of the elevator, okay?”“Okay,” I said.I took a deep breath and bit my lip. I already felt a bit calmer. But I still hated being trapped
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 48: Trapped
Cassandra’s POVI stood frozen in spot. It was pitch-black in the elevator. I couldn’t see a thing. My heart started racing.‘Don’t panic,’ I told myself. ‘Stay calm.’But my breathing quickened as I realized that the elevator must have broken down. It wasn’t moving.I reached into my purse, fumbling in the darkness for my phone. I pulled things out: a lipstick, a powder compact, a small notebook. I tossed them on to the ground. Finally, my hand found it and I pulled it out.“It’s going to be okay,” I said out loud. “You can phone Jordyn. He’s in the building and he can find someone to help you.”But as I looked at my phone, I saw there were no bars. Which meant there was no signal.How could there be no signal?“No no no,” I said as my hands started shaking. My mind filled with awful thoughts. What if the elevator cables were defective and the elevator plunged to the bottom? What floor was I on? How far up?What if there wasn’t enough air in there and I ran out of breath? My knees w
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 47: Good-Bye, Mr. Smith
Cassandra’s POV I could tell by Jordyn’s expression that he genuinely had no clue about Ellie’s engagement dress. Heck, he didn’t even seem to know about the engagement, let alone the dress!This surprised me. I honestly believed that Jordyn had deep feelings for Ellie. Ellie was his first love. It seemed natural to me that marriage was the next step.“I had no idea she ordered a dress. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think I want to marry her, it’s just…” Jordyn started, but I held up my hand to stop him.What was he doing? Did he really think I wanted to stand here and listen to him confide in me? About his wavering feelings for Ellie? I wanted to remind him that he’d cheated on me with her. He’d shattered my heart in a hundred pieces with his betrayal. If he didn’t intend on marrying Ellie, then what had all this been for?I wished I hadn’t tried to help. I regretted this entire conversation. I had thought I was the right thing to do, to let him know that maybe Ellie couldn’t be
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 46: Confessions to Jordyn
Cassandra’s POVStella and Jordyn’s project manager left the board room, leaving Jordyn and I alone. “What is it, Cassandra?” Jordyn asked, concern in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”I hesitated, wondering how much I should tell him. I wasn’t even sure if Ellie was actually cheating on Jordyn, although she threatened me, warning me not to say anything, so it sure seemed like it.But still.Was this really my place? Was I really the one who should be telling Jordyn that his future wife might be a cheating whore? I was worried that it might affect our collaboration, yes. If Ellie was feeding her little boy toy from Sterling Silver information about Jordyn’s company, it could have negative consequences for Jordyn’s company, and in turn, for ours.That wasn’t my only concern, though. I felt bad for Jordyn. Sure, he’d done the exact same thing to me, and it had hurt like hell. And for awhile, I’d really hated him. I’d have given anything to hurt him the way he hurt me.But I didn’t hate
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 45: The Collaboration Meeting
Cassandra’s POV We reviewed the presentation details on the way to the meeting. We were feeling pretty confident. It was a great proposal. It benefited both our companies and we believed in our idea.At Jordyn’s office, a receptionist led us directly into the boardroom. Jordyn and the company’s project director were already waiting for us. My stomach did a weird flip flop when I saw Jordyn. It was weird. We’d once shared a bed and now we were just business associates.I realized it would take some time getting used to.“Ladies,” Jordyn said, nodding at us. He introduced us to the project director and then gave Stella the floor. I sat in my chair, my pencil perched above a notepad, just like an assistant would sit.Jordyn still didn’t know my real identity and I wasn’t ready to reveal it yet. So for all intents and purposes, I wasn’t Stella’s partner in this meeting. I was just her personal assistant.Stella went through the proposal. She explained our concept of a clothing line with
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 44: The Power of Women
Cassandra’s POVOur assistant burst into the meeting room, her arms piled high with bags of sandwiches for lunch. We’d been in the boardroom all morning, brainstorming ideas for our upcoming fashion line with several designers: Maggie, Lisa, and Brin. We had yet to determine the actual action plan for the clothing line, so we’d ordered in lunch to keep working.“Okay, so we know the theme: “The Power of Women,” Brin said, unwrapping a sandwich. “And we know we want something that really stands out. Something different. But what?”I unwrapped a chicken salad sandwich and bit into it thoughtfully. We were lucky to have these creative designers here with us to brainstorm. Stella and I had been stuck on this for days. No matter what we came up with, it just didn’t seem right. We had to lean into the theme and come up with something that would reflect it.“I still think we need something bold,” Lisa mused. “I’m thinking primary colors. Bright. Something that represents resilience. Because
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 43: Tempura
Jordyn’s POVI reached for a napkin to wipe the wine from my chin. When I looked up, Ellie was glaring at me, her hands on her hips. I let her words sink in, not knowing what to make of them.“You don’t want to pick a wedding date?” she asked, scowling.“I…it’s just that…” I stammered.A wedding date? It was too soon. I was momentarily at a complete loss for words. I’d literally JUST divorced Cassandra. The ink had barely dried on the divorce papers. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready to jump into another marriage. Not yet.Plus, I was worried about Ellie’s mental state. Sometimes she seemed…unstable. I was worried it was going to get worse. She hadn’t been like this before the accident. Maybe the accident had tampered with her brain chemistry. I felt like she needed professional help to address her condition. I’d even started looking for a good psychiatrist. I hadn’t broached the subject with her yet, though.“Jordyn,” she said, her eyes still locked on me. “You are planning on marrying
Divorce and Regret, His Ex-wife is a Billionaire Chapter 42: Coming Home to Ellie
Jordyn’s POV Opened the door to my house.“Cassandra, I’m home,” I instinctively called out. There was no response. I realized with a frown she wasn’t there.This wasn’t the first time I’d done this. Truth be told, I called out her name every time I opened that damned door. It was a habit. The first few times had been the roughest. I’d waited for her to greet me at the door, a smile on her face. I’d become used to her taking my coat and dropping me keys into the bowl by the door. Then she’d gently kiss me on the cheek and welcome me home. I’d stood in the doorway like an idiot, waiting for her to come and greet me. Of course, she hadn’t.Because Cassandra was gone.It felt like a sucker punch to the stomach. We were officially divorced now. She’d never greet me at the door again. She’d never take my coat and ask me how my day was. I would never see my wife, no – my EX-wife – in this house again.All traces of her were gone. Her dresser drawers were empty. Her favorite coffee mug wasn’
