Cassandra’s POVI laid out the suit one last time on the desk. Then I inspected it with a scrupulous eye. I wanted to ensure that every single detail was perfect, right down to the last stitch.It was a gift for Stanley Smith, Jordyn’s grandfather. I had been working on it for months. I hoped it would show him just how much I respected him, and how much I’d enjoyed our time together.I carefully placed it in a garment bag, realizing that it was probably the last gift I would ever give the old man.Once Stanley heard that Jordyn and I were getting divorced, he’d want nothing to do with me. At least, that’s what I assumed. So this birthday tonight was going to be bittersweet. I still had no idea how I was going to tell Mr. Smith that we were divorcing. But I had to face the music some time. And tonight seemed as good a time as any.Just then, there was a light knock on my office door.“Come in,” I said, and Stella entered.“Cass, we have a bit of a problem,” Stella confessed, holding ou
Cassandra’s POVImmediately, the room broke out into whispers and murmurs.“A fake?” I heard people gasp.Various expressions plagued the faces of the guests. Some were perplexed, some were shocked, some were skeptical, and then there was Ellie.She was smug.She was smug as shit. And my blood boiled with her accusation.However, I didn’t want to make any more of a scene. And I knew there was no point in arguing with her. So I calmly said:“It’s not a fake. I assure you. In fact, I can prove it. May I?”I reached for the suit jacket and pulled down the lip of the chest pocket. Everyone watched with wide eyes.“See? Right here?” I asked, pointing to a small logo. It was a white orchid. “This is how I know it’s not a fake.”“That doesn’t prove anything,” Ellie scoffed.“Oh, but it does,” I smiled triumphantly at Ellie. “Each designer at Hot House Flowers has their own, unique logo. This one here is an orchid, as you can see. They sew their logos into discreet places on every piece of clo
Jordyn’s POVI was shocked. Shocked and embarrassed.What had she just said?I couldn’t believe it. Cassandra had just told everyone that we were getting a divorce!How dare she?I was caught between my anger and utter humiliation.I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. My parents were staring at me, a scrupulous look on their faces. And my grandfather? His jaw was hanging wide open.Not cool, Cassandra, I thought to myself. Not cool at all.I had to say something. I had to regain my composure. Everyone was gawking. This was awful.I put down my fork and cleared my throat. My cheeks were flushed from humiliation.“Is this true?” my mother asked.“Not entirely. I haven’t agreed to the divorce,” I said, my eyes focused on my plate. I felt Cassandra’s eyes boring into me. She was clearly very, very angry at my mother. But this? This was crossing the line.I looked up and locked eyes with Cassandra. “This is a personal matter, Cassandra,” I said, each word slow and enunciated. “Plea
Cassandra’s POVI said good-bye to Stanley and thanked him for our talk. But when I left the study, I was surprised to see Jordyn standing up against the wall, right outside the study door!Our eyes met and I looked at him suspiciously.“Were you eavesdropping?” I asked.Had he been standing outside the door the entire time? And if so, how much had he heard? It was supposed to be a private conversation between me and Stanley!Jordyn stared at me, his gaze intense.“Did you just tell Grandpa about the divorce? Why? It’s our personal business,” he said, ignoring my question.I was flummoxed. Jordyn continued to stare at me. He had a strange look on his face. Surprise? Concern? Hurt? And I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard a touch of desperation in his voice.“What do you care? I asked. “It’s not a secret, Jordyn.” I kept my voice calm and controlled. “At least, it shouldn’t be. Your family has a right to know. The divorce is already decided. All you have to do is sign the papers an
Cassandra’s POV“Cassandra!” Jordyn called out. He rushed to my side and knelt beside me. This surprised me. I thought for sure he’d go to Ellie first. “What happened? Are you okay?”No. Not really. My body hurt in places I didn’t even know could hurt. But before I could reply…“Arghhhhh.” Ellie moaned loudly.His gaze turned from me to Ellie and he quickly stood up and went to her.We had both screamed as we fell down the stairs. Luckily, though, most of the guests had already left. So it was only a small group that assembled in the foyer at the foot of the stairs.Stanley came down the stairs, and Velma rushed in alongside her sister, Victoria, Jordyn’s aunt.The shock of the fall had worn off, and I was able to sit up. In my peripheral vision, I saw Jordyn help Ellie up to a sitting position.“Ladies,” Velma gasped. “How did this happen?”“Can you stand?” Jordyn asked. She had her arm around his shoulder for support.“Ow. No. Stop. I can’t. It hurts too much,” Ellie whined.“Oh hone
Cassandra’s POVJordyn’s face darkened. He pressed his lips together.“You sent your sugar daddy to pick you up?” he asked angrily. “From a party at my family's estate?”Wait. What?My who?Jordyn reached out and forcefully grabbed my arm.“That’s in really poor taste, Cassandra, even for you,” he seethed.But he had it all wrong.“It’s not my sugar daddy,” I explained. “I’ve already told you. I don’t have a sugar daddy.”“Then who the fuck is in that limo?” There was danger in his eyes.“Sir, remove your hands from the lady.” We both looked up to see the limo driver standing by the passenger door. He must have heard Jordyn and saw him aggressively grab my arm. Now he was trying to intervene.Still worried that Jordyn would find out who I was, the extremely successful co-owner of one of the hottest fashion design firms in the world, I waved off the driver.“It’s okay,” I reassured the driver. “I won’t be needing your services tonight after all.”If Jordyn wanted to think that some rich
Cassandra’s POVI walked into the studio and was surprised to bump into Stella. She had a roll of fabric under her arm.“Stella?” I asked. “What are you still doing here? Why haven’t you gone home yet?”“You know me,” she said in a joking tone. “There’s nothing to go home to. Work’s my only lover.”I chuckled. Stella had no shortage of male admirers. In fact, I was pretty sure she got asked out at least once a day. But she refused them. She wanted to focus on her career and she believed that men were all just distractions.“What about you? I thought you had that thing tonight at Jordyn’s grandfather’s?”I nodded. “I did. But it ended early. So I decided to come here to get a jump start on that difficult dress order.”Of course, I neglected to mention that by ‘ended early’, I really meant ‘I was pushed down a flight of stairs by Jordyn’s lover’. But she didn’t need to know the details of that ordeal.Yet.And I also neglected to mention that I’d made an ominous deal with Jordyn that put
Cassandra’s POVHe was holding my arm very firmly. His breath reeked of whiskey, hot on my cheek.“Let go of me,” I demanded.“Not until you pay me back for that drink,” he hissed. “And I only accept ONE form of payment.” He chuckled at his own joke. But I didn’t find any of this the least bit amusing.“I mean it,” I warned. “Let go of me immediately. Or I’ll call the bouncer and get you kicked out of here.”“Oh come on, honey. All I want is a little action.” He slurred his words. He was drunk. Much drunker than I’d initially realized. And before I knew it, he was grabbing the back of my head and trying to force his lips on mine.“You creep!” I cried out. “Stop it!” I pushed his face away from me. And I was just about to punch him, when I was pulled backward into someone’s arms. It all happened so fast, I was a bit confused at first. But the drunk man was aggressively pushed right off his bar stool.I turned around to see…“Dillon?”“Hey there, Cassandra. Thought you could use a littl
Cassandra’s POVI stared at the picture of a younger Ellie.“I don’t understand,” I told her, glancing back and forth from Ellie to the picture.“It’s all you fault,” she said in a huff, snatching back the picture and stuffing it back into her purse.“Um, you’re going to have to give a little more to go on,” Stella said. She was as confused as I was. I failed to see what Ellie’s parents had to do with any of this. Just as I failed to see how I had anything to do with her parents.“They died because of you,” Ellie seethed at me. “They never stood a chance in jail. My mother wasn’t that type of person. She was kind and sweet. They only lasted a few weeks before they were both murdered. My mother died in her cell from dehydration and my father was stabbed to death with a fork in the dining room.”“Oh,” I replied, not really sure what to make of this. I had no idea that both of Ellie’s parents had been killed. Hell, I didn’t even know her parents had gone to jail. Is that where Ellie got h
Cassandra’s POVEllie smiled at us both smugly.“Ellie?” Stella gasped. But I wasn’t surprised. I’d suspected that Ellie behind this right from the start. She’d gone missing after she was bailed out of jail. I knew how much she hated me and her hatred was too deep for her to just let things go. Jordyn had been trying to track her down, but I’d had a sinking suspicion that she was just waiting to make her next move.As soon as I received the text message informing me that Stella had been kidnapped, Ellie was the first person I thought of. I didn’t say anything to Cameron about my suspicions. I didn’t see the point. Instead, I’d called Jordyn as soon as I got in my car to meet the kidnappers.I told him about the text messages.“You think Ellie is behind this?” he’d asked, his voice tight.“I do,” I confessed to him as I drove through the streets. I told him I was on my way to meet Stella’s kidnappers. He got angry and told me that was too dangerous. I defended my decision. Stella was my
Cassandra’s POVThere was no one else in the room so I rushed over to Stella. She had a gag in her mouth but her eyes flew open when she saw me. Relief flooded over me. She looked tired and her hair was a mess, but other than that, she looked okay.I removed the gag from her mouth.“Cassandra!” she said, shocked. “What are you doing here? No. You shouldn’t be here. Please, go before you get hurt.” Her face was frantic.“Your kidnapper called me and told me to come. Of course I came.”“Are you here all by yourself?” she asked, aghast.I thought about Cameron. Was there any chance he’d been able to follow us? I highly doubted it.“I had to come alone,” I told her. “And I’m not leaving you,” I said firmly to Stella. Then I bent down and untied her legs and her arms behind her back. She rubbed her wrists. She had nasty rope burns from being tied up and I could tell it hurt.“Are you okay?” I asked, helping her stand.“Yeah. I think so. Just thirsty. And hungry. Where are we?”“I have no id
Cassandra’s POVI drove to the assigned place, my hands gripped firmly on the steering wheel. I told myself over and over to just stay calm, that I could do this. Part of me couldn’t believe that this was really happening. I was on my way to meet kidnappers. It felt so surreal.I was aware that Cameron was tailing me, but he was doing a good job of keeping his distance. I only saw him once or twice in the rear view mirror.The address brought me to a docking area right by the water. It was isolated. I saw the two men in black waiting by a shipping container. It looked like a scene out of a movie.Oh god, was that where Stella was? Inside a shipping container? Was she hurt? Was she okay?I pulled up close, my heart pounding in my chest.“Get out,” one of the men ordered.I did as he said, assuming he was going to bring me inside the container. But just then, a car pulled out from behind the container.The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see who was driving.“Get in,” one of the men sa
Dillon’s POV “How about the Lighthouse Bar and Grill? I think that’s a pretty romantic spot. It overlooks the water?”I nodded. I’d called up my friend, Sam, the doctor who had seen Cassandra, to ask for restaurant recommendations. He was a real foodie so he knew all the best places in town. Plus, he also knew Cassandra so I figured he might have some insight into a great place to take her.“I’ve never been there but it has good reviews,” I told him.“Or, if you want to go super classy and high-end, there’s always ‘Le Fromage’. How does Cassandra feel about French food?”I smiled to myself, remembering a night together recently when I made her French onion soup. She’d told me she loved it. Apparently, the cuisine was one of the reasons she liked going to Paris.“She’d really like that,” I told him. “Sold!”I thanked him and then hung up, turning my attention to tracking down the number for Le Fromage so I could make a reservation.But then I paused. Was the restaurant good enough? I n
Cassandra’s POV “What’s the address?” Cam asked as I stared at my phone in utter disbelief. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. Who would kidnap Stella? And why?“You can’t come,” I said, looking up at him, my eyes wide with shock.“What do you mean I can’t come?” he asked.“The person on the phone said I have to go alone.”The instructions had been very clear.Ping.A text came through the assigned meeting place. I scanned it.“I can’t let you go alone,” Cameron told me. “It’s not safe. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”I shook my head. “Then what will you have me do? Stella’s life is on the line, Cam. You saw the texts. I have to follow their directions perfectly or they’ll kill Stella.”Cameron sighed deeply and began to pace. It was coming on rush hour and the street was becoming jam-packed with cars as people left their jobs for the day. I had to go now, otherwise I risked being stuck in traffic.“I’m sorry,” Cameron finally said. “But I’m coming with you.”“No,
Cassandra’s POV Kidnapped? Stella was kidnapped? Who would do this? Who would kidnap Stella?The world around me lilted and I felt dizzy. I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.It felt surreal.“Holy shit,” Cameron said, his eyes scanning the text. Then sighed, taking a step back from the text on my phone. He wrung his hands through his hair before he looked up at me. “Let me see that again,” he said. I thrusted the phone at him so he could get a closer look. “I’m calling the police,” he told me after he’d read the text. He whipped out his phone.“No,” I pushed his arm, sending his phone flying through the air. It landed with a crash on the cement. It didn’t break though, thanks to his protective case.He went over and picked it up.“What the hell, Cass?” Cameron asked.“Sorry,” I said. “But look. It says, ‘instructions to follow.” Sure enough, my phone pinged with another text message.“If you want to save your friend,” the text said. “You must come alone. If yo
Cassandra’s POV Dillon followed me around like a hawk for the next few days. He drove me into work every day and even personally escorted me to the elevator. He texted me every hour on the hour and at the end of the day, he was always waiting out front, leaning on his car. I didn’t mind though. I was actually pretty rattled by everything. Knowing that Ellie wasn’t in jail any more didn’t sit well with me.I laid awake at night, convinced that I heard someone outside the spare bedroom window at Dillon’s house. Of course, it was always just the wind, but still…I was constantly glancing over my shoulder, convinced that, at any moment, Ellie would appear and attack me. I was becoming paranoid and I hated it.Every night Jordyn phoned us but he couldn’t find hide nor hair of Ellie. It was like she’d just vanished into thin air. Jordyn had gone to her house and let himself in with his key. She wasn’t there though. Her toiletries were gone and her dresser drawers had been wide open. One o
Cassandra’s POV“I’m surprised,” Dillon said. “I thought for sure Jordyn had bailed Ellie out. But I guess I was wrong. He seems really…” Dillon’s voice trailed off as he searched for the right word.“Worried?” I offered.“Yeah. I mean, he actually told me to look after you. That says a lot. I guess he’s finally realizing how awful Ellie is.”“Awful and dangerous,” I said.“So I guess we wait?” Dillon replied.“I guess we do,” I agreed. We turned our show back on but neither of us had the capacity to watch it. We were both tense and anxious. Hopefully, Jordyn could track down Ellie. In the meantime, there really wasn’t anything we could do.Roughly fifteen minutes later, my phone rang.“It’s Jordyn,” I said, answering it.“Her phone’s been disconnected,” Jordyn said as soon as I answered.“What?” I asked, stunned.“I tried everything. Her phone, her social media accounts, everything. But she’s blocked me on all her social media. I have no way to contact her.”“Why would she do that?”