Chapter 3: Cracks in the Walls

CASSIE

I thought to myself. ' I shouldn't have let him in.' I knew better how things like this go... it never goes well for me.

I studied George meticulously as he sat across me at my kitchen table like he belonged there, completely unbothered by the fact that my humble abode was far beneath his taste.

And worse? I let him stay.

I cleared my throat as I pushed my plate away. "So… you just decided to show up here? Don't billionaires have better things to do?"

George smirked. "Define. better."

"I don't know, literally anything else." I shot back.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, with amusement flickering in his eyes. "I wanted to check up on you."

I blinked. "Why?"

"Because you looked like you needed someone.

The air shifted.

I wanted to laugh and brush it off. But there was something about the way he said it… he sounded sincere and that made my stomach twist.

I hated that he was doing this.

He saw me in a way no one else did. And if I were being honest, a tiny part of me loved it.

I swallowed, forcing my voice to stay even. "Well, I don't. I don't need anyone."

He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was some kind of puzzle he was determined to solve.

"You don't let people help you, do you?"

I forced out a dry laugh. "That's funny coming from you."

He arched a brow, looking utterly confused. "Why?"

"Because people like you don't understand what it's like to need help." I shot back.

His expression didn't change like he had expected it. "You think I've never needed anyone?"

I shrugged, looking away. I'd rather look any other place than straight at him at the moment. "I believe you've never had to."

Silence stretched between us.

And for a second, I thought I had finally shut him up.

But then… he spoke with a trace of pain in his voice

"My mom died when I was twelve."

He went silent for a little while. The silence was deafening, it made my chest tighten and my stomach churned.

"She was sick for a long time," he continued, his voice sounding even as possible. "But she didn't let anyone find out. Not even my father, and by the time we found out, it was too late."

Something in his expression darkened, like he had gone somewhere far away.

I swallowed hard. "I… I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't." He looked at me, straight into my eyes, his gaze steady... like he was searching me for something in me. "That's the thing about people, Cassie. We assume we know their stories when we don't even know the first chapter."

I had no idea what to say to that. 

So, I said nothing.

GEORGE

Cassie was running out of excuses.

I could see it in the way she looked at me… like she wanted to fight but didn't know what she was fighting for anymore.

She wanted to believe I was like every other rich man she had met. She wanted to believe I had never known struggle, nor have I ever had to fight for anything in life.

Because that made it easier for her to keep me at arm's length.

But she was wrong, and I was done letting her believe otherwise.

"You can't push me away forever", I said quietly.

She tensed. "I'm not"

"Yes, you are."

Her mouth opened, then closed back abruptly.

I leaned forward slightly, resting my forearms on the table. "I don't know what you've been through. But I know it has made you scared."

Her jaw tightened. "I'm not scared of anything."

I held her gaze. "Then prove it."

A challenge. A dare.

For a second, she just stared at me, then she did something I didn't expect.

She laughed.

It was soft, almost bitter, like she didn't quite believe I was real.

"You really don't give up, do you?"

I smiled slightly, keeping eye contact with her. "Not when something's worth it."

She looked away, but I saw the way her fingers fidgeted and tightened around the edge of the table.

She was breaking, slowly but surely.

And I was going to be there when she finally let these walls fall.

She's going to be mine; I want that.

CASSIE

I should have told him to leave.

I should have told him that I didn't need him, that I was perfectly fine on my own.

But for some reason, I didn't.

Instead, I let him sit there. He looked at me like he cared, like I was a golden price.

And for the first time in a long time…

I wanted to believe it.

CASSIE

I didn't want to need him. Needing people had never worked in my favor.

But George Sinclair sat there in my tiny kitchen. He made me feel like I wasn't just another person he had to entertain before moving on.

And that scared me more than anything.

I pushed my chair back, needing space. "It's late. You should go."

He didn't move. "Cassie."

"Please, George."

A flicker of something crossed his face. Concern? Frustration? I didn't know.

But after a while, he nodded.

"Okay."

He stood, and for a second, I thought that was it. That he would finally leave and I could breathe again.

But as he reached the door, he turned back.

His voice was soft and reassuring. "You don't have to do this alone."

I swallowed hard, staring at the floor.

I heard the door click shut behind him.

And only then did I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

GEORGE

I had seen Cassie's type before. People who built walls so high they forgot what it was like to live outside of them. I had never been able to manage them because I was exactly the same; maybe even worse. But now, I'm healed and she was somehow much precious than gold to me.

She wasn't just guarded, though; she was drowning. And no matter how much she tried to push me away, I wasn't going to let her sink.

I stepped outside, the night air cool against my skin.

I had to be patient.

Cassie wasn't the kind of woman you saved in one night.

But I had already decided.

I wasn't going anywhere.

__________

 

CASSIE

I woke up feeling like I had barely slept. It felt like I had slept on a brick wall with glass over it all. Every part of my body hurt but I was used to this already. I didn't know why I felt this way nearly every day, but it is now my reality.

George's words still lingered in my mind no matter how much I tried to push them away.

'You don't have to do this alone.'

I shook my head and forced myself out of bed. I had work to do.

I quickly showered and packed my hair in a messy bun, I didn't think I needed make-up. All I did was tame these bushy, scattered eyebrows with my brow gel and enhance my lashes with my nearly empty mascara.

If I was going through hell, I might as well not look like my problems.

I was already running late for work and my boss wasn't the nicest when it came to running late.. It's only fair. 

I hurried out of my apartment, locking my doors with my keys. I knew I had to walk a short distance before I got a taxi around here. I walked briskly along the pavement, hoping I would meet Carlos's abuela, the nice grandma of my neighbor who usually gave me a lift. Unfortunately, she wasn't around today. 'What a bummer'

How was I supposed to get to work on time now? I sighed to myself.

Suddenly, I heard the honking of a car around the block. Good gracious, it's a taxi... I'm saved. I waved my hand in a bid to call the taxi and to my greatest surprise, it was Carla.

"Carlos", I chirped. "Do you run a taxi now? I asked further.

"Si Cassidy, Mi Abuela esta enferma y necesito dinero para lo factura del hospital" he replied with an obvious trace sadness in his tone.

"Oh no, No so Sabia... Lo siento mucho" I replied. "I'd try help out with the bills too" I added.

I was nowhere financially stable for all that, but I loved Carlos's Abuela; she's the closest thing to a mother to me, whereas my mom... ehhh, wasn't the best. Our relationship was best apart! Distance works well.

"No te molestes, lo tengo cubierto. You already got a lot on your hands, Cassie." He tried to reassure me.

"Absolutely not. I want to help, and besides,

is just like a mother to me" I defended. "And even though you don't accept my money, I'll get it to you anyways... one way or the other." I continued.

"Mhmm, Café? Si?" He asked, evading my last words.

"Si" 

We arrived at my Café right on time, therefore, I didn't need to face a very cranky, angry boss.

"Thank you Carlos" I waved happily as I watched his excitement from the pay he received for the dropping me off.