I felt someone hug me from behind. When I turned around, I realized who. It was Kelly."Cassie!" She screamed in elation. "I can't believe this! You're finally free."I could hardly register what was happening around me as too much was unfolding at one go."You are going to be alright, Cassie! You're going to come home. Your life is going back to normal again!"I nodded, "It is, isn't it?" I asked, perplexed. "Everything is going to be alright now.""Yes, absolutely!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. "All thanks to this man here who never gave up on you."Following her eyes, I looked to my right where Enzo was standing. I detected a sense of relief on his face, as though a mountain of responsibility had been lifted off his shoulders. Dark circles had formed below his eyes, making me wonder how many sleepless nights he had endured to lead us to today's victory.Tears accumulated in my eyes i
When I walked toward Becky, Calvin was nowhere in sight, nor were his lawyers, giving me my much-needed alone time with her. My conversation with her was far overdue, I realized.She saw me approaching her and started glaring. Her face was full of anger."What do you want?" She asked as soon as I arrived near her."I wanted to check if you're doing well." I said, "After all, you might be going to prison very soon. And after living there for two weeks, thanks to you, I can assure you that they will take very good care of people like you. You better be prepared."Becky scoffed, "I am not going anywhere. I will be right here with Calvin, making sure you don't steal him from me yet again.""Yet again?" I laughed, "Calvin was never yours to begin with, Becky. He was my husband. You are the one that came in between and sabotaged the life we built. If anything, it was you that took him away from me.""Calvin loved me."
Calvin’s POV“What’s the matter?” Becky’s concerned voice came after me as I entered our bedroom. Without sparing her a glance or a nod of acknowledgement, I barged into the bathroom, banging the door shut behind me.I hated lies. I hated liars.Today, Becky was found to be one. I loved her so much, but she didn't tell me the truth. I found out about it in court. It was pathetic.As I stood under the showerhead, I couldn't help but wonder why she might have done that. Why did she have to lie about who was driving the car and why did she have to frame Cassie in a murder case? Why did she hate her so much? Did that mean that Penelope had lied too? But why would she?
Cassie’s POV I looked up at the tall building with a sigh.It was my first day.I noticed that there was a Starbucks located beneath the office. Since I had some time to spare, I went in to get a fresh cup of mocha. Instead of sitting inside, I decided to take a stroll in the small park area outside the building. Maybe it was because I’ve been away from work for so long, I felt a bit uneasy to enter the office building.When it was time, I finally mustered up the courage to go inside. Saving me a trip to the HR, Enzo slipped in my identity card this morning, which granted me hassle-free entry into the building. Even though I told him that everything would just follow the process and I was confident I could get through all the interviews, Enzo said we didn’t need all those complicated steps. I went along with his arrangement, after all, it was his good intention.I went straight up to my floor and navigated through the throng of people who were standing in the gaps between the cubicle
I stared at the computer screen in horror. It was filled with red errors.I scrolled through my work in disbelief. This was the worst feedback I have ever received. I can’t be that bad.. Until.. I realized I was. What was this? I had never made these many mistakes before.Right then, my telephone buzzed beside my computer. When I took the call, I realized that it was Patrick calling me.“Meet me in my office.”Shit. “O-okay.”I quickly went to his office. I knocked on the door and pushed it open. When I entered, Patrick was looking into a file and didn’t bother to look up and acknowledge me. I clea
As I twisted the door knob open, I saw light flooding from inside. I frowned.Enzo was back already?“Hello?” I said as I closed the door behind me, getting rid of my heels.“In here.” Enzo’s voice chimed from the kitchen.“Wow, you’re cooking?” I asked. I was amused looking at him in his chef attire.“I am,” he said, “I hope you like pasta.”“I do.” I said, “But what’s the occasion ?”“We’re
I was having one of those dreams where you are aware of it.I was back in my prison cell, preparing myself for bed when I heard someone opening my cell door. When I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, I was instantly knocked down. I found myself on the floor in an instant and a faceless man was towering over my figure.I tried to scream for help, but nobody came. He caught my hands and put them above my head, and using his other hand, he tried to lift my shirt. I screamed in horror and jumped from my dream.When I woke up, I realized that I was panting and Enzo was patting my back. The TV screen froze and Enzo turned the lights on.“Cassie!” He said in worry, “What th
The next week at the office was the same drill, and before I knew it, it was the weekend.I couldn't believe I lasted an entire week here, from having no idea how I was doing to gaining some foundation somehow. Emma was patient with me as I got the basics right and I eventually started working by myself, rarely needing her help.Through the week, Emma and I developed a great bond. She was proving to be my kind of a person, and since she wasn’t very close to any of her other colleagues, she was soon to accept me into her life too. Although she was technically my senior, she never made me feel that way, nor did she treat me like I was below her in rank. Because of this, we instantly clicked.Patrick was surprised with us too. He noticed that we were hav
A lump formed in my throat.Suddenly, I was scared to look into his eyes. And before I could stop them, tears rolled out of my eyes.I watched Enzo’s face twist with concern, and he quickly leaned toward me.“Cassie, why are you crying? Does it hurt?”I tightened my jaw in shame, holding back my sobs. Enzo quickly slipped out of me, and I suddenly felt empty. He took me into his arms and gently stroked my cheek.“Cassie, you’re scaring me. What’s the matter?”“I don’t know…” I admitted. “I guess&h
I felt my dress slip away from my body with ease at the mercy of his hands. I looked up at his hooded eyes, taken aback by the hunger in them. I never felt so desired by a man before. And oddly, it stirred a new confidence in me. I did not feel shy to finally get intimate with a man. Rather, I felt like I was meant to share this experience with him.“Having second thoughts yet?” He asked, rolling my hair into a thick bun behind my head. I felt a weird sensation travel down my entire body as he pulled at my roots.“No,” I said, “Just wondering why I resisted this all these days.”He raised his eyebrows up at me, “Because you’re an idiot.”H
Mr Lee's party did not fail to surprise me. I widened my eyes at what looked like a mini casino.“Damn,” I said, “Look over there. It looks like Mr Lee has just won a round of poker.”Enzo followed my gaze to look at Mr Lee holding a stack of notes in victory. His eyes fell on us then and he gestured for us to come over.“Come on, Mr DeLuca. Join us.” He said, pulling a chair beside him.“I don’t play poker, Mr Lee.” He said.“Ah, that’s too bad.” He clicked his tongue before looking at me. “Perhaps Miss Harper can join us?”
Mr Lee was not kidding.His beach property a few kilometres away from his residence was astounding. It was a member’s only resort, meaning only the wealthy had access to it. Mr Lee’s friends were also here for a small get-together, and we would be joining them to have some fun.“My staff will guide you to your villa, Mr De Luca.” Mr Lee said as we got out of his car. “This is mine. I’ll be heading in. See you in the evening for dinner. Don’t be late.”“Sure. Thank you, Mr Lee.”Only when we reached our villa did it occur to me that I would have to share it with Enzo. After all, in Mr Lee’s eyes, we were a couple.I humped
Warm rays of sunshine woke up the next morning.And as soon as I did, I realized that my body was pressed against Enzo's!I widened my eyes in surprise. Our legs were entangled, and our bodies were cuddling against each other.How did we end up like this?Somehow, I got out of his hold and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I came back, Enzo was wide awake."Shit." I muttered to myself, holding the towel closer to my chest.Enzo's eyes lifted to steal a glance at me, and surprise was evident on his face. I watched as his jaw clenched. I knew too well that his gaze was not an innocent one. Grabbing my bag, I almost ran to the walk-in closet to change.After a while, we were on our way to meet our client.“It’s an unusual place to set up an office, isn’t it?” I asked once we got into the car.“Yes, which is why it's not here.” Enzo said, “It’s in Seoul. Just that Lee
By the time Enzo returned, I managed to regain some of my composure.I found a movie to watch and was about to play it when I heard someone giggle near the aisle. It was right outside mine, and it was two girls, possibly in their teens, who were gushing.The brunette said, “Oh, my god. Did you look at that man? He looks like a Greek god!”“I know right!” The blonde replied, “He’s like chiseled to perfection. I’m sure he’s european!”“Probably, but wow. He’s so hot. I wonder if he would be up for a quick snog in the washroom.”I widened my eyes in amusement. Who could be this handsome hunk they were talking about?
The weekend arrived sooner than anticipated.I barely had enough time amidst all of this to process that I was going on a business trip with Enzo. What the hell! How was I going to survive it?“You're carrying your passport, right?” Enzo asked as we arrived at the airport.“Yes.” I said and pointed to my shoulder bag, “Right here.”Nodding, he walked us to the private lounge area reserved for business class passengers. We took a seat by the couch, and instead of making conversation with me, Enzo opened his laptop and started working.Although he asked me to accompany him, Enzo barely made any effort to make things less aw
Cassie’s POVNext day at the office was rather awkward. Enzo and I ended up travelling in the same lift along with Emma, yet we didn’t exchange any words. As we got off on our floor, Emma asked me,“Is Enzo okay?”“Er… yes. Why do you ask?”“He seemed grim.” She said, “Didn’t you notice the circles under his eyes?”Well, I did. And it pained to know that I was the reason for it. I wish I could help him. But how? I was the reason he was suffering. How could I alleviate his pain?“Work stress, perhaps.” I said.
I exhaled in disbelief.Enzo wanted… me? I could not believe it!“Me?” I asked, “But… you were trying to get back with Liza, weren’t you? That night when you went to her house… I thought you were-”“No, Cassie. I didn’t go there to make things right with her. I went there to permanently break things off. To tell her that her and I can never be a thing.”“Why?” I asked, “You were serious before she went abroad right? You wanted to give it a chance when she came back.”“Well, that is partly true. But things were different back then.