Zazu P.O.V.I was lying on the couch, flipping through a magazine when I heard a soft, muffled noise. I closed the magazine to see if I was hearing things or not. I heard that terrible sound of crying again. I thought I was at home alone.When did Casey come back? She left this morning before I came back from work. We did not have much communication in the last few days. I know she is hiding something for me but what? I have no idea.The sound was too faint at first, but soon it turned into something like sobbing that can puncture your ear drums. I sat up straight. It is definitely her.Why is she crying?I set the magazine aside and walked toward her bedroom. I should have brought my ear plugs.My cousin can be a nice and beautiful person but she is a ugly crier ."Casey?" I called softly, knocking on her door. "Are you okay?"There was a beat of silence before she responded, her voice thick and shaky. "I’m fine."I frowned. That did not sound fine at all. "Then why are you sounding li
Casey P.O.V.I was wiping my face with a tissue, trying to rid myself of the traces of my crying session, when my phone started ringing. Zazu, still sitting beside me, leaned forward and glanced at the screen. Her eyes widened in panic."Aunt Avery is calling!" she announced, lifting the phone from the nightstand like it was a live grenade.My eyes shot open, wide in disbelief. My mother. Well there goes my heart in panic mode.Of all times,why now? How did she manage to call at the worst possible moments? Could not she have just waited a few more days?Zazu pushed the phone toward me, but I frantically shook my head, my eyes pleading with her. I mouthed a desperate "No!" and backed away, wanting to be anywhere but here. I looked around the room, trying to think of an escape route, but there was none.Zazu was not having any of it. She shoved the phone back into my hand, giving me a pointed glare that said, Pick up the phone, Casey. It was clear I was not going to win this fight. The p
Owen P.O.VI was doing cardio, and the music system was blaring with loud music. Google, my golden retriever, was sprawled out on the couch, taking his afternoon nap. He had been there since we got back from our run in the park, not a care in the world. Meanwhile, I was sweating through my routine, trying to shake off the tension from the week. I stood up after finishing my push-ups and moved to the dumbbells. The music was so loud that it drowned out everything else. As I lifted the weight, I thought I heard the faint sound of the doorbell ringing. I dismissed the thought, figuring I was just hearing things, and went back to my exercise.But there it was again, some kind of sound, barely audible over the blasting music. I ignored it, deciding to finish my reps before worrying about anything else. Then, out of nowhere, a loud scream rattled the walls of the apartment, somehow cutting through the pounding bass of the music."OWEN BROWN, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR IN TWO MINUTES OR I SWEAR TO G
Casey P.O.V.The tension in the dining room was suffocating as we all sat down to have dinner. I was seated next to Owen, trying my best to appear calm, but the oppressive silence made every bite feel forced. Across from us, Owen's sister, Lauren, picked at her food with little interest, and his mother, Maria, sat at the head of the table, observing everything like a hawk waiting for its prey and that prey might be me .I lifted my fork, aiming for the vegetables on my plate, when Maria broke the silence with a question that immediately set me on edge.“What about your family?” Maria asked, her voice light but laced with curiosity. Her eyes flickered over to Lauren before returning to me, expectant. “You both got engaged so fast. We did not really get a chance to know you or your parents. I would love to know more about you and your family.”My throat immediately tightened, and I tried to suppress the cough that was threatening to escape. This was exactly the conversation I did not wan
Maria’s P.O.V.I sat at the kitchen table, watching Owen and Casey with narrowed eyes. The two of them were acting like a lovesick couple, whispering to each other and exchanging these little glances that would make anyone swoon. But something did not sit right with me. I had raised Owen better than this. He had never kept secrets from me before, and yet, suddenly, this woman appeared out of nowhere, and my son, who runs in the opposite direction every time we bring marriage, suddenly can not wait to get married.What witchcraft did this woman have done to my son? He is not even listening to meThe last time we spoke about Casey, I had found out through a close friend that she had been dating someone else until four months ago. But Owen told me they had been together for eight months. A few days later,after that dinner, they came to me and said they could not lie to me anymore and gave me some weak explanation about how they had lied to everyone and had not gotten together until four m
Casey P.O.V.We were seated at a quiet corner table in the restaurant, the hum of light conversation and the clinking of cutlery filling the air around us. Our server had just taken our orders and walked away when I turned my attention back to Owen, who was sitting across from me, fiddling with the edge of his napkin. "So why this sudden emergency meeting after your mother and sister just left this afternoon?" I asked, taking a sip of my water, watching him over the rim of the glass. God is finally on my side. My mother and uncle had to cancel their plans because of some emergency, otherwise they would be coming today.He sighed, and the sound was heavy, like he’d aged twenty years in one day. "I talked to my mother this evening.""And?" I pressed, sensing something big coming."She hired a private investigator," he said, his voice flat. "To investigate your background. Your career. Your stepfather."I sprayed the water from my mouth directly onto his face in shock. "What?!"Owen scr
Casey P.O.VI blinked at him. "Monday? But I have an interview on Monday morning.”“You can attend the interview. The flight is in the evening. Hope by then your interview will end.” Then Owen gave me a look, one I was not sure how to read. I can not say if I like it or not. "And there is something I want to talk about… I am offering you a job at my restaurant. In HR position of course.”I stared at him, mouth hanging open. "Wait, what?”"The position is already yours. You just have to show up for the interview as a formality," he said casually, as if he had not just thrown a bombshell at me. "My mother suggested it when I told her you wanted to do something on your own. She thinks it is a good idea and I think the same. It will be a good opportunity.”My blood boiled, and I shot up from my chair. "Excuse me? I do not need your favours, Owen. I can get a job on my own based on my qualifications, not because you put in a word for me.”I turned to march out, but Owen grabbed my hand, st
Casey P.O.VBefore dessert arrived, I excused myself to use the washroom. With my purse in hand, I made my way through the restaurant, heels clicking softly against the marble floor. The air was cool, and the scent of food lingered in the background, but I hardly noticed any of it. My thoughts were jumbled, running a mile a minute, and this was the perfect moment to take a breath.Pushing open the washroom door, I stepped inside and quickly entered one of the stalls. I did my business, grateful for the brief escape from the awkward dinner conversation at the table. After finishing, I stepped out to wash my hands, the washroom still completely empty. The sleek marble countertops and polished mirrors reflected my hurried movements as I turned the tap on.As I was washing my hands, the door behind me creaked open. I did not pay much attention to the person entering and focused on myself, staring down at the running water, lost in thought. When I finally turned off the tap and glanced to