Fifty Four

Chapter 54

After saying reassuring words to Cassandra, Antonio finally gave her space. He knew that Cassandra needed time for herself, and he respected that. “Take all the time you need,” he said, then turned and walked toward the door. After that, he contacted his driver to return to the office.

In the car, Antonio sat with a blank stare, his eyes fixed outside the window. A mixture of emotions enveloped him. A part of him was starting to feel closer to Cassandra, but another part worried that these feelings might interfere with his mission. However, one thing was certain—Cassandra was beginning to show signs of weakness. That was a sign of victory for Antonio.

Upon arriving at the office, the atmosphere, so different from home, distracted him slightly. He briefly felt the contrast between the business world and the personal life he shared with Cassandra. As soon as he got out of the car, his personal secretary, Ben, greeted him respectfully.

“Good morning, Mr. Antonio,” Ben said, with a smile on his face. “Any good or bad news today?”

Antonio nodded, offering a slight smile in return. “Morning, Ben. Nothing bad, but some things are starting to become clearer. How about the report I asked for?”

Ben nodded and pulled out a few documents from his bag. “Of course, Sir. Everything is ready. But I have to ask, how did you deal with Cassandra?” Ben carefully slipped in the question, worried that he might say something he shouldn't.

Antonio smiled faintly, feeling there was a question that was quite tempting. “It’s getting interesting, Ben. Looks like she’s starting to soften up. She’s beginning to see another side of me. Maybe I can get more than just business from her.”

Ben stared at his boss with sharp eyes, unsure whether this was a statement to be welcomed or a warning. “But be careful, Mr. Antonio,” he said slowly. “Cassandra is not an ordinary woman. She’s a detective, and that means she can see more than we think.”

Antonio laughed lightly, as if Ben's warning was nothing more than a joke. “Ben, you worry too much. Cassandra may be a detective, but she’s not someone who can uncover everything. I know, Ben, I can see it in her eyes. She’s starting to fall for me. And that’s a huge advantage.”

Ben couldn’t hide the worried expression on his face. He knew Antonio always had the ability to read situations carefully, but this time he felt that something was different. “Alright, Sir. But be cautious. We still need to keep an eye on her.”

Antonio dismissed Ben’s doubts with a wave of his hand, a bit irritated. “Forget about that. Focus on other things. What’s going on with Alexander? Is he still approaching Cassandra?”

Ben nodded, quickly responding to Antonio’s command. “I’ve arranged for the team to monitor his movements, Sir. However, do you want us to take further action?”

Antonio walked toward the large office window, staring outside with sharp focus. “We can’t let Alexander keep disturbing Cassandra. He might be a small player, but if he keeps approaching her, he could become a threat. I want to know what we should do to make sure he doesn’t get close to her again. Should we give him a warning? Or something more serious?”

Ben thought for a moment before replying, realizing that what Antonio was asking might not be that simple. “Sir, if you want to stop Alexander, we might need to apply more pressure. We know he won’t back off just from a warning. We can make him feel unsafe. But, of course, that would attract attention.”

Antonio spun his chair around and sat calmly. “Do what you think is necessary, Ben. The important thing is to make sure that Alexander doesn’t disturb Cassandra again. And make sure he knows who controls this game. I won’t let anyone, including Alexander, become a threat to what I’m building.”

Ben nodded, ready to carry out the order. “Of course, Sir. I’ll make sure everything goes according to plan.”

As Ben went off to follow Antonio’s orders, his boss remained sitting at his desk, deep in thought. What was happening with Cassandra was starting to affect his mind more than he had expected. Could he really maintain control? And were the growing feelings between them just a game, or was it something more? Antonio felt uneasy with this uncertainty. But he knew one thing—he wasn’t going to back down.

However, these growing feelings, feelings he had never experienced before, made him feel out of control. And that’s what drove him to ensure that no one would stand in the way of what he was planning. Whether it was Cassandra, or anyone threatening his goals.

In the midst of his busyness, Antonio continued to ponder what would happen next. Deep down, he knew one thing: whether Cassandra had begun to get attached to him or it was part of a bigger plan, he wasn’t going to let anyone destroy what he had built.

Antonio sat at his desk, feeling engulfed by emotions he couldn’t explain. His secretary, Ben, had gone to follow up on his instructions, leaving him alone in the large, quiet office, filled with images of a business life that never stopped spinning. But this time, his mind wandered far from work, focusing instead on Cassandra—the woman who had become so significant in his life.

He stared out the window, but his vision was blurred, obstructed by the complexity of his thoughts. He thought back to Ben's words, his worries about Cassandra, and the warnings about who she really was. A detective. A woman with a mission for revenge that he might not fully understand. Antonio felt that there was more to their relationship than just business, something he couldn’t avoid, despite his efforts to stay calm and in control.

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to the drawer of his desk, a drawer he rarely opened. In certain situations, he often hid personal things in it—things he never showed to anyone. Sometimes, it held memories he wanted to forget. That drawer caught Antonio’s attention, and without thinking, he unlocked it.

When the drawer opened, he found several envelopes containing photos he hadn’t remembered. The photos, long buried in paper and plastic, now surfaced, telling stories he had once tried to forget. There were pictures of Cassandra’s parents. The photos showed two people who appeared to be full of love, standing together in a simple yet loving family portrait. Among the photos, the faces of Cassandra’s parents—a man and woman who seemed to have left this world too soon—stood out clearly. Those images were precious to Cassandra, and she couldn’t just ignore them.

Antonio looked at the pictures with hesitation. Some of them showed happy moments he would never get to experience—a simple family moment, full of peace. Then he thought, perhaps this was one reason why Cassandra was so closed off. What had happened to her parents? Why were they no longer around? It was as if the answer was hidden behind the angry gaze in her eyes every time they met.

Antonio’s hand trembled slightly as he held the photo closer. One photo showed Cassandra’s parents standing in front of their house, smiling happily. But now, there was an unsettling feeling bubbling inside him—did this mean that someday Cassandra would come for him with the intention of getting revenge? Would she kill him? Would she truly seek retribution for what had happened to her family? Antonio gripped the photo tighter, feeling the weight of this question grow heavier.

He muttered quietly to himself, his voice barely audible. “Will Cassandra ever manage to kill me for revenge?” The words echoed in the silence of his office, as if asking himself, the life he had chosen, the path he had opened, and the past he couldn’t avoid.

As a man who had spent his life in a world filled with manipulation and power, Antonio knew that every step he took could have huge consequences. But he also realized that Cassandra was more than just a woman lost in her mission. There was something deeper, something more complicated than he had imagined, and that made him uneasy.

He carefully placed the photo back into the drawer, trying to ignore the feelings that were becoming more disturbing. But those feelings couldn’t be easily forgotten. His heart kept calling out, questioning whether he could really control everything, or if he was playing with fire.

Would Cassandra take that path—the dark, hateful one? Would she succeed in her quest for vengeance, or would the feelings growing between them change everything?

Antonio slowly closed the drawer and looked out the window, trying to calm himself. He knew that this was no longer just a business matter. There was something bigger, more dangerous, now hanging in the air. Something that would test the limits of his control. Something that, perhaps unknowingly, had already begun the moment he met Cassandra.

He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the anxiety that haunted him. In a world like this, nothing could be certain, and every decision could turn against you. But Antonio, with all his power, knew one thing for sure: he would never let anyone—not even Cassandra—take control of his life.

However, behind all of this, Antonio began to feel one thing that was harder to face: that he, himself, was also trapped in this game.