Sunlight streamed into the chilly room, gently warming Cassandra's face. She stirred, her eyelids fluttering open and a dull, throbbing pain greeted her. The world spun around her, and she groaned, trying to make the dizziness go away. Despite the lame attempts her headache only worsened. She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy, and she was unable to lift herself.It was almost as though she was trapped in her body, unable to do anything except stare at the ceiling. She thought about what might be causing her headache, but the more she thought about it, the more it hurt. Suddenly, she realized this might be the after-effect of the drugs Lance had used on her.Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door creaked open, and her aunt Mercedes came in, her grey eyes scanning the room with suspicion. When her gaze settled on Cassandra, curled up on the bed, they narrowed with contempt. It was just like yesterday, Cassandra’s parents had died in a car crash on a business trip, Cassand
After breakfast, Cassandra realized they were out of some groceries, so she went back upstairs to get dressed for her outing. She always felt a sense of relief when leaving the house; the atmosphere outside was so much less suffocating.“Where are you going?” Lance's voice suddenly halted her just as she was about to exit the front door. Cassandra froze, clutching her faded blue jean purse tightly in her hands, her heart palpitating in her chest as she spoke.“T-to get some g-groceries,” she stammered, her eyes drifting behind him as she noticed Lena approaching.“I’ll drive you,” Lance offered, his words sending goosebumps across her exposed skin. The thought of going out with Lance terrified her, and she was about to make up an excuse when Lena suddenly rushed forward.“Ugh! Brother, why are you always going around with her? It’s like she’s got you all wrapped around her finger,” Lena exclaimed in frustration, her eyes raking over Cassandra with visible disgust.“Lena, wait… come on
Cassandra came downstairs from her room all dressed up, her uncle was waiting just outside the door. He nodded at her, a look of mild satisfaction on his face, and gestured for her to follow him. She hesitated for a moment but then followed him out of the house and to his car, just as she had guessed, they were going out…but where, and when nobody was at home too?She quietly nestled into the passenger seat, and an anxious feeling crept over her. This was the first time he had taken her to one of his events, this one had to be intense. Her uncle was a successful businessman, frequently attending important meetings and gatherings, just like her father. But this time, he had invited her to accompany him.She watched him as he slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine with a roar. They pulled out of the driveway, the car moving swiftly down the road. At first, the ride was silent, both of them lost in their thoughts. After a few minutes, Niko cleared his throat, preparing the conv
“Father told me that you were getting married,” Cassandra froze when she heard Lance’s cold voice coming from the doorway of her room, a fearful gasp escaped her, she had planned to avoid him, but she didn’t know how he was able to get to the door without her knowing, had she had forgotten to turn on the lock to the door?Cassandra’s heart hammered painfully in her chest when she felt him come further into the room, only then did she turn to face him gently, his eyes gleamed with chilled malice, as he took slow taunting steps toward her.“You traitor!” He growled lowly, suddenly reaching to grab her by the hair, he tightened his fists as if to hit her, but he only withdrew because everyone else was at home.“Please,” she begged, tears had filled her eyes and her lips were quivering.“Tell me your excuse,” he urged almost daringly, “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” she shook her head hurriedly and Lance held her closer to himself, waiting for her explanation.Cassandra’s voice came
“Come meet me at this address when you are done with Blake.”Cassandra stared down at the message on her phone; her uncle, Niko, had sent her the message.She let out a sigh, the shock of meeting her soon-to-be husband still within her…Blake McKnight…He was scary in a sense.No wonder his poor old grandfather was begging around for a wife; how was he going to get a wife if he acts like an asshole to every woman he meets.It is his foolishness that allows Uncle Niko was able to use his grandfather’s weakness against him, but this works out. She would be able to leave that family once and for all.Cassandra gets into the lounge at the address her uncle had texted her, her eyes narrow when she catches a glimpse of her uncle with Mr. McKnight.Can’t this man hold on for a bloody second?She wore a thin smile as she approached the table.“Oh! Cassandra is here already,” he said with a beaming smile as he got out of his seat and pulled out a chair for her.“Thank you, Uncle.” She said wit
"What do you mean I have to go out with her again?" Blake thundered over the phone. His grandfather was being more insistent than usual. "Didn’t I already agree to marry the girl? Just call me on the wedding day!"“That’s not happening!” his grandfather snapped. "I sent you a message last night to inform you. Don’t tell me you ignored it just to come up with excuses today!"“Grandpa, I have a meeting,” Blake replied, trying to keep his tone calm.“Cancel it,” his grandfather ordered firmly.Blake was about to fire back when his assistant, Jeffery, gestured at him from the corner of the office. Taking a deep breath, Blake pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration mounting.There were so many things he wanted to say, but he was painfully aware of his grandfather’s heart condition. Jeffery’s silent reminder made him swallow his anger. The last thing he wanted was to be the reason the old man ended up in the hospital.“You’re always busy with work, even for family gatherings,” his g
“How was your date?” Uncle Niko suddenly asked making Cassandra jolt slightly from surprise. As soon as she realized that her uncle was behind her, she wiped her hands against the apron she was wearing and turned towards him.There was a mischievous grin hanging on his face, it irritated her, so she clenched her jaws to reply.“It was good.” She lied, suddenly at a loss for words, it was nowhere near good, but starting up fires right now will only make Blake more pissed, and it was not like she expected her uncle to care about it if things were sour.The wedding will go as planned no matter what she feels, that much has been established.“Dinner will be ready in a second,” she said hoping he would leave, Niko nodded his head, as he walked towards the door, stopping for a second. “Join us at the dining today.”He left.Cassandra simply stood there wondering if that was a good idea, she had never joined the family for any meal, she always ate her meals in the kitchen, just like her aunt
Lance was so angry that he didn’t even sleep in the house, but Cassandra was grateful his father wasn’t paying much attention to him.“That witch,” Mercedes snarled. “I am sure she seduced him, that’s why.”“I told you, Daddy,” Lena added. “They had been too close, and little he would be influenced by her.”Cassandra could hear their voices from the kitchen as she did the dishes, a small smile hung from her lips, she was secretly grateful for the small chaos in the house.“Rest assured now, child.” Niko’s voice was a little faint. “She will be married soon, and Lance will adjust to that.”“He isn’t picking up the phone,” Mercedes complained her voice a little shaky. “What if he does something stupid?”“Well, I hope he does,” Cassandra said in a while whisper as she ran the faucet again.Lance didn’t come home through the night, his mother had been worried, but he didn’t come home neither did he answer any of their calls, even in the morning, he didn’t come home.“That boy…” Mercedes m
Blake folded his arms as he rested his back on the chair, he later decided on meeting with Natasha in a restaurant they agreed to meet in this particular restaurant by 11 A.M, but Blake came about an hour earlier.Just because he couldn’t bear to stay home after what happened. He had gotten unnecessarily angry and because of that he had caused her to be injured.But at the same time he didn’t want to be too soft with her, she takes his kindness for granted and that’s why she had the effontery to lie to him. He never expected to feel so bad that she lied to him, he doesn’t feel anything towards her, but why did it irritate him so much? Why was he so angry about it and why was he so eager to know the reason she lied? He shouldn’t be feeling this way.He clenched his fists tightly, he knew that she was cheating on him, but he didn’t want to confirm it yet just because he didn’t want to ruin the image he had of her in his head. She was kind, sweet and charming. Someone who isn’t capab
She had never been fake to him. He was too angry to be concerned about what happened last night. Could it be his mental illness triggering out? Blake stood up and left angrily climbing up the stairs. Cassandra quickly dropped the cutlery she held in her hands and rushed after him.“Blake…” She yelled as she went after him, her legs doubling over the stairs and she slipped falling down. Blake heard the thud and then turned towards her. “Why are you running after me?” He yelled when his eyes combated the blood on her knees. “Is it so hard to leave me alone??” He grabbed her waist and hauled her up. Holding the edge of her dressed that was soaked with blood. Just how hard did she fall to bleed like this. He placed an arm at the bed of her knees and lifted her from the floor and started proceeding towards his room.He kicked the door open, and dropped her on the bed, disappeared into the bathroom..He came back almost immediately with a first aid box in his hands, and he qu
"Good morning…" Cassandra whispered as she descended the stairs, her voice barely above a breath. Blake was already seated at the head of the table, sipping his coffee with the same composed demeanor he always carried. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor, unwilling to meet his eyes.How did he do it? How did he wake up every morning as if nothing had changed, as if last night hadn’t unraveled everything? While he sat there, seemingly unaffected, she had spent the entire night drowning in the weight of her thoughts—thoughts of him, of them, of the evening that had started with hope and ended in regret.But regret wasn’t enough to erase what she felt for him. No matter how distant they had grown, no matter how complicated things became, she knew she would always choose him.And Lance… he couldn’t keep her chained to his threats forever. He may have relished the power he held over her now, but one day, that power would slip through his fingers. And when it did, she
Cassandra sat in the car staring outside the window, watching the lights fade into the scenery every time they passed by a street pole. Blake glanced at her, noticing something different.He wondered if he handled Natasha in the right way. He wouldn’t deny the fact that he still loved Natasha.No. He could never love any other woman the same way he loved Natasha. But he didn’t want to hurt Cassandra as well, and as it is, it seemed that Cassandra was just using him as well. “What was so important that Lance wanted to talk to you about?” he queried hoping she would be honest with him. So he could at least trust her. “I apologize for his behavior again.” She muttered taking her eyes from outside and then staring ahead. “What was so important that he had me leave for?” Blake was insistent on finding out. He wanted a reason… even if it’s a little bit, he wanted a reason why he could trust her. And if she gave him that, he would be sure of what to do. “E-Em…” she stuttered, clenc
“Is she your wife?” The woman asked curiously; she stood toe to toe with Cassandra, who looked confused; her shaky eyes darted towards Blake, as if she were asking for an explanation.“It’s none of your business.” Blake shoots out as he nears Cassandra, gripping her arms and trying to get her into the car.“Stop!” The woman yelled as she jumped in front of them, spreading her arms wide, without allowing them to move closer to the car. “I will never let you go. You need to talk to me.”“I am telling you, Tasha.” He complained with a frown on his face. “I am married, and I can’t spare a word with you.”“We all know that you don’t love your wife.” The woman whose name was Natasha announced her voice was loud enough to draw attention from the people in the area. “Unless you want to lie to yourself, Blake. The only person you have ever loved and will ever love is me. The only thing I am asking from you is that you allow me to explain myself. Just look at how unhappy you are.”“Let go of me
She glared up at Lance who had a smug of satisfaction on his face, he relaxed into the seat confidently. “We should place some orders.” He chuckled. “Your generous husband even left us some money to pay. How kind is your husband. I initially thought rich people were selfish.” “What do you want?” Cassandra muttered, her voice dangerously low. She could feel tears making way to her eyes, she could guess what was so important to him that he needed to say when her husband was away. “I hate to keep him waiting.” “Oohh… someone is trying to save her face.” Lance suddenly leaned back into the table, catching her hands. “Let me tell you how this is going to play out. If Blake ever finds out about us, he will not stay married to you. He will leave you as fast, no matter what you tell him, he will leave. And then do you think there will be anyone who would be interested in a woman who was divorced by a billionaire because she was sleeping with her cousin?” Cassandra felt her body trembl
“L-Lance….” Cassandra muttered her voice shaky, her bulging eyes nearly rolled out of their socket as she stared at her cousin in disbelief.How the hell did he find them there…And what gave him the effontery to think he could join them casually. Blake noticed the shift in Cassandra’s emotions, and his eyes narrowed.He realized that whenever her family was around, she was always uncomfortable but when this particular cousin was with them.She shakes visibly, and now he was curious. He wanted to know the reason.“I hope you don’t mind me.” Lance asked with a playful smirk at the edge of his lips and Cassandra’s eyes darted towards Blake as if she was waiting for him to protest or something.“I don’t.” Blake answered which was quite surprising to Cassandra because she knew how much Blake dislikes him. “What are you doing here? It’s quite a surprise to meet you outdoor unless you’re stalking us.”Lance chuckled.“Come on.” He chuckled even more. “I am a medical student. I usu
“We are done with the assessment,” Mr. Benedict said as Blake came back into the office, and he strolled towards the center of the room, and took his sit where his wife was seated.“Was it hard?” he asked curiously and Cassandra shrugged.“I am not too sure, but I did my best.” She muttered with an unsure smile on her face, she then leaned in to him and whispered the rest of the words. “I am a bit nervous.”“Don’t worry, you would do great.” He assured her, his gaze falling to her plump lips that looked ripe and swollen. Blake swallowed, the improper thoughts of the previous night slipped into my mind, and he felt himself stiffened again.Shit! Those thoughts were flooding back in again, and so he moved away from her, receiving the files from the principal, and his eyes narrowed and then widened briefly. Cassandra was nervous and didn’t know what to do from his reaction, and perhaps she failed.“What does it say?” She asked curiously.“You passed.” He handed the file to her, the pass
“No…” Cassandra muttered, as she grabbed his arm, turning him towards herself. “I need to know if you’re okay or not. Do you feel sick?” “Just leave. I am fine.” He argued trying to push her away, but she slipped and fell in between his legs. Blake squeezed his eyes shut, he tried to push her away but it was already too late. Cassandra’s face flushed bright red as she felt something hard pressed around her butt, she stared down at Blake in realization who evaded her gaze. “Um…” she muttered as she tried to get off. “I think you should go and bathe.” “Yeah, or do you want to bathe with me?” he teased and her eyes widened. “I don’t mind.” “N-No…”she muttered as she quickly got out of the bed and before she got to the door knob, he caught her wrists.“Before I forget,” he drawled pulling her away from the door. “Last night, you had a weird dream. I want to know what it is about.” Cassandra froze hiding her eyes away from Blake scared that he might figure it out if he looked at her.