6. Whispers of Attraction

The silence that descended upon the living room after they left was thick and heavy. Juliet stared at the closed door, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. “Well,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement. “That went wonderfully! Mr. Sterling is clearly a very astute businessman. This could be the start of a fantastic new chapter for our family.”

Hector, however, remained pale and silent, his gaze fixed on the door through which Caspian had just exited. His hands were clenched into fists, and a muscle twitched in his jaw.

“Hector?” Juliet said, her brow furrowing with concern. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He didn’t answer, his eyes still locked on the door. I saw him turn to continue glaring at me, but my mind wasn't over the shock of Caspian being the investor. It was settling over me like a cold shroud. The intense stranger from the club, the man whose brief kiss had offered a fleeting escape from my despair, was now standing in our living room, holding the fate of the Woods family business in his hands. The irony was a cruel twist of the knife.

Hector, oblivious to the unsettling connection I now shared with Caspian, rounded on me, his blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You… you know him, don’t you, Avery? He implied that he knows you. And also for some weird reasons, it feels like I know him too.” His voice held a sharp edge.

My heart hammered against my ribs. How much had he seen in that brief exchange between Caspian and me? How much did he suspect? One part of me wanted to deny everything and call him a bluff. However, the other part of me, the bold and rebellious one immediately snapped and spoke up.

“I met him at the club last night,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. The memory of our stolen kiss felt like a dangerous secret I had to guard.

Hector’s face tightened. “You went to a club? Why?” His tone was laced with possessiveness and a hint of wounded pride.

“Desmond took me,” I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. “I… I needed to get out of the house.”

“That jerk Desmond,” he muttered under his breath before taking a step towards me, “And you just happened to meet the man who is about to invest millions in our company?” His suspicion deepened. “What did you talk about?”

“Nothing important,” I lied, the words sticking in my throat. “We just… bumped into each other. That's all.”

“That's a freaking lie!” Hector roared, while hitting my left cheek with another thunderous slap.

Juliet, who had been observing us with a shrewd gaze, stepped in, her voice firm. “Enough, Hector. What matters now is that Mr. Sterling is considering investing in our company. It's a good thing they both met if you ask me. We just need to focus on making a good impression.” She turned to me, her blue eyes hard. “Avery, your personal life is your own, but you will not do anything to jeopardize this deal. Understood?”

Her words were less a question and more a command. Her priority was clear: the family business. The thought of a messy divorce potentially jeopardizing the investment was clearly her biggest fear. The last thing she obviously cares about is how traumatized I was emotionally about finding my husband in bed with my sister. Her lost grandchild is certainly out of the question.

“Furthermore,” she continued, her gaze unwavering, “I forbid you from mentioning the word ‘divorce’ again, Avery. Not now. Not ever. We need to present a united front. You will support Hector, and you will ensure this investment goes through. Get your emotions in check.”

I stared at her, the injustice of her demand leaving me momentarily speechless. She was ordering me to stay trapped in this broken marriage, all for the sake of their financial gain.

“But, Juliet…” I began, my voice trembling with anger.

“No buts, Avery,” she cut me off, her voice like ice. “The future of this family depends on it. You will do as you are told. Don't forget that half of this investment still belongs to you, even if you don't deserve it.”

Later, the suffocating tension in the apartment finally eased, and I sought refuge in the bathroom. The warmth of the bathwater offered a temporary solace, but my mind remained a restless sea.

Caspian’s face kept appearing behind my closed eyelids – the intensity of his gray gaze, the way his lips had curved as he spoke my name. Avery. The sound of it, deep and resonant, still sent a strange shiver through me.

Who was this man who had so unexpectedly entered my life twice in such a short span? A chance encounter in a crowded club, followed by his sudden appearance as the potential savior of my ex husband’s family business. It felt too strange to be a mere coincidence.

My fingers traced my lips, the ghost of his kiss still lingering. It had been a moment of pure impulse, a desperate attempt to feel something other than the crushing weight of my grief. But now, knowing his significant role in our lives, that kiss felt different, charged with an unknown meaning.

Juliet’s command echoed in my ear, “You will do as you are told. And don't ever mention the divorce.”

But a rebellious spirit stirred within me. They thought they could dictate my actions, control my future. But the unexpected appearance of Caspian had thrown a wild card into the mix.

As the water cooled, my thoughts began to connect into a dangerous curiosity. Who was Caspian Sterling? What were his intentions? And why did I feel this unsettling pull towards him, a magnetic force that defied the circumstances?

A plan began to form, a risky and uncertain path. I would observe Caspian. I would try to understand his motives. Perhaps, in doing so, I could find a way to navigate this tangled web of betrayal and unexpected attraction. Stepping out of the bath, a newfound resolve hardened my gaze. I wouldn’t be a puppet in their game. I would find my own way.

But as I wrapped a towel around myself, a sudden, unsettling thought pierced through my ongoing determination. What if my chance meeting with Caspian at the club wasn’t as random as it seemed? What if his interest in me wasn’t just a fleeting moment of attraction? What if it was something more deliberate, something that tied into his unexpected arrival in our lives? The thought sent a shiver of unease down my spine, a chilling suspicion of complexities yet to be uncovered.