Chapter 6: New Engagement Invitation

“Cassandra, let's have dinner.” Her older brother's heavy voice and a soft knock on the door broke Cassandra's reverie.

With a lazy movement, Cassandra got out of bed and opened the door. She saw her brother standing there with a big smile on his face.

“I stopped by your favorite Italian restaurant on purpose. I'm not working late, so let's eat together and share your daily life,” Maxian continued enthusiastically, making Cassandra unable to resist her brother's wishes. 

Actually, she was quite full since Caspian had taken her out to lunch all day and then explored the Chinese cuisine in the Asian district until six in the evening.

“Okay. I miss my super busy brother too.” Cassandra made a small jump and then took Maxian's arm. They walked down the stairs together to the downstairs dining room.

Cassandra and Maxian joked with each other as they walked past their childhood photos with their parents, neatly mounted on the wall. Their eight-year age difference did not make them awkward; in fact, their bond of brotherhood was growing stronger.

Cassandra had only Maxian in her life, and vice versa. Both of their parents died right after Cassandra graduated from high school. Moreover, Maxian had just divorced his wife, who dared to leave him for a man richer than him.

The state of this luxurious modern minimalist house is so quiet because only the two of them live there at night. Three maids, a cook, two drivers, and two security guards lived in the pavilion behind the main house.

Cassandra stared silently at the dining table filled with Italian dishes and her favorite strawberry dessert. She sat comfortably in a chair as she watched Maxian prepare the food for her.

Maxian is always kind to Cassandra, forbids her to do anything strenuous and puts her interests above all else. One of those things that may seem trivial, but not every man would do.

“I'm sorry I've been working so much lately that I missed dinner with you,” Maxian said as he placed a plate of spaghetti carbonara with grilled bacon in front of Cassandra.

Cassandra gripped her fork tightly. Her bright brown eyes watched Maxian, who was still smiling brightly as he recounted his day at the office.

Her heart ached, knowing that her brother had been busy lately with the divorce proceedings and going back and forth to court. That's why she refrained from telling him about the problem of her engagement to Alaric, which might be called off soon.

“You can share the burden with me. You're so busy taking care of our father's company, plus your ignorant ex-wife is trying to get her hands on your property.” Cassandra gritted her teeth in anger as Maxian chuckled as if his problems were minor.

“You are also busy with Mommy's boutique and your engagement next month. Trust me, I can handle my problems. Thank you for taking care of me and being a good little sister,” Maxian replied successfully, making Cassandra want to cry.

“About my engagement… um… I mean, forget it.” Cassandra laughed, trying to distract Maxian, who now seemed suspicious of her.

Cassandra couldn't imagine how Maxian would feel if he knew that Alaric had betrayed her. She really didn't want to add to his burden. That was enough. Cassandra didn't want to make Maxian sad and end up blaming himself.

Just as Maxian was about to ask a question, Cassandra's cell phone suddenly rang, drawing her attention to the square object. At first, Cassandra ignored the call, but the incoming message notifications kept coming.

“Let's see, maybe it's an important message from your boyfriend or a customer at your boutique.” Maxian was quite disturbed and a little annoyed because he was the type of person who could not ignore messages from others.

Cassandra sighed heavily. “Let's not protest.” She finally picked up her cell phone, which was lying next to her drink glass, and checked the many messages from Caspian.

A message from Caspian

“Hi, good evening. What are you doing now?”

“A friend of mine came to my house with lots of wine and delicious cookies from his business trip to France. It reminded me of you, who loves dry snacks. If you like, I can bring you more cookies tomorrow.”

“Oh, you didn't answer my message.”

“Are you working on a new dress design for next season?”

“Don't be so hard on yourself, Cass. Tomorrow I'll take you for another walk to de-stress.”

“Oh… God. I really missed you, even though I was with you all day.”

“If you want, maybe tomorrow we can go to my mansion in Beverly Hills. The view is beautiful, and it's perfect for making out.”

Cassandra choked when she read the prior message from Caspian, causing Maxian to panic and give her a drink.

“Who did you get the message from to be so surprised?” Maxian asked suspiciously. He had wanted to see the content of the message on Cassandra's cell phone, but failed because she quickly turned off her phone.

“From a friend,” Casandra replied nonchalantly and went back to eating her spaghetti before it got cold.

Maxian frowned, unable to believe his sister's uncharacteristic behavior. “You're already starting to hide things from me, aren't you? Must be a message from Alaric.”

Cassandra nodded resignedly, not wanting to talk about the traitorous man.

“You're getting engaged next month. I didn't expect my spoiled little sister to be tied down to a man other than me.” Maxian smiled brightly and wished his beloved sister good luck in love.

Maxian's hopes were definitely dashed when Alaric chose another woman over his little sister. 

Cassandra clearly didn't want the engagement to continue, even though invitations had gone out to all of her family's business associates. A three-year relationship was broken and would never recover.

“Alaric seems to love you so much, even though I sometimes get annoyed by his arrogant nature. But as long as it makes you happy, I will support your decision.” Maxian laughed again, so loudly that he didn't notice Cassandra's face turning somber.

Dinner for the two of them ended at eight in the evening, followed by some leisurely conversation. 

Maxian retired to his private room on the second floor and busied himself with various agendas for big projects that would benefit his company. Meanwhile, Cassandra relaxed on her bed after her nightly routine and checked her cell phone, which was once again full of messages from Caspian.

A message from Caspian

“Sweet dreams, Cass. Call me when you're free. I'll be here waiting for you.”

Cassandra stared at her phone for a long time with no intention of answering Caspian's message. She was torn between continuing her revenge or just letting her heartache heal itself. Deep down, she still had feelings for Alaric.

It was impossible to forget someone who filled her days for three years, even if their relationship was not the sweet type. But her softer side felt that she couldn't bear to take advantage of Caspian, who treated her so well.

***

Caspian still waited for Cassandra to reply to his message. He waited until midnight, but not a single message notification came to his phone, even though he saw that Cassandra had read his message.

The 40-year-old sighed tiredly as he massaged his forehead. He threw his phone on the table, convinced that Cassandra would not answer his messages tonight. 

Caspian tried to be positive. Maybe Cassandra was focused on working on a new fashion design for her boutique, or perhaps she was so exhausted that she didn't have the energy to answer his message.

“I was just making plans for our vacation, but my message didn't even get a response. Ah, possibly I had too much hope for this relationship. From the beginning, Cassandra has only used me as a means of revenge. She has no intention of taking this fake relationship to a serious stage,” Caspian muttered, staring at the fireplace in his luxurious house that was too big for him.

***

Maxian's office is located in the business district of NY. On a sunny morning, he was hoping to get some good news about the real estate project he had submitted last month, but in fact it was an invitation that managed to ruin his mood.

A lavish gold engagement invitation was clasped in his shaking, muscular hands. His sharp eyes did not blink as he read the couple's name on the invitation paper. His heart raced, and his head suddenly felt dizzy.

“Who sent this engagement invitation?” Maxian asked in a high tone to his secretary, who was still standing with a frightened look on his face.

“Mr. Alaric sent the engagement invitation here with a woman who looks about the same age as Miss Cassandra,” the secretary replied politely.

Maxian's brow furrowed. He crumpled the invitation into a shapeless mess. “Alaric and another woman? What kind of joke is that?”

Maxian laughed and threw the paper into the trash. He couldn't imagine the beautiful smile on Cassandra's face disappearing, and he didn't know what he could do to make the stubborn Alaric apologizes to his family.

“Mr. Alaric also gave me an invitation and asked me to come to his engagement ceremony in a month.” The secretary showed the same invitation to Maxian, who looked even more furious than before.

“That useless bastard really played a trick on my family. This isn't funny at all. How could he send a new engagement invitation with Selene's name as the female partner instead of Cassandra?” Maxian slapped his desk hard. He had to talk to Cassandra, Alaric, or Caspian to discuss this bad news.

Alaric had gone completely insane playing with Cassandra's sincere feelings of accepting his many flaws. Maxian could not accept that Alaric had insulted his sister's honor and disgraced his family name.

Meanwhile, In a twenty-story skyscraper, the most luxurious in the business district, employees received an engagement invitation from the son of the CEO they worked for. All the employees began to gossip and speculate about the reason for the end of Alaric's relationship with Cassandra, whom they considered so phenomenal. 

Cassandra is a luxury clothing designer who is a big name in the United States and Europe, and she is the sister of Maxian, who is one of the richest people in New York.

Alaric is famous as the only son of one of the richest men in the US and the sole heir to a real estate empire. Their relationship is often featured in business and fashion magazines, so the news of the new woman's name on the engagement invitation made the public learn more about their private lives.

Cassandra received many negative comments on social media, calling her not good at keeping men. Meanwhile, Alaric received many supportive comments, calling him good at keeping the family's good name for daring to break up with a woman who could not appreciate him.

“Selene really did realize her crazy plan.” Caspian stared at his son's engagement invitation with a flat expression. He hadn't expected Alaric's mistress to pay journalists to write bad articles about Cassandra to successfully manipulate public opinion.

His attention was diverted when the alert on his cell phone rang loudly. His full lips curled into a thin grin as he saw the message notification from Cassandra.

The man burst out laughing in his luxurious office. Last night he had been in such a bad mood, and this morning was as pleasant as cherry blossoms in spring.

At least the story was going the way Caspian wanted it to.