“I love you” Cassie blinked. There was no way he was being serious. She was stunned into silence.“What?” Her words came in a whisper, trapped by the lump in her throat.“You heard me, Cassie. I care so much because I love you. I have loved you from the moment I set my eyes on you and I have stayed by your side, hoping that you would just turn around and see me. I love you”She swallowed hard. She needed a minute to process this information. If the circumstances were different, she would have laughed in his face at a poorly constructed joke but by the look on his face, she knew that he was saying the truth.She heard him loud and clear.“Jeffrey…I don't know what to say. Why me? What can I possibly offer you?”He was the most honorable person she had ever met. He said so little but his words always meant a lot. How could a man so gentle give away his heart to her?She didn't even know what she wanted out of life yet!She stood slowly from the bed, staring at him.“Why me? How did thi
This was not the conversation she anticipated between Zander and herself. She had waited patiently for him to show up in the hospital day after day and when he finally does, he seems like a completely different person.“I don't think you know this woman well enough to be falling in love with her” He was clearly mocking Jeffrey now. More than anything, it was the hurt and bitterness in his voice that broke her heart.The accusations leveled against her were a lot but she had to start from somewhere.“You need to believe me. I did not try to terminate my pregnancy.” She began Zander raised his hand to cut her off“Enough of the lies! I am not done yet. Can you tell us who this man is to you?”He pointed at the unnamed young man who stood watching the scene unfold with a bold smile.Where has she seen him before?“What do you mean? I don't know who he is” Cassie replied.She really hoped that he wasn't trying to accuse her of what she was thinking.Her eyes darted to Zoe and Bella in p
“What is your plan? We need to act fast or we could have a full blown crisis”Is he kidding? This is already a full blown crisis as it is. Can it get worse than this?“I cannot think straight right now. I need all the suggestions I can get”He was relying on his brother for emotional support. He felt embarrassed but that was his only option asides from falling completely apart.“First of all, we need to get our story straight and you need to make a press statement addressing all these as soon as possible” That was a good idea. He could use the press statement to buy some time and earn the trust of his remaining investors if he said the right words, made the right promises.“Do you still think pressing charges against Miss Cassie is a good idea? It could raise unnecessary dust and fuel the rumors”Zander looked up at his brother in shock. “You are the last person I expected to make a plea on her behalf. You hate her” he said, narrowing his eyes.Cameron shrugged nonchalantly“Hate is
She wobbled behind the prison guard, weary from starvation but curious to see who had ordered for her release.She wasn't sure who she was expecting to see at the other side of those doors but it was certainly not Cameron Scott. Great.Another tormentor was here to gloat.His brows went up in surprise as his eyes quickly took in her general appearance.The satisfaction she was expecting to see in his eyes was surprisingly missing.“What the hell? What happened to her in there?”The prison guard shrank back in fear and muttered some words neither of them could hear. Cassie stood, watching them in confusion. What does he want now? Had she not suffered enough? Did he want her head on a plate now?“The way you have been treated is completely unacceptable. I am quite sure that nobody on our legal team gave such an order” Cameron explained while still glaring at the prison guard.Did she hear him correctly? If her memory serves her right, Cameron hated her. Why was he acting all nice?“Wh
Cassie slowly got out of the car. It felt like her first day at the Scott family mansion all over again. Only that this time, she was broken, tired and hiding away from the rest of the world.“Come with me. I will show you to your room”He was being too nice and friendly and it felt really awkward. He had told her that Zander wasn't aware of this. “Can I call my sister?” She had to make sure that she wasn't being kidnapped or something.Maya would be so worried.He gently opened the door to her new room and allowed her to walk in ahead of him.“Yes, you can call anyone you like. I will ask my secretary to get you anything you need, starting with a new phone”“Thank you”“I will leave you to freshen up and have some rest. There are clothes and everything you might need in the closet. Take whatever you want”A woman who she figured was his housekeeper, walked in carrying a tray filled up with food and fruits. Her stomach growled in response and she suddenly remembered that she had no
THE SECRET TRUTH BEHIND MISS CASSIE B'S DISAPPEARANCE REVEALED!“““Remember when billionaire Zander Scott's car was found in a wreck and the pictures suddenly vanished from all the blogs? Well here's a story that will blow your mind! Our inside sources say that billionaire Zander Scott nearly got himself killed after he discovered that his lover Cassie B had lost their baby.Miss Cassie was already pregnant for the billionaire as at their first public appearance at the Unveiling dinner and continued to hide the pregnancy from the public.However, following an unclear incident, she lost the pregnancy which threw him into grief.The accident happened few days after.Was the billionaire CEO intoxicated or just blinded by grief?Insiders say that their relationship took a sour turn after the incident.It is unclear whether the couple are still together.Cassie B had not made a public appearance since her very public arrest and that brings us to the question on everybody's mind since the
“WAR BREWING FOR THE SCOTT BROTHERS?”“I never thought that a day would come when the Scott group of companies will be on our radar for some juicy family scandal!” Zander spun around in his seat and turned up the television volume. He sipped on his glass of whiskey. It was probably his third glass this morning, or fourth?. He wasn't sure.“My goodness! Me too! I hear that the last time the Scott family has been on the news for something so controversial was when the late billionaire Alexander Scott was divorced by his first wife and quickly remarried in 3 months!” This drew a murmur from other presenters and they recalled different times the Scott family had been in the news.This news channel was quickly becoming a thorn in his flesh, he mused. Jeffrey would have known what to do about this nuisance.“The new gist I hear is that a new Will has surfaced which places Cameron Scott above his elder brother in the hierarchy.”“What? That's crazy.” The other female presenter cut in, shoc
“Nice of you to join us, big brother” Cameron's sarcastic greeting welcomed him to the boardroom. He ignored the words laced with mockery and took his seat at the head of the table.Taking a quick glance around the table, he wished desperately that he could turn back the hands of time.He would have gotten rid of that stupid document without thinking twice.“We seem to be calling a lot of emergency meetings these days. I would prefer that we were working hard and getting results than sitting around”As he spoke, he met the eyes of the board members, one by one.Cowards!They wouldn't even maintain eye contact.Zander reclined in his seat.“So, what is this about?” “I called for this meeting. As you said, we have been lazing about for too long. I think it is time to take drastic actions” Cameron began.That was not exactly what he meant. Zander adjusted in his seat, wondering why his tie had become too tight all of a sudden.“I received an email and a visit from the CEO of Kings gro
Cassie wrinkled her brows, staring back at Linda who had an unreadable expression on her face.After a long moment of silence, Linda turned back to her bagels and transferred them into a baking pan covered with a baking sheet.She spoke as she lifted each bagel and placed them one after the other, arranging them into straight rows.“I am surprised to hear that you still need Cameron's permission to do anything. That worries me more than anything else you have just mentioned”With a quick glance at the ceiling, Cassie sighed loudly. She sat on a nearby high stool as her legs suddenly felt wobbly beneath her.“It is not like that, Linda. It is just weird. I understand why he is angry about my meeting up with Zander and I don't want to cause more problems between them.”Linda glanced back at her with narrowed eyes“Problems? Are they fighting?”Cassie nodded, wringing her hands repeatedly “They have been fighting for a long time now and I don't want to get in the middle of all that righ
Dr. Brown's brows went up in surprise but she quickly recovered from her shock and smiled.“You didn't seem open to seeing someone new the last time we spoke…”“Oh no no no, that's not what I meant…” Zander quickly interrupted, sensing what she thought he meant.“Oh”“I met her a long time ago. She was the surrogate I chose for my baby”Dr. Brown narrowed her eyes but didn't reveal any emotion on her face.“Go on”He chose his next words carefully, making sure that he didn't pass any wrong messages across.“We had a terrible misunderstanding after she lost the pregnancy in an accident and we parted ways in a horrible manner…”He then proceeded to narrate the entire story leading up to when he found out that Cassie had been framed by his sister and Bella Hampton. He left nothing out. He also told her of his meet ups with Cassie and how they went.At the end of the story, Dr. Brown lifted her head from her notepad and exhaled slowly.“How do you feel about the situation right now?” she
“Did Maya asked you to come to my house by this time? Did she tell you about my meeting with your brother?” She asked in disbelief.She had to stop this nonsense soon enough. Maya was beginning to overstep her boundaries. “He is not my brother! Stay away from him!” Cameron spat out.Making sure that she was looking him straight in the eye, she said “You cannot order me around anymore. Do not get ahead of yourself”Before she knew what was happening, he quickly grabbed her arm tightly and forced her to look into his face.“Let me go! You are hurting me!” Cassie screamed but he squeezed her arm harder.“I do not want to see him anywhere around you ever again!” He ordered, his eyes cold and unfeeling.Fighting back the fear that surged through her, she shook off his hands forcefully and increased the distance between them.Like someone who had just been possessed by something, it looked like he had just realized what he did.He took a step forward but she backed away even further, poin
Her soft round eyes met his across the bucket of chicken and it felt like time froze in that moment.“Why?” She asked softly, breaking the silence.He considered his answer very carefully, knowing that it could ruin the moment if he was careless about it.“Because, I think you might be the light I have struggled to find for so long”He held her gaze, hoping that his eyes told her the many things he couldn't put into words.She didn't look away or pull her hand away and he considered it a good sign.She opened her mouth to respond just as the doorbell rang, shattering the moment and forcing him to let go of her soft hands.“I am not going expecting anyone. Who could it be at this time?” She muttered as she got on her feet and headed towards the door.He heard her gasp softly and rose to his feet, wiping his hands on the paper towel. Then came Cameron's voice.Cameron - “Hey babe. I was just in the area and I wanted to check on you”.Cassie - Sounding irritated and whispering harshly “Y
(7PM DINNER TIME)Zander took one last look at his shoes and exhaled sharply before pressing her doorbell.He couldn't help the anxious pounding in his chest as he waited for her to open the door.He heard some movement behind the door and soon after, he was staring at her face to face.“Hey, you made it”She sounded disappointed for a moment. Did she expect him to turn down the invitation?“Yeah….” He trailed off, feeling the awkward tension between them go up several degrees.He chose to wear a shirt and suit pants without the jacket and tie for thirty dinner but from her dressing, she was going for a more casual look.Her hair fell in loose curls, framing her face beautifully and she wore a strapless floral dress that hit the floor in graceful waves.Tearing his eyes away from her smooth skin, he cleared his throat.“Can I come in?”She opened the door wider with a nervous smile, giving way for him to enter the room.“Sure”His eyes fell on someone standing with her hands crossed i
(SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER)Cassie smiled at the pizza delivery guy who had just brought in her order, signed and carried the large box into her house.She had ordered the pizza on her way home, eager to just relax and spend some time alone.Ever since her modelling career kicked off, it has become increasingly difficult to get any quiet time for herself.On her way to the living room where she had a movie waiting, she grabbed a bottle of wine.“It is ME time!” She took one look at the sofa and another look on the floor, then settled for the comfort of her sofa.Making herself comfortable on the sofa, she opened the box and poured herself a glass of wine. Few minutes into her movie, the doorbell rang and she turned to the door in frustration.Who is it again? I am not expecting anyone this evening. The doorbell rang again and again in quick succession until she was forced to get up and get the door.She looked through the monitor and rolled her eyes, then opened the door to let Maya in
Zander paused at the therapist's door for a minute and considered running away.Come on Zander! You're not chickening out of this right now! Dr. Kim's words came rushing back to his mind.“Maybe the answer is in healing from your wounds”You have spent a long time running away, Zander. How much longer until you actually break down? Taking a deep breath, he turned the door handle and walked in.His therapist was a kind looking woman that looked old enough to be his mother. Her soft smile and warm greeting made him feel at ease.“You are Dr. Brown?” It wasn't exactly a question but it sort of came out that way.She laughed a little and waved him to a seat.“I take it that you were expecting something else. Someone much younger perhaps?”He shifted nervously in his seat and cleared his throat “Err…not really. I am not sure what I was expecting. Sorry if I sounded weird”She shook her head with an understanding smile “In this room, you are allowed to be your weird self. There are no
“Okay let's get a shot from the side. Can you look up and into the distance for me, Cassie?”Drowning out the noise in the busy studio, Cassie obeyed the photographer’s orders as usual.“How much longer do I have to stay this way?” She whined.He only chuckled and changed his position to take even more shots.“Alright, you can change the pose. How about some skin?”Their eyes met and she raised a brow at him“How much skin are we talking about?” He moved over and adjusted the oversized shirt she was wearing to give a little teasing view of the lacy bra she was wearing underneath.“Let us start here. Give me some spicy poses, okay?”She nodded and changed her pose severally while he took his shots.“Oooouuu that is really nice! I love that. Hold on a minute!”Few shots later, he got bored of the look again and she laughed at the pout he made.She loved working with Liam. He found a way to make the shoots fun and enjoyable every time.Suddenly, she noticed everyone staring at the entra
Zander got out of his car and hesitated for a few minutes, trying to build up his courage. He was finally having a face to face conversation with Cassie but he wasn't sure if he could go through with it.“How do I face her after everything that has happened?” His phone pinged and he checked the new message. It was from Cassie and it read;“Hey. I got to the restaurant a bit early. I am waiting in the private room you reserved.”He glanced at the building. She was here already?His heart began to sound furiously in his chest. He was hoping to get some time to catch his breath before she arrived. Well, here goes.He forced himself to move away from the car and walked up the stairs.As he was led into the private room where she was waiting, he found himself struggling to keep a steady breath.She looked breathtaking even when she was dressed in a casual top and jeans. She let her long hair fall on her shoulders and barely wore any makeup.He approached the table eagerly and debated in