“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
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
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
An hour later, she was punching in the passcode to her door and asking herself for the umpteenth time what a friendship with Cameron Scott actually meant?What the heck were you thinking, Cassie?You really have to stop letting them talk you into these things.She glanced at her phone for the third time since she got home.Maya again. She will give up at some point.She dumped the phone on her queen sized bed and peeled off her clothes, trudging slowly to the bathroom.A shower or a soak in the hot tub? Her eyes went from the shower to the bathtub time and time again.Sighing, she strolled to the bathtub and flipped the water on. She dropped in her bath bombs and a few rose petals and let her mind wander off to a handsome young man holding her hand so gently, she could barely feel his touch.Stop it Cassie. Shaking off the silly thoughts from her head, she hurried to the living room and grabbed a glass of wine.She slid into the perfect water and let the scent of vanilla and roses ove
“Hey Cassie! Over here” Heaving a sigh of relief, Cassie squeezed through the mini crowd of celebrities standing in tiny groups.She could see Mia standing with a couple of models she had worked with in the past. She waved at her friend and continued on the narrow path until she made it to their little table.Mia's eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe and she smiled, her eyes shining with admiration.“Girl! I don't know how you do it but you always kill a fit!”Cassie chuckled at the compliment, glancing around to say a quick hello to everyone else.“It is just denim and boots, baby girl. Grabbed something from my wardrobe and made it work”She quickly grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter passing by and took a sip, seizing the opportunity to scan the large room.There were just too many fashion executives, top designers, billionaires and CEOs.“Is that Prince Rashid? Gosh! The guest list for this event is elite!” Liam who was standing by her other side, moved closer so th
Zander took another quick glance around the crowded room barely hearing whatever Ben was yapping about.Someone asked something about a launch date and he managed a;“Mmhmm, definitely sometime soon”He had caught sight of her as he descended the stairs from the stage but lost her in the crowd soon after.And now, everytime anyone wearing denim in the crowd moved, his eyes followed them until he realized she wasn't the one.His view was suddenly blocked by a pretty face, blonde hair and a mini pink dress.He looked up and tried to mask the disappointment with a small smile.“Hey, Mia”“Hello, stranger! It's been a long minute!”He strained his eyes to look behind her without actually leaning sideways but failed.Her eyes narrowed at him.“Are you looking for someone? You seem distracted.”Sighing, he turned back to her.“Sorry Mia. I know it has been a long time. How have you been? Weren't you on the cover of Harper's Bazaar a few months ago?”Her round eyes widened and she beamed at
Cassie blinked. Her eyes scanned his face but aside from the easy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, he looked dead serious.“What?”Her voice sounded several degrees lower than she had intended so she cleared her throat and tried again.“You can't seriously be offering me a job in your company…”He shrugged “But I am. This is as serious as it can get…”“You know that I can't take that offer, no matter how attractive it sounds…”A slow smile spread across his handsome face.“So, you do like the offer? That is a good start…”“You are not listening to me!....”She took a precautionary glance around them to be sure that no one was watching them.She kept her voice low just to be safe.“Are you crazy? Everybody knows that I was dating your brother and we had a very public fallout some time ago. Do you want to feed these pesky reporters with more fuel?”His eyes narrowed for a second at her comment but his smile stayed in place.“I didn't build a successful business by sweating ove
With all eyes turned in her direction, Cassie’s eyes wandered from pillar to post, trying to avoid the curious stare on the woman's beautiful face.Zander was too quick to swoop in. He sounded almost like he had been caught hiding a secret and she would have laughed if she wasn't the center of attention.“No no no, Mama Rosa. It is not what you think and you had better leave the lady alone” Cassie smiled and stretched out her hand“Hello Ma'am, it is a pleasure to meet you….”The lady's big, round eyes fell to the hands and bounced back to her face.Mama Rosa shook her head and before Cassie knew what was happening, she was wrapped up in the warmth of her arms.“Oh come here you pretty little thing and give me a big hug! Zander has never brought any girl here before!”She smelled of vanilla and freshly baked biscuits.Wait….what? He had never brought a girl before?Did it mean anything? It obviously meant something to this lovely woman.She realized the woman was asking her a questio
The sound of gunshots echoed in her dreams, forcing her eyes wide open. Clutching her stomach protectively, she tried to sit up but a sharp pain stabbed through her shoulders, forcing her backwards.Strong hands pushed back on her hands and she opened her eyes to see Zander staring into her face, his eyes filled with concern.With his rumpled shirt, ruffled hair and the dark circles under his eyes, he looked like he had not slept in days.“Where am I?” Cassie asked. Her hoarse voice sounded so strange in her ears.But one thing weighed heavily on her mind as the memories of the shooting flashed back to her mind.She clutched her stomach. It felt round and soft underneath the soft fabric of her hospital gown. She felt no pain on her belly.“My baby?.....” As the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered that she had never told Zander. Her eyes flew to his eyes which remained fixed on her face. Did he watch the video? Did he know about the baby now?Zander nodded and as their eyes
The creaking sound of the light bulb dangling in the center of the empty room was the first thing Cassie heard when she woke up.Squinting to see clearly in the dimly lit room, she glanced to the side and sighed in relief to see Maya sprawled on the floor, deep asleep.She wasn't sure how long they'd been sleeping but everywhere was silent. A bodyguard sat by the door, wide awake and scrolling through his phone.Someone had loosened the ropes around her arms. The door suddenly burst open and Cameron stormed in with Frank following closely behind.Cassie sat up in the chair, her eyes and ears on full alert.What happened? Why was Cameron looking so angry?“I told you he would try something crazy, didn't I? My face is all over the news!” He yelled, banging his fist on the concrete wall.Her legs shook beneath her. The news? Frank suddenly turned to glare at her as if he had just remembered that she was in the room.“Your boyfriend seems to enjoy pissing me off huh?”She stared at him.
The tension in the room was palpable as Frank and Cameron exchanged glances behind the scene.After a long pause, Frank turned back to the screen, an evil smile hovering on his face.“You have 30 minutes. If I call back in thirty minutes and you haven't granted my requests, then you will not see your woman ever again”The threat was loud and clear. The billionaire heir to one of the largest business empires in the country was being asked to choose between his inheritance and some random woman.Cassie blinked hard to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She knew he couldn't see her from the video chat. They were keeping her as a last resort.She whimpered softly, watching the dread cloud his face as he nodded before the screen went blank.They were asking him to choose between her and his company? Frank gestured to one of his men who moved over to turn the camera towards her.“Now, you're going to read that letter to the camera for your little boyfriend” Frank ordered.She lif
She blinked again to be sure. “What…..what is this? Why?.....” She wasn't even sure which question to ask. He stopped a few feet from her and stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at her.She met his gaze and shivered at the icy look in his eyes. It almost felt like she didn't really know him anymore.The silence in the room was deafening. But not as loud as the pain of betrayal slicing through her ribs, squeezing the air from her lungs and leaving a trail of bitterness in her throat.Her eyes followed him as he lowered to a squatting position.“I am sorry, Cassie but I had no other choice….”She narrowed her eyes at him. What on earth did he mean by that?“What connects you to this….this man?” She blurted out, struggling to keep the tears from spilling over.“Why are you helping him?” She asked, throwing a quick glance in Frank's direction.Cameron sighed.“I just want to claim what is mine and Zander is standing in my way. He took you from me…..he has taken everything away
(TWO DAYS LATER)“Do you think we are making a mistake?” Zander asked, glancing at the document in his hand.He watched silently as Stone typed rapidly on his computer, barely listening to the conversation.“I am sorry but I don't think Miss Cassie has the patience to wait.” Stone replied.Zander nodded and glanced again at the file in his hand. It has been barely 48hrs and even though Cassie appeared to be calm and following their instructions, he had just received an update from Jeffrey.“She has just sold her jewelry collection worth over 5 million dollars to a collector and was seen making trips to the bank in secret just this morning." Stone added.He had to agree. It was a suspicious move. She didn't trust him enough to wait and decided to take matters into her own hands.“You think she will pay the money?” He muttered.He already knew the answer. There was no sacrifice too big for Cassie to make for her sister.Could he blame her though? Would be have done anything different?
“He called again?” Zander asked, the disappointment clearly written all over his face.Cassie nodded, lowering her eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, barely concealing his frustration.“I am not surprised. I expected another call and that is why I left some of my men behind to keep an eyes on things….” Stone murmured.As he said the last part, he turned slowly to glare at the officers who quickly lowered their heads in shame.“Why did I leave you behind if you had to miss such an important update?” He scolded them.Cassie sighed. “It isn't their fault. They didn't know that I had a phone with me in the room and no one could have known when I woke up and took the call….”They had only found out that she was awake a few minutes ago, when the detective and Zander had returned. She caught an officer trying to stifle a yawn.They must have been awake all night.“What did he want? Did he make any demands?” Zander asked, breaking the awkward silence.Cassie’s head snapped up and her conv
Zander watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest in her sleep. It had taken a solid hour but eventually, the crying and sobbing finally pushed her to sleep. Stone hovered by the door, waiting to speak to him.He glanced at him and sighed deeply.If only he could just stay by her side while handling things. He desperately wished he could just watch her sleep and everything would be fine by morning.Another signal from Stone finally forced him to move away. He slid his hands from underneath her and let her body fall gently into the soft sheets, then covered her up and strolled to the door.“I don't think....." Stone began but Zander hushed him with a wave.“Shhhh...... she's finally sleeping." he whispered.He shut the door with a soft click behind them and pushed Stone ahead, far away from the door.“Alright. Go on..."“Well......we cannot do much right now...." Stone continued, his ice blue eyes barely hiding his frustration.Zander frowned. That wasn't what he was expecting to h
Cassie stood like a statue in her living room, barely listening to the bustling of officers moving from one point to another.Detective Stone stood like a general in command gesturing in different directions as they set up all kinds of equipment in her house.A gentle tap on her shoulder forced her out of her thoughts and she jumped in surprise.“Heyy" Zander whispered.“It's just me. How are you holding up?" he asked, his kind eyes peering into her face.She barely had it together. All it would take to crush her right now was a any bad news about her sister. But she plastered a weak smile on her face and turned to him.“I am good"His brows twisted for a second and the doubt crossed his eyes but he pursed his lips. She glanced around at her living room. Stone and his men had converted it into a control room of some sorts with monitors and strange devices she couldn't recognize.Zander moved away from her and drew closer to the detective but she followed closely behind him, her ears
Cassie tried hard not to let her eyes follow Jim as he paced from one end of the office to another.“Come on, Jim. You're going to punch holes in the floor with all that pacing” He turned to her with a pout and rubbed his forehead in frustration.“Easy for you to say, superstar. You're not the one who's going to reject all those juicy deals and watch money move from our hands to another's pockets”She shook her head. It was even more painful for her to think about all the money she was going to lose but she had to think about her baby first.Jim stopped pacing to look at her.“You are really not going to tell me why you need this urgent break?” He asked, his curious eyes searching her face.She lowered her head to avoid his eyes. It wasn't fair that she wouldn't give him any good reasons for her actions but Jim was always kind and understanding, so he wouldn't push for answers anyway.“I don't think you'll understand, Jim. I really need a break to sort out something personal” she rep