Chapter 5

Eva woke Cassidy up. "Wake up, Cassidy. Your boyfriend asked me to get you. He's waiting downstairs," Eva said as she stood by Cassidy's bed, reaching through the curtain to poke her arm. Cassidy had always been a light sleeper. With everything weighing on her these past two days because of Kate's illness, she slept even more lightly. She woke up the moment Eva called her. She sat up, eyes groggy and half-closed. "What?" "Isaac is downstairs," Eva said. "He asked me to tell you to go down. He wants to see you." Cassidy clicked her tongue impatiently, and her disgust toward Isaac deepened. He knew she hadn't fallen asleep until 4:30 am. "I haven't slept enough. Just ignore him," she said before flopping back onto the bed. In the past, she would have dragged herself up to see Isaac even if she had just fallen asleep. But now, things were different. She didn't feel the need to keep giving in to his demands. She slept until 11:00 am before waking up for good. After she had showered and got changed, she went downstairs. To her surprise, Isaac was still there. Cassidy frowned, her irritation at him growing. When Isaac saw her, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked over to her. "Babe, where did you go yesterday afternoon? I went to the cafe where you work, but they said you'd taken the day off." "I wasn't feeling well," Cassidy replied flatly."I took the day off and slept in the dorm." "You weren't feeling well? What happened? Were you too tired?" Isaac asked with a worried expression, looking like he was genuinely concerned about her. But Cassidy knew it was all an act. Isaac had only been dating her for fun. The woman he truly loved was Quinn. He hadn't broken up yet with Cassidy for two reasons. First, he wasn't done toying with her. Second, he wanted to use her to make Quinn jealous. Cassidy was nothing more than a pawn in their little game. Keeping her face blank, Cassidy replied, "It was nothing. I just had a cold and a headache." "I'll go buy you some medicine," Isaac said immediately. "There's no need. I already took some. I feel much better now." "Oh… okay then. Let's have lunch together," Isaac said while reaching out to hold her hand. Cassidy endured the intense revulsion that arose within her and forced herself not to pull away. If she wanted to get rid of Isaac smoothly later, she couldn't let him suspect anything yet. Masking her true feelings and showing an even expression, she said, "My mom came to see me. I'm having lunch with her today." "Oh, Kate came to the city? Then I'll go with you. It's my treat. I just got paid from my part-time job yesterday," Isaac said with a smile. There it was again. The same fake warmth when he mentioned Kate. A flicker of disgust crossed Cassidy's eyes. She turned Isaac down coolly, her gaze distant. "Next time. Didn't you say it's better for you to meet my mom during winter break? The first meeting should be more formal." Isaac sounded a little disappointed. "Alright." Then, he added earnestly, "It wasn't fun, babe. I'm not even kidding. I won't stay out that late ever again. Please don't be mad at me." Cassidy realized that he was responding to the question she had asked him on the phone. She had asked, "Was it fun?" What she had meant was whether his game of pretending to be poor was fun. Clearly, Isaac had misunderstood. He thought she was upset that he had come back late and was asking whether his classmate's birthday party had been so fun that he stayed out all night. Cassidy didn't bother clearing the misunderstanding and went along with it. "It's okay. I'm not mad." "Really?" Isaac smiled and his eyes brightened. He was wearing the white down jacket she had bought him. It had cost her over 1,000 dollars. He paired it with the white turtleneck sweater she had knitted herself. Isaac was fairly handsome, with well-proportioned features and clear skin. Even during the two years he pretended to be poor, he still managed to stand out among other guys despite wearing faded shirts and jeans. The winter sunlight softened his features, making him look like a gentle, loving boyfriend. It was hard to imagine that someone who looked so gentle could do something so cruel. Cassidy stopped walking and looked up at him, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts. There were so many things she wanted to say. She felt deeply wronged and couldn't understand why Isaac treated her feelings so carelessly. Why did he trample on her feelings so mercilessly when she had given him her heart so sincerely? Why was he able to spend her money without any guilt while watching her work her fingers to the bone every day when he was rich? How could he say he loved her while kissing another woman so passionately like he never wanted to let her go? "I'm really sorry, babe," Isaac said, looking aggrieved. "Please don't ignore me. I'll never stay out that late again. Wherever I go, I'll report it to you, okay?" "Okay," Cassidy said, forcing a smile. "You're the best, babe." Isaac leaned in and tried to kiss her cheek. Cassidy turned her head away. "There are people around." Isaac laughed. "Then next time, we'll find somewhere more private." "My mom is waiting for me. I need to go." "Alright, babe," Isaac said. "I'll eat at the cafeteria. Want to have dinner together tonight?" "I have to go to my part-time job," Cassidy replied automatically. Then, she added, "Finals are coming up, and I still have to squeeze in time to study. I'm also really short on money lately." After a pause, she said jokingly, "If only you could suddenly get rich. Then I wouldn't have to work three jobs." Isaac stiffened. After a moment of silence, he said earnestly, "I'll definitely let you live a good life in the future." Cassidy smiled and thought, "Go to hell, you liar!" That was the first time she had ever cursed Isaac so viciously in her heart. … Stefan had just wrapped up a meeting when it was time for lunch. His friend, Tyler Ford, invited him to have a meal together. Ford Group's office building was directly across the street from Archer Group's. Tyler often asked Stefan to eat together whenever he felt like it. At the restaurant, Stefan was discussing business projects with Tyler when he casually glanced at a table diagonally across from theirs. What he saw made him freeze. A woman with thick, voluminous curls was sitting across from Isaac. Judging from her back, she clearly wasn't Cassidy. They weren't far away, so Stefan could hear their conversation. "I heard you're dating someone in college?" Quinn asked. Isaac sat facing Stefan. From that angle, Stefan could see the carefree smile on his face. "Yeah," Isaac said. "But didn't you also have a boyfriend while you were abroad?" Quinn sounded displeased as she said, "I broke up with him before coming back. When are you breaking up with Cassidy?" Stefan frowned, and his expression darkened slightly. "When I get bored. You know, pretending to be poor is actually pretty fun. At least I can be sure she's not with me for my money," Isaac replied in the same frivolous attitude. Quinn said unhappily, "It sounds like you don't intend to break up with her." A devilish smile appeared on Isaac's lips, and he raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you jealous?" Quinn didn't answer. Her silence spurred Isaac to add, "Don't worry. I'm just playing around with Cassidy. Once I've had enough, I'll come back to you." "Stefan?" Tyler called out when he noticed that Stefan was zoning out. He waved his hand in front of Stefan's face and asked, "What are you looking at?" Stefan withdrew his gaze. His lips pressed into a thin line, irritation clear on his face. Tyler was confused. "What's wrong? Who pissed you off? What's with that look?" "It's nothing," Stefan replied icily. "Let's eat."