Chapter 11

Cassandra was a little taken aback when she heard Tristan's words, and her cheeks flushed. She noticed his intense gaze, and her heart raced. "Come with me. I'll give you a tour." He led her into the house. While they walked, he introduced the place. "This is a 3,000 square foot house with a main bedroom, three guest bedrooms, a study, and two bathrooms…" She was silently in awe of his wealth to be able to afford such a large house on premium land. When they arrived at the main bedroom, she stood at the door as her gaze landed on the king-size bed. Her heartbeat quickened again. The interior of the bedroom was in line with the house's minimalist aesthetic. The warm lighting on the plush bed made it look exceptionally cozy. Standing beside Cassandra, Tristan noticed that she had spaced out. With a smirk, he teased her, "What's wrong with the bed?" She snapped back to reality and looked embarrassed. She whispered, "No… I just thought it was a little too big." He let out a light chuckle. Sounding doting, he asked, "Isn't that good? We could do whatever we like here." His low and gentle voice, coupled with his suggestive tone, made her blush harder. Her head was lowered, and she toyed with her fingers, feeling both nervous and expectant. Tristan's attitude softened when he noticed her embarrassment. "Cassie, are you nervous? Don't worry. I will respect your wishes. Let's only spend the night together when you're more at ease here." She shyly agreed to it. However, he soon added, "I hope you don't keep me waiting for too long, though." Her blush deepened when she heard his comment. "By the way, we'll have dinner at Freeman Villa and discuss the wedding." She immediately snapped around. "Are we throwing a wedding banquet?" He replied, "Of course. I'll pay for a grand wedding for you." "Actually… Don't bother. Let's talk about it later." Cassandra was reminded of the many remaining issues she had with Aidan, and she didn't want to attract trouble at the wedding. "Sure. It's up to you." Taken aback, Tristan respected her decision nonetheless. … The next morning, Aidan received a call from his family, requesting his return. Since he was enjoying Clara's company at that time, he brought her to the Ziegler residence. They showed up, fingers locked like a loving married couple. Upon seeing them, Beatrice approached with a smile. "Aidan, you're home. Who is this?" She shot Clara a look of confusion. Holding Clara's hand, Aidan introduced her to Beatrice. "Mom, this is Clara. She's the daughter of Jack Callum, CEO of Callum Corporation." Beatrice's eyes lit up in excitement when she learned that Clara was Jack Callum's only daughter. That made Clara the perfect match for Aidan and a much better candidate than Cassandra ever was. Ever since Sophia—Jack's mistress—officially became the lady of the house, Cassandra and Matilda moved out and cut ties with the Callum family. As such, only a few knew that Cassandra was Jack's daughter. It wasn't like Cassandra cared to bring it up. She abhorred the association with every fiber of her being. Clara understood that the Ziegler family was much more influential than her family. She'd be marrying up. With that in mind, she demurely greeted Beatrice. "Hello, Mrs. Freeman." When Beatrice heard that, she was all smiles. She enthusiastically held Clara's hand. Sounding doting, she purred, "Are you Clara? What a nice young lady you are. You're pretty and graceful. "Come in and have a seat. Don't just stand around." Clara was a little flustered by Beatrice's zeal. Blushing, she nodded obediently. "Thanks, Mrs. Freeman." Aidan felt relieved after seeing Beatrice's warm welcome for Clara. Smiling, he said, "Mom, this is Clara's first time at our place. Don't scare her away!" Beatrice laughed and patted his hand. She addressed him tenderly, "Look at you! I was just happy. I'm glad you brought home a nice young lady like Clara." She guided Clara to sit on the couch and served her a cup of tea. "Clara, have some tea. Make yourself at home." Clara nodded. Beatrice was suddenly reminded of Cassandra. She asked her son, "Aidan, have you settled matters with Cassandra?" "Not yet, Mom. Cassandra holds 40% of the stocks. She will only give them up to me if I offer her 30 million dollars," Aidan answered in a serious tone. Beatrice's expression immediately sank. Her tone took on an angry edge and sounded shrill. "30 million dollars? Isn't that bitch being too greedy?" Clara felt gleeful upon hearing Beatrice's criticism of Cassandra, but she took care to maintain a demure smile. She gently coaxed Beatrice, "Mrs. Freeman, stay calm. Don't get worked up for someone like Cassandra. I guess she's… probably feeling disgruntled." Beatrice scoffed. Sounding disdainful, she questioned, "And why is Cassandra feeling disgruntled? She should know her place!" That put a frown on Aidan's face. He sounded exasperated. "Mom, stop it. Cassandra owns 40% of the stocks—that's a fact." He was too prideful to reveal the fact that F&W Jewelry wouldn't have existed without Cassandra. The Zieglers still saw him as a good-for-nothing who leeched off his family. Beatrice became dissatisfied. "Aidan, how could you speak up for Cassandra? She's a nobody and doesn't deserve to negotiate with us! She's delusional for demanding 30 million dollars!" Sighing, Aidan replied calmly, "Mom, this is not the time to be emotional. The company is doing increasingly well. This is a worthwhile investment if we think of the long-term future." After a moment of silence, Beatrice snapped coldly, "Even if we plan to buy back her stocks, we can't let her have her way! She shouldn't dream of getting 30 million dollars for her stocks. "Aidan, negotiate with her. The most we'll pay is 10 million dollars—not a cent more!" "Okay. I got it." Aidan had already planned to negotiate with Cassandra in the first place. "By the way, there's a business dinner tomorrow. Your dad reminded you to attend it. From what we heard, the head of the Freeman family, Tristan, will be there too. If we get to know him, we don't have to worry about business opportunities anymore," she reminded him. "Mom, I got it. I'll be there. Many of my business partners will be there too." It was an important business event, after all, and Aidan had his own plans. "Good." Beatrice was glad to see Aidan finally holding his own. Little did she know that Cassandra deserved the credit for Aidan's success today. When they first dated, the Zieglers looked down on them and opposed the relationship. Since then, Cassandra had set up a studio and later a company. Only when they became successful did the Zieglers start to look at Aidan in a new light.