Chapter 13

Victoria helped Cassandra out of the pool at the same time. She immediately draped her jacket over Cassandra's shoulders since Cassandra was drenched. Thankfully, Victoria wore a business suit today for a meeting. She wore a shirt underneath the jacket. Her specially tailored suit was also perfectly suitable for a business dinner. Aidan frowned as he carried Clara in his arms. He gave Cassandra a look and sounded accusatory. "Cassandra, how could you do this to Clara? What if you put her in danger?" His words stoked her anger. She stared coldly at him, her tone taking on a sardonic edge. "Aidan, are you blind? She was the one who pulled me into the pool! How is this my fault?" The guests started to murmur and cast weird looks at Cassandra. They assumed she had lashed out due to jealousy. Clara seemed gleeful when she noticed the shift in public sentiment. Soon, she put on a pitiful look. Between sobs, she pleaded, "Aidan, please don't blame Cass. It was my fault. I shouldn't have upset her…" Clara definitely did this on purpose to embarrass Cassandra in public! Victoria's temper flared. Pointing at Clara, she went off. "Clara, stop playing the victim! You were the one who dragged Cassandra into the pool. How could you frame her, you shameless woman?" Clara flinched in the face of Victoria's assertiveness. She clutched tightly onto Aidan's sleeve. In a trembling voice, she countered, "I didn't! How could you accuse me like this?" Aidan's expression darkened further. Shielding Clara, he addressed Victoria frostily, "Ms. Ashford, watch your mouth. Clara can't handle being intimidated." Victoria stomped in anger. "Both of you have no shame!" Clara stopped Aidan from speaking up. "It's okay, Aidan. Stop it. I'm fine. Cass seems to really hate me, though…" Her eyes were misty, and her face pitiful. Without warning, Cassandra grabbed a glass of red wine and splashed it on Clara. Clara stopped speaking. Her eyes were filled with shock when she felt the cold liquid on her face. She picked up on the thick scent of wine when the liquid dripped down her face. She fumed silently, "Cassandra, you bitch! How dare you?" Cassandra's eyes carried a sharp glint. She snickered. "I will only take the blame for something I've done. You should drop the act. I splashed the wine on you, so I'll admit to that." With that, Cassandra left with Victoria. Now, everyone looked at Clara with disdain. Cassandra had been calm throughout. But Clara, who had put on a fake act, panicked. Anyone could tell that Clara was the culprit. "Aidan…" She cautiously looked at Aidan. Her voice trembled. "I feel cold and dizzy." At that moment, she had so much hatred for Cassandra. She wouldn't have become the joke of the night had it not been for Cassandra. Aidan felt a little irritated as he watched Cassandra leave. Looking down at Clara in his arms, he said softly, "Let's get you to the hospital for a checkup." Clara could only act fragile. "Okay." … Cassandra felt physically cold, but she was oddly at peace. Taking a deep breath after she left the event hall, she felt the oppressive feeling lift. She looked up at the starry night sky. "Cassandra." Suddenly, a deep, rich, and alluring voice came from behind her. Taken aback, she turned around and found a tall man standing not far away from her. He was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, his features stern and his gaze deep. It was as if he could see through one's soul. It was Tristan. Cassandra's heart started to race. She had not expected to meet him when she looked like a mess. "Tristan." She smiled at him and tried to sound calm. Victoria's eyes widened when she heard that. What? Was that guy before them Tristan Freeman, the head of the Freeman family? And did he know Cassandra personally? That was unbelievable! Before Victoria could react, Tristan had approached them. Holding Cassandra, he inquired with a concerned frown, "What's wrong? Why are you drenched?" Cassandra confessed, knowing that he'd get to the bottom of it anyway. "Yeah… There was a minor accident, you see." Victoria grumbled, "It was no accident. Clara purposely dragged you into the pool." Tristan furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe that Clara had the nerve to bully his woman. For now, Cassandra wasn't ready to make her relationship with Tristan public. She replied, "It's fine. I didn't take it lying down. I hit back at her just now." Then, she shifted the topic of conversation. "This is my good friend, Victoria. Victoria, this is Tristan." "Ms. Ashford, it's nice to meet you," Tristan greeted Victoria politely. Victoria was too excited to speak. The gentleman in front of her was strikingly handsome. He had well-defined, attractive facial features. When did Cassandra get to know such a catch of a man? It would soon be time to grill her with questions. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Freeman!" Tristan gave her a nod. He turned to Cassandra, saying, "Let's leave!" Cassandra was surprised. "I thought you wanted to attend the dinner." He rested his gaze on her wet evening dress. His tone was tender but firm. "I'm not going. Let's get you changed." Looking at the mess that was herself, she whispered, "Okay. Let's go back." Meanwhile, Victoria was dumbstruck. She struggled to contain the shock. Tugging at her friend's sleeve, she whispered, "Cassie, what's your relationship with him? Why do you sound like you know him well?" Looking embarrassed, Cassandra was about to explain the situation, but Tristan beat her to it. "Ms. Ashford, Cassandra is my wife." "What did you just say? Your wife?" Victoria nearly yelled. With her eyes widened, she seemed like she had heard some morbidly shocking news. Cassandra hadn't expected Tristan to admit to their relationship publicly. She blushed. When Victoria finally pulled herself together, she patted Cassandra on the shoulder and teased, "Cassie, you're something else! You kept a tight lid on this secret, even from me!" "Yeah. I plan to keep it that way. I haven't settled the issues in the company, and I don't want more trouble," Cassandra replied, embarrassed. Victoria immediately made a gesture of zipping her mouth. "Ms. Ashford, come with us. We'll send you home." Tristan could tell that Victoria and Cassandra were close friends. Victoria immediately said, "It's fine. I drove here." After that, she watched the couple leave the event hall in awe. She quietly gushed, "What a match made in Heaven!"