Chapter 6

During dinner, Lisa placed a bowl of chicken noodle soup made with hormone-balancing herbs before Cassandra. "Have some of this, Mrs. Dorsey." Then, she placed another type of soup in front of Cameron. "This is for you, Mr. Dorsey." Cameron took a whiff of the soup, and his expression shifted. "I don't think I need this, Lisa." Lisa smiled sheepishly. "Aren't you and Mrs. Dorsey trying for a baby? A little extra nourishment can't hurt." He turned to Cassandra, his eyes glistening with affection. "Trust me—Cassie and I don't need it." "What's that?" Cassandra asked. Lisa answered, "I added ingredients meant to boost a man's stamina!" No wonder the living room was filled with a weird stench. Cameron pressed his lips together and let out a laugh. "Lisa, why don't you take the night off? Just head home early. You don't even need to clean up the kitchen." Lisa quickly understood his meaning. "Thanks, Mr. Dorsey. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded, then downed the bowl in one go. For some reason, Cassandra thought he was staring at her with a fiery gaze while he finished the soup. Immediately, she sent out a text. "Come over ASAP." Ryan simply replied with a question mark. She typed another message. "Keep stalling, and your precious buddy might end up in my claws tonight." As expected, he promptly replied. "Be right there." A mocking laugh escaped from Cassandra's lips. She was amused by Ryan's character. If she hadn't heard that he was into women, she would've assumed he was gay and had been crushing on Cameron all these years. A voice, warm and breathy, tickled her ear. "Who are you texting?" She was startled. "Gosh, you're so close. It's warm in here." "Then, why don't we take a cold shower?" He swept her feet off the ground and carried her in his arms, adding, "Together." The next second, he started making his way toward the main bedroom. "Hold on." Cameron's phone rang, ruining the moment. He hesitated briefly before placing Cassandra on the floor. Cassandra asked, "Work?" He gave her a brief hug. "Why don't you hop into the shower first? I'll join you after taking this call." She shot back, "Are you sure you can do that?" Or more accurately, would Annabelle allow him to do that? Cameron laughed. "Oh, you're eager, aren't you? Fine, I won't take the call. Let's get started right away." "No!" Cassandra stopped him and said, "You should take the call. What if it's important?" Cameron glanced at the caller ID again and gave a quiet "Yeah" before saying, "I'll be right there." He turned to head downstairs, tapping the answer button as he went. "What's wrong? Uh-huh… Hang on a second…" They weren't far apart, so Cassandra could faintly hear a woman sobbing on the other end. Back in the bedroom, she locked the door behind her. She scrolled through the news absently until a sudden, sharp pounding on the door made her jump. Did something happen to Cameron's little sweetheart that required him to rush over immediately? Perfect! It was just as she wanted. Cassandra didn't bother to open the door. "If it's work, you should just go." However, a foreign voice bounced back. "Open up." That wasn't… As soon as she opened the door, she found a panting Ryan standing before her. He was dressed in nothing but a set of loungewear, sweat dripping down his face in thick beads. Narrowing his eyes, he gave Cassandra a quick once-over, then raised a brow. "You two didn't do anything, did you?" She snorted coldly. "You're late. We finished." "What?" he exclaimed. "Why did I even think of depending on you, Attorney Scott?" Given his speed, she wouldn't have been able to escape from Cameron tonight if Annabelle hadn't called. Ryan broke into an exasperated laugh. "I came as soon as you called, and you're being mean to me?" "Well, you rushed here for Cameron and not for me anyway." He stayed silent. "Isn't that the case?" "Of course." Ryan scanned the bedroom and asked, "Where is he?" "Didn't you see him on the way here?" "No. The yard and living room are empty." "Then, he's probably in the garage, talking with his little sweetheart." Ryan visibly relaxed. "Her name is Annabelle Green, right? I should really meet her in person." "Trust me, you will. You might even have to call her Mrs. Dorsey soon." "I'd love to—as soon as you two get divorced." Cassandra didn't reply but simply gazed at him. "What? Mesmerized by my beauty?" he asked. "Are you really Cameron's best friend?" "Duh. What, you think I'm crushing on him?" She stayed quiet. Ryan's expression immediately darkened. "Remove those dirty thoughts from your mind right now." Cassandra pouted. "How'd you know what I was thinking?" "Like it's hard." He suddenly shifted his demeanor before solemnly asking, "Nothing happened between you two, right?" She was speechless. "Chill out. Your buddy was distracted by a phone call from his sweetheart. We barely even started." "Good, good," he mumbled, nodding. "Still, he's probably been spending plenty of time with her in these past three months." "Oh, I don't care anymore." Cassandara did, however, care about one thing. "I wanna know why you despise me so much yet don't feel a thing when he's fooling around with his lover. What's wrong with me? Am I a plague to you? I just don't understand why you want us to separate so badly. Did I do something that offended you in the last 15 years?" Ryan blinked his pretty eyes. "Have you ever considered that you're the one I'm after?" She was momentarily speechless. "I lost my husband, but I haven't lost my mind." "Yeah, you're right. You're just dumb." His eyes flickered evasively before he turned away and added dryly, "I'm just worried Cameron has been around idiots so long he'll turn into one. Who knows? He might go from a high-functioning executive to a brain-dead wreck with early-onset dementia and have one foot in a nursing home in no time." "Can you at least wish him well? If you're that worried, why not throw yourself at the grenade and make a sacrifice to save your pal? I mean, turning him gay is still better than him ending up in a wheelchair, right?" Ryan let out a short laugh. "Everyone thinks you're this gentle, well-mannered good girl. I should've recorded your true colors just now and let the world know the real you instead." "What's going on here?" Cameron had returned with his phone in hand, looking surprised. "Ryan, what are you doing here?" "Yeah, Ryan. What was that life-changing matter you wanted to tell your best friend?" Redirecting his friend's sexuality was definitely life-changing. Cameron seemed to have an epiphany. "Oh? Is the woman you've been waiting for more than a decade finally getting a divorce?" Ryan replied, "Well… you can say so." "Gosh, I'm happy for you. Congrats, dude!" "What a surprise…" Cassandra chimed in. "You're into a married woman, huh, Attorney Scott?" Ryan shot her a glare. "Hey, grown-ups are talking here."