Chapter 9

After Cassandra replied to Evelyn's message, it wasn't long before she heard a commotion from downstairs. Cassandra walked to the window and glanced outside. Two large trucks had pulled into the front yard, loaded with yellow roses and roots. A group of gardeners with shovels jumped down and, without a word, began digging up every last tulip in sight. Leaning against the window frame, Cassandra watched as the yard was torn apart. In no time, not a single tulip remained. It was a beautiful sight. For the first time since she'd woken up, Cassandra allowed herself a satisfied smile. … By 6:00 pm, Evelyn's driver had arrived to pick her up. After Serena helped Cassandra into the car, the latter caught sight of her taking a picture of the car's license plate as it drove off. It was obvious that Serena was going to report to Gregory. Cassandra didn't care. Gregory knew Evelyn's car well enough and knew perfectly how much she despised him. Gregory had always upheld his image of a polite gentleman. Thus, the last thing he wanted was to provoke someone as bad-tempered as Evelyn. Cassandra could only be grateful she'd never been foolish enough to give up her friendship with Evelyn just because Gregory didn't like her. Half an hour later, the car pulled into the parking lot at Weber's. Cassandra kept up her act and entered the club with a walking cane and sunglasses. A waiter quickly approached her. “Are you Ms. Monroe? Ms. Caldwell is already waiting for you in a private room on the fourth floor. Would you like me to escort you upstairs?" Cassandra replied, "No need. Just take me to the elevator." The waiter guided her to the elevator doors. As soon as they slid open, Cassandra stepped inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The heavy doors began to close in front of her. When Cassandra instinctively glanced outside, she saw a group of men in black suits entering the club and forming two neat lines. A man walked in between them, his figure partly obscured by the wall of bodyguards. Cassandra lowered her glasses slightly. Between the guards, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the man's tailored suit. The only thing she could make out was his hands. He had long, defined fingers, sharp knuckles, and skin so pale that the veins beneath showed faintly. There was something inexplicably sensual about it. His hand looked like a piece of art to Cassandra. Still, she reasoned that anyone with hands that perfect probably had a face that didn't match. Before she had the chance to verify her thoughts, the elevator doors closed in her face. At the entrance, Theodore paused mid-step as if sensing something. He glanced toward the elevator just in time to see the doors slide shut. His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of intrigue crossing them. Just then, the manager of Weber's rushed over and said respectfully, "Good evening, Mr. Lockwood. Your private elevator is this way." Theodore withdrew his gaze and turned toward the other side of the hall, stepping into the discreet, luxuriously appointed lift reserved only for him. … The elevator soon arrived at the fourth floor. Cassandra relied on her memory and walked down the corridor to the private room at the end. The moment she pushed open the door, a figure threw herself at her with a dramatic cry. "Cass, my baby! Let me have a look at you!" With a heartbroken expression, Evelyn cupped Cassandra's face. "You've gotten so thin! It's all because of that jerk! I knew from the start he was no good for you!" Evelyn had never liked Gregory. In fact, she was probably the only person in the world who thought he wasn't good enough for Cassandra. Cassandra's eyes stung when seeing Evelyn's bright and familiar face again. She choked out, "Evelyn, I missed you." There was a saying that best friends might as well be the family one chose for themselves. To Cassandra, Evelyn was the closest thing to a sister she could ever have. When Evelyn hugged her tightly and patted her back, she could feel the sharp outline of her bones through the thin fabric. Immediately, Evelyn led her over to the dining table. "Enough of all the sob stories. Let's eat first. We can talk while we're at it." When Cassandra saw that the table was filled with her favorite food, she felt warmth spreading through her chest. "Thank you, Evelyn." Evelyn pinched her cheek worriedly. "Don't you dare thank me. Just eat more, get your strength back, and divorce that scumbag! Worst comes to worst, I'll take care of you. "I won the Golden Awards for Best Actress last year, so you don't even worry about it!" Cassandra laughed, genuinely feeling happy for her. After all, it had always been Evelyn's dream to win best actress. "Congratulations, Evelyn! You made it." Evelyn looked at Cassandra but couldn't bring herself to smile. Her heart ached with pity. "Cass, if you hadn't stayed for Gregory seven years ago—" Cassandra interrupted her gently, "Evelyn, there's no point in regrets. What's done is done. I always have the choice to start a new life. "I'll get a divorce from Gregory, but now's not the right time. I need to prepare a lot of things if I want custody for both kids, and I might need your help." The Hart family was one of the most powerful families in Astoria. And Gregory had spent years crafting his public image—the youngest general manager in Nimbus Group's history, effortlessly handsome, and the ideal husband and father. His reputation was practically flawless. Ironically, Cassandra had helped him build half of what he had right now. It wasn't going to be easy if she wanted to get the twins' custody from the Hart family. Evelyn took Cassandra's hand. "Cass, I'll always be by your side." Cassandra had never once doubted that. When dinner was almost over, Evelyn slid her phone to Cassandra. Her tone was heavy with hesitation. "Cass, I managed to find Olivia's secret Twitter account. Take a look." Cassandra picked up her phone. The first thing she noticed was Olivia's account name—Deep in the Clouds. The profile picture was a blurry silhouette of a man's back. However, Cassandra could immediately tell that it was Gregory. She would know that silhouette anywhere. Ever since Cassandra was 12 years old, she had been trailing behind Gregory. Thus, the sight she became most familiar with was his back. The most recent post was dated five years ago—the very day Cassandra went into a coma after a difficult childbirth. In the photo, Olivia was holding two newborns with a smile. Cassandra knew that it was her twins, Ashton and Noelle! A surge of anger shot through her. Forcing herself to stay calm, Cassandra kept scrolling. With every post she read, the chill in her chest deepened, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably. In one of Olivia's old college photos, Gregory's figure appeared in the background. This meant they had known each other since college. However, Cassandra remembered clearly that Gregory had hired Olivia only because he wanted a capable secretary to look after her during her pregnancy. Back then, the two even pretended to meet for the first time right in front of her. Evelyn was absolutely furious. "It turns out that the witch went to the same college as Gregory! She was two years his junior in college, and their relationship back then was far from ordinary!" Cassandra scrolled further and sneered. "That's putting it mildly." In the photo, Olivia took a selfie while resting her head on Gregory's shoulder. Still half-drowsy, he was gazing at her tenderly. The caption read, "He came all the way to the hospital on his birthday just to take care of me. He even brought me a scarf. Thank you." When Cassandra saw the date of the post, she felt her entire body go cold. The memory struck her like a blow, leaving her breathless. The scarf that Olivia was wearing was the very one Cassandra had stayed up all night knitting for Gregory.