Chapter 5 Tell That to Your Daddy

Cassie pulled Rose tightly into her arms, holding her as if she could shield her from everything waiting outside those walls. "Rose, sweetheart... please go upstairs and wait for me in your room, okay?"

The little girl hesitated, her brows knitting, the innocence in her eyes quickly flooding with fear. "Are they coming for you? Daddy said you did something bad. Is it true?"

Cassie's heart plunged, a painful weight settling so quickly it stole her breath. Across the living room, Adrian and Corinne stiffened.

Julius stood by the far corner near the staircase, his jaw tight, fury radiating off him as he glared at the mention of his brother's name. But Cassie steadied herself. She had been a mother far longer than she had been a victim.

"You don't have to worry about anything," she whispered, brushing a curl behind Rose's ear. "And I might be gone for a little while... but you told me you wanted to stay with Daddy and Aunt Sienna for now, right?"

Rose nodded twice, small, hesitant dips of her head, and Cassie felt the heartbreak lodge even deeper. She swallowed it, forcing a gentle smile. "Good girl. Go upstairs. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

She didn't know if she'd ever get to have that talk. But she had at least this moment.

Rose ran up the steps, her footsteps echoing softly through the house, just as a firm knock rattled the front door.

Adrian moved to answer, but Cassie lifted a hand. "I'll go."

Still, they followed-Adrian on her right, Corinne on her left, Julius lingering behind them like a silent wall of support.

Two uniformed officers stood on the doorstep, their expressions apologetic but professional. "Are you Cassie Monroe?" one asked.

Cassie nodded slowly.

The other officer unfolded a document, the paper catching the light from the foyer chandelier. "Ma'am, we have a warrant for your arrest on charges of assault resulting in miscarriage."

The world went silent.

So Frederick had actually done it. He'd taken it this far. The realization hit her like a physical blow, her blood turning cold as ice.

He believed she had intentionally harmed Sienna. After everything, after all the years, he believed that of her.

She remembered the day she first brought Sienna home, back when the girl had been fragile and frightened. Frederick hadn't even wanted to look at her, but Cassie had insisted, encouraged, defended her.

She had helped Sienna find a place in their lives... and somehow Sienna had taken hers.

Now she was being framed for something she didn't do.

Corinne's face drained of color. "This is outrageous. Frederick filed this? My own son?" Her voice trembled with disbelief and disgust. "I raised better than this. Or at least I thought I did."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the officer said quietly. "We're just executing the order."

Cassie shook her head, tears flooding her vision. "This is a mistake," she choked out. "I didn't hurt her. She grabbed me-I only pulled away. I didn't attack her, I didn't push her. I swear it."

Adrian stepped forward, his presence suddenly towering, voice edged with restrained fury. "Nobody touches her. Not in this house. Not until I talk to my son."

He pulled out his phone, his tone sharpening like a blade. "Frederick. Two officers just arrived for Cassie. What the hell have you done?"

Cassie could hear Frederick's voice faintly through the speaker-cold, clipped, defensive. "I told you not to take my daughter to her," he said. "I'm willing to let it go if she signs a waiver stating she'll never see Rose again."

Cassie felt her knees weaken. She might have collapsed if Corinne hadn't quickly moved to her side, wrapping her arms around Cassie's shaking shoulders. "It's okay, dear," she whispered. "We're right here. We'll fix this."

Adrian's voice dropped lower, a warning, quiet but lethal. "Withdraw the charges, Frederick. Now. Or I'll contact the silent shareholder and have them pull their stake."

Cassie stiffened. That silent shareholder... was her. Those shares were meant for Rose someday. Never for destruction. Never for this.

A beat of silence passed on the line.

"You heard me," Adrian continued. "Fix this. Today. You've humiliated your wife enough. I won't let you ruin her life."

On the other end, Frederick exhaled sharply, his voice cold as ice. "This is between me and her. She knows what she has to do."

"And I am your father," Adrian snapped. "If these officers drag her out of this home, you'll be preparing my funeral next."

Frederick scoffed. "All I want is my daughter. Why are you threatening me? If you want to die, that's on you. And if your precious shareholder wants to withdraw, let them. But Cassie will not take my daughter."

Cassie felt something inside her break. An emotional snap she wasn't sure she could recover from. Twenty-two years of knowing him. Seven years of marriage. And this was the man he had become.

"It's okay, Dad," she whispered. "Let him have Rose."

"What? No." Adrian turned to her, stunned. "You are her mother."

"And she's your granddaughter," Cassie said quietly. "I know you'll protect her."

Regret washed over Adrian's face. He wished he had never named Frederick CEO, had never handed him the company's reins. But Cassie had never complained, never once. Maybe that had been the real mistake.

"I'll bring Rose down now," he said at last. "Tell the officers to-"

"No," Frederick interrupted over the phone. "Let the officers bring her. I don't trust you, Dad. Not when you're taking Cassie's side."

His words splintered Cassie's heart completely, and she yelled for her daughter. "Rose, come down here, please."

Rose appeared at the top of the stairs, eyes wide, face pale. Cassie knelt as her daughter rushed into her arms.

"Rose," she whispered, smoothing her hair back. "These officers... they're taking you to Daddy. I'm so sorry I won't see you for a little while."

Tears gathered in Rose's eyes. "Why, Mommy?"

Cassie swallowed the pain burning in her throat. "You said you wanted to live with Daddy and Aunt Sienna for now... but listen to me." She held Rose's cheeks gently, forcing a brave smile she didn't feel. "I will come back for you. Tell that to your daddy."

For the first time since all this started, she felt certainty. Not in Frederick, not in justice, but in the truth. Evil never lasted forever. She would gather proof. She would expose the lies. And she would return for her daughter.

The moment Rose disappeared with the officers, Cassie's strength shattered. She crumbled onto the floor, sobbing. "Am I a bad mother? Was it wrong to love him?"

Julius dropped beside her, pulling her into a steady, grounding embrace. "Cass," he murmured, fury simmering beneath his calm, "my brother is the fool. And he will regret this."

Adrian exhaled heavily. "You should've let me destroy him. We created the man he is today."

Cassie shook her head, lifting her tear-streaked face. "What about Julius? He's a Jones too. And what about Rose? If the company falls, her future falls with it."

Corinne stepped forward and gathered Cassie into her arms. "After everything he's done," she whispered, "you still think of this family. That alone proves he never deserved you. I'll help push the divorce through... but Cassie, what's the plan?"