Chapter 6 Old Wounds, New Battles

The night devolved into disaster as Cassie watched Jeffery's face darken. His characteristic self-assurance broke down under the pressure of his phone repetitively ringing in his pocket.

"Excuse me." He backed away, taking the device to his ear.

Cassie made her way toward her colleagues, the laughter around her yielding to muted whispers. She caught bits of Jeffery's conversation-terms like "fraud," "whistleblower," and "detrimental." Her heart pounded as alarm set in.

He came back to her a few minutes later, his face pale. "We have a serious problem."

"What is it?" Cassie asked, concern etching her face.

He rubbed his hand through his hair. "Leaked documents-allegations against R.R Conglomerate Holdings. Illegal transactions and immoral business practices."

"Are they true?" she persisted, justifiably concerned for him.

I don't know yet," he replied brusquely, the harshness of his tone catching her off guard. "But if it's a fake. then someone on the inside is trying to ruin us."

Cassie drank in his words, her mind spinning with implications. Before she could even process it, a message appeared on her cell phone screen: a breaking news flash from a station that blew the story wide open. Panic swept the gala as investors scrambled to leave, stocks crashing faster than Cassie could grasp.

Another message arrived-that one from Ethan Carter.

"Meet me." The invitation was laced with desperation.

Ethan had been smooth and charming when they'd engaged in their casual affair during college; now he was CEO of Titan Dynamics, a rival firm with an appetite for destruction. Cassie hesitated, knowing that he would attempt to use this deal to his advantage over Jeffery.

The moment she stepped outdoors into the chill night air, Ethan leaned against a sleek black car, a hungry grin plastered on his face. "I knew you'd come."

"Ethan," she replied tersely, folding her arms. "What do you want?"

"To discuss business and only business," he replied breezily, although she detected tension underneath the surface.

"They're going to charge Jeffery with something."

"With justice if it will aid us in bringing them down." His eyes narrowed and he moved nearer. "You know that I can assist you. assist both of us."

Her stomach churned at the idea of helping him in this plot against Jeffery.

"I don't want to take sides," she retorted defiantly.

Ethan's smile lost some of its force but retained its charisma. "This is not all business; it's personal as well. You have contacts that would make this simple."

As she stood there torn by warring emotions-her history with Ethan staring her in the face-Cassie could not dismiss the nagging feeling that Jeffery needed her now more than ever. Yet here was Ethan holding out a way that offered vengeance on someone who meant the world to him once.

"Consider it," Ethan pressed quietly, cutting through her resolve like an arrow reaching its target.

A tempest brewed in her breast; loyalty and ambition wrestled mightily as the world about them spun into crisis mode.

* * *

Cassie was seated at her desk, tapping her fingers anxiously on the glossy wood surface. The revelation of Jeffery's situation loomed over her like a thundercloud, bringing with it the memory of the love she believed got away and was lost years ago. Her boss Claire Withers, head of the P.R unit, strode into the room with a sense of determination, ending Cassie's indecisiveness.

"Cassie," Claire said assertively, sliding a folder across the desk. "You're doing R.R Conglomerate's PR case.".

"What? No way." Cassie's heart was pounding. The last thing she wanted to do was fall back into Jeffery's universe, not in this way.

"It's business." Claire folded her arms, unbudging. "You can do this. I want results."

Cassie sighed deeply and felt cornered. She could not leave the job; not now.

As she came up to Jeffery's office later that afternoon, she hardened herself to the upcoming argument. He looked up from his disordered desk, the dark circles beneath his eyes testament to lost nights of sleep.

"Cassie." His voice was slightly broken as he got up. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I'm here because I must," she answered, holding her arms tight about her.

"Listen," he started, desperation entering his voice. "I need your help-

"No." She interrupted him curtly. "I'll not hide your mess. I'll tidy the truth, but you'll need to be honest with me."

His shoulders dropped under her words. "I did nothing wrong! You must believe me!"

"I want to believe you," she said slowly, picking her words. "But how am I to, when everything looks so bad?"

He massaged his temples in frustration. "I know it appears awful. but it's all made up! Somebody is attempting to sabotage me and my shop!"

Cassie regarded him, conflicted between lingering emotions and skepticism. His desperation pulled at something deep inside of her, yet doubt fogged her thoughts.

Prior to her being able to react more, there was a knock on the door, breaking their moment.

Ethan walked in uninvited-a self-assured smile lined his face as he looked around the room.

"Jeffery!" Ethan said jovially before facing Cassie. "Good to see you again."

Jeffery's face tightened at Ethan's arrival; the atmosphere was tense with anticipation like static electricity.

"Cassie," Ethan went on easily as if they were friends meeting at a party. "I could use someone like you on my team right now."

He lounged against the doorframe with a casual charm that twisted Cassie's stomach in discomfort.

She looked at Jeffery and witnessed anger cross his face-a feeling mixed with vulnerability that created a confusing wave in her own heart.

"Leave her alone," Jeffery bit out before he could censor himself.

Ethan chuckled low in his throat, an annoyingly calm smile spreading across his lips. "Ease up; I'm just making a proposition."

The air thickened between them as Cassie was torn between two worlds-one of old flames and lost hopes and another of the promise of ambition but with a taint of betrayal.

* * *

Cassie leaned over her desk, the faint glow of her computer lighting a pile of papers. There was silence in the room except for the sound of the typing. She had worked through the long nights going through the leaked documents, but something in the latest set gave her pause.

As she read through a single report of budget spending, discrepancies leaped out like red flags. Numbers didn't add up; expenses appeared padded in ways that made no sense. She leaned closer, her heart racing as she examined the timestamps and signatures. Each seemed a bit too precise, too perfect.

"Doctored," she breathed under her breath, her heart racing. The implication sent shivers down her spine.

She attacked the files with fresh vigor, putting together a puzzle that was leading her to somebody near Jeffery-an insider who was juggling numbers for personal benefit. The realization was a stunner; trust had been breached from within.

The hours ticked by as Cassie worked on, tending to lose all sense of time. But Ethan's shadow hung large over her work.

"Cassie," he said one night propped against the doorframe of her office, arms crossed carelessly but eyes intent. "You're wasting your time."

"I'm not finished with it." Cassie didn't lift her eyes from her computer screen, refusing to look up at him.

"You have to drop it," Ethan attempted to convince her, his voice dropping into the tone of threat disguised as charm. "This isn't worth the trouble. You'll regret opposing his side."

She shot him a glare that could slice through steel. "Why do you care?"

Ethan leaned in, low and conspiratorial. "Because I see what's happening here-a game you don't understand."

It was difficult to dismiss him when each word was coated in calculated intent. Cassie brushed off his influence and turned her attention back to her work, searching for the final piece that would validate her theories.

A movement out of the corner of her eye made her glance down as she opened another file; a name jumped out at her: Miranda Trent-Jeffery's trusted executive and close friend of many years.

"What?" Cassie exclaimed out loud, remembering how Miranda used to defend Jeffery's decisions at meetings with an aura of command and charisma.

Fear twisted in Cassie's gut as she joined the dots; Ethan's aggressive campaign to eliminate Jeffery was starting to add up now.

Equipped with this shocking revelation, Cassie burst into Jeffery's office the next day, her heart pounding with excitement and trepidation.

"Jeffery!" She could no longer keep urgency in check as he looked up from his desk.

"What is it?" His brow furrowed with concern.

"Miranda. I think she's part of this." Her voice trembled slightly but held firm.

He blinked at her words before slowly shaking his head in denial. "That doesn't make sense."

I had proof-look!" She shoved the papers under his nose, observing skepticism give way to astonishment on his face as he read the pages covering the damning information.

Would he believe it? Would he look beyond their reputable partnership?

* * *

Cassie carried the world on her shoulders when she departed from the office that evening. Streetlights lit her way, yet shadows threatened the periphery of her vision. Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she rummaged in to retrieve it, a shiver running down her spine when she read the message:

"Stop digging or you'll regret it."

Her heart quickened. Somebody wanted her to back down. She looked over her shoulder, but the sidewalk seemed to be clear. Fear scraped at her innards, propelling her into a run for Jeffery's penthouse.

She rushed to his building in record time, her adrenaline flowing. She paused for a second before she pressed the elevator button and watched the doors swing open like a gateway to salvation. The elevator ride took an eternity; every floor brought closer an unease she couldn't explain.

When she finally stood before Jeffery's door, Cassie paused again, second thoughts creeping into her head. But before she could hesitate twice, she knocked firmly.

"Cassie?" Jeffery cracked open the door, bloodshot eyes and mussed hair evidence of too many late nights partying and working. He seemed startled to find her on his doorstep but concerned.

"Let me in," she demanded, voice shaking.

She shut the door behind herself inside. The air was thick with whiskey, evidence of recent partying. "You look like you need to talk," he said softly.

"Someone's threatening me." She paced the room, hands trembling with adrenaline as tension seeped from each word.

Jeffery moved forward, brow creasing further. "Who? Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I thought I could deal with it," she bit out, anger welling up alongside fear.

"Clearly not." He folded his arms, annoyance clear in the set of his body.

Cassie halted, chest panting as they glared at one another-tension crackling between them like electricity. The feelings seethed to the forefront-fear condensed into something more; unresolved feelings skittered dangerously near blazing out of control.

"What do you want from me?" Cassie challenged him.

His eyes gentled for a moment before hardening again with resolve. "I want you safe."

Before they could argue any further, something primal took over. She stepped closer; their faces nearly touched. In a fierce, passionate gesture born of feeling and desperation, Jeffery reached out and caught her face, pulling her into a kiss that ignited years of longing.

The heat enveloped Cassie as she melted into him momentarily-then reality came crashing back like a tidal wave. She pulled away, panting.

"No," she whispered with passion as need and doubt warred inside her.

Yet somewhere deep inside, that kiss stirred something long buried beneath pain and years-something she didn't know how to confront again.

* * *

Cassie and Jeffery huddled in the penthouse's gloom, papers scattered over the table. Their scheme to reveal the traitor pulsed with urgency.

"We have to bait them," Jeffery stated, his finger drumming on a falsified contract they had uncovered. "When they learn this, they'll believe they have me trapped."

Cassie nodded, her gut twisted with anxiety. "But if they suspect it's a trap. it might backfire.".

He shrugged, his eyes burning with determination. "It's a risk we have to take."

Hours ticked by, until night descended outside, and Cassie saw tension build around them. She was holding her breath when the phone vibrated with a message from an unknown number-"I know what you're doing." Her heart thudded through her veins.

"Did you get that?" she asked, extending the phone.

Jeffery leaned forward to read the message. "They're onto us," he whispered.

Before they could make further plans, sirens blared outside, disrupting their peaceful haven. Cassie's heart sank as two officers burst into the room.

"Jeffery Richards? You're under arrest for fraud and conspiracy," one officer yelled, seizing his arm.

"What? This is a mistake!" Jeffery cried out, shock crossing his face.

Cassie moved forward, horror tearing at her throat. "You can't do this! He's innocent!

The officer disregarded her request, handcuffing Jeffery's wrists. He glanced at Cassie, betrayal and terror mixed in his eyes.

"Please. don't leave me," he whispered as they pulled him away.

Cassie's heart broke with those words as she stood there frozen in place. The world revolved around her as reality washed over her like a cold wave of water; despair took over her like an iron clutch. She had tried so hard to save him and see it all fall apart.

On the street outside, the flashing lights of police vehicles threw changing shadows across Jeffery's face as he spun around to face her once more-a blend of fear and trust in his eyes.

Her fists were tight, held half by old wounds, half by new resolve. The memories flooded back-whispers of laughter, promises of forever now soured by this betrayal.

Should she leave him as she had left him thirteen years earlier? Or fight for him?

Determination surged like wildfire through her veins as she stepped into the maelstrom of darkness-she couldn't lose him twice. But where to start? Who would assist her in unraveling this knotted mess? The name Ethan inexplicably rose to the forefront of her mind; he was always clever when it counted.

She inhaled deeply, adrenaline pumping through her system as she came to a conclusion: Cassie wasn't going down without a struggle for Jeffery.