Chapter 3

Cassie shot me a furious look before turning all her attention to Dylan.

"Get him some water! Someone call my security!"

She helped Dylan to a chair, fussing over him.

I maintained my calm, wounded demeanor, letting the guests draw their own conclusions.

Later that night, back at our sterile, oversized house, Cassie finally confronted me.

But her anger was diluted, mixed with something else.

Guilt.

"Alex, what on earth happened with Dylan? He said you pushed him."

"Cassie, I just tried to calm him down. He was yelling at that poor girl." My voice was soft, tired.

"He' s... sensitive right now, Alex. His recovery is delicate."

"I understand," I said. "I wouldn't want to upset him."

Her eyes softened a fraction. My years of feigned devotion, of playing the supportive, grieving husband, were paying off.

She sighed. "I spoke to him. He overreacted. But please, Alex, just be gentle with him."

"Of course," I said.

The next evening, I staged my next move.

Cassie found me in the rarely used sitting room, a room Sarah had once admired for its light.

Sarah' s old art portfolio was open on my lap. Sketches, watercolors, dreams unfinished.

I didn't have to fake the grief that welled up looking at them.

"Alex?" Cassie' s voice was gentle.

I looked up, my eyes wet. "I... I found this. I' d forgotten how talented she was."

Cassie sat beside me, her expression pained.

"She was very special," Cassie said quietly.

This was my moment.

"Cassie," I began, my voice thick with emotion. "I need... I need something more. Something to focus on. Something meaningful."

I paused, letting the silence hang.

"That new philanthropic tech venture you were talking about at Davenport Holdings... the one focusing on medical data security and patient advocacy?"

She looked surprised.

"I know it's a long shot," I continued, "but my background in cybersecurity, my army experience with secure systems... maybe I could contribute. It would... it would feel like I' m doing something good. Something Sarah would have been proud of."

I saw the calculation in her eyes, the desire to appease me, to assuage her own guilt.

"Alex," she said, a warmth in her tone I hadn't heard in a while. "I think that' s a wonderful idea. Yes. We can make that happen."

She smiled. "You' ll need high-level security clearance, of course. I'll arrange it."

Access. Deeper access to their systems.

And more avenues for Marc to investigate.

The trap was closing.