Chapter 4 Cruel Hearts and Shattered Vows

Chapter 4

Cruel Hearts and Shattered Vows

Cassandra desperately wanted to explain, but the words stuck in her throat.

She had kept it all hidden from her family-the fact that she'd taken out a loan from loan sharks to buy an apartment. She loved Seth so deeply that she would have done anything for him. Back then, when he suggested buying the place, she hadn't hesitated for a second.

Seth hadn't even qualified for the loan himself, so she had borrowed three million under her own name. They had promised to share the debt, repaying five hundred thousand a year-principal and interest-until it was cleared in eight years. But now...

"Cat got your tongue?" Phoebe Wendy glared at her, his voice icy.

"I took out a loan from loan sharks to buy the apartment," Cassandra admitted helplessly. "The property deed is in my name. They're trying to take it from me-that's why they're making such a scene." She swallowed hard. "I know, Brother. I misjudged him. But I never thought things would go this far."

"What?"

"What?"

Phoebe Wendy and Da Silva stared at her in shock, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Da Silva was the first to snap out of it. She grabbed Cassandra's arm, her voice trembling with panic. "You borrowed from loan sharks to buy a house?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yes."

"How much?" Da Silva's chest tightened, as if a heavy weight were pressing down on her.

Cassandra glanced at them, then whispered, "Three million."

"Three million?!" Da Silva shrieked. "Kathy Ya, have you lost your mind? Do you realize what you've done? You've thrown yourself into a pit of fire! You-"

Her breath hitched, and before she could finish, her vision blurred. She collapsed.

"Sis! Sis!" Cassandra cried out in panic, lunging forward to catch her.

By the time they reached the hospital, it was already one in the morning. Doctors and nurses hurried back and forth outside the ward, and Da Silva was wheeled into the operating room. Her screams echoed from inside, each one tightening the knots in Cassandra and her brother's hearts.

An hour later, a nurse emerged, cradling a baby in her arms. "Congratulations, it's a boy. But since the mother went into premature labor, the baby needs to be placed in an incubator."

"How is she doing?" Cassandra asked anxiously.

"Both mother and child are fine. The doctor is finishing up the sutures-she'll be out soon," the nurse replied before walking away.

At three in the morning, Da Silva was moved to a recovery room. Seeing how weak she looked, Cassandra was overwhelmed with guilt. She took her sister-in-law's hand and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Sis. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, the baby wouldn't have come early."

Da Silva gave her hand a feeble squeeze and reassured her, "Don't blame yourself, Linda. But... what are you going to do now?"

"Don't worry. I won't let them win. Right now, the only thing that matters is keeping you and Dad safe."

The next morning, an alarm jolted Cassandra awake. She grabbed her phone, realizing it was the reminder she'd set the day before-she had work today. Hurriedly, she turned to Da Silva. "Sis, I have to go to the office. Rest well, and I'll come see you after my shift."

"Your workplace is too far. Don't bother coming these next few days-I'll be fine. Just focus on your job. Your brother and I will take care of Dad." Da Silva's smile was strained, but her eyes held nothing but understanding.

The moment Cassandra stepped into the company, she was met with countless strange glances. For a second, she almost turned around and walked right back out.

But then she remembered the crushing weight of her debts. Money was the only thing that mattered now. Her battle with Seth would be a long one, but the loan sharks wouldn't give her time-she had to earn, and fast.

With that thought, she straightened her back, ignored the stares, and strode into the elevator. She had Tony's coffee ready by exactly eight o'clock.

"Your coffee, President," she said, placing the cup in front of him before turning to leave.

"Prepare the materials for the Time City project. I need them for the meeting in half an hour," Tony ordered without looking up from his documents, his voice icy.

She froze, staring at him in confusion. "But the Time City project was never scheduled to start. Why now-"

"Something wrong?" Tony looked up, cutting her off with his piercing hawk-like gaze.

The air instantly turned icy. Cassandra drew a sharp breath and swallowed hard. "No problem at all. I'll get right on it."

He was her golden goose now. No matter how unreasonable his demands, she had to give it her all.

"Do it here." His cool voice stopped her just as she was about to leave.

This time, Cassandra didn't argue. Gathering a stack of materials, she settled at a nearby table and began working diligently.

Fortunately, the CEO had been working on this project for a long time, and she had prepared the materials well in advance. Sorting through them now was surprisingly easy.

As she focused on her task, an almost radiant intensity emanated from her-so captivating that Tony couldn't look away.

Dressed in a conservative business suit with her hair pulled tightly back, she looked... painfully plain.

A pair of thick-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, obscuring half her delicate face. Those lenses had to weigh a ton-no wonder her taste in men was so questionable.

Leaning back in his plush chair, he crossed his arms and studied her with narrowed eyes, an unconscious smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Time ticked by relentlessly. When Cassandra finally looked up again, the clock read 8:25. She exhaled deeply and handed the neatly compiled documents to Tony. "Here are the materials you requested, sir."

Her efficiency had never been in question.

"Now compile the business reports from all departments and submit them to me." With that, he took the documents and strode out the door.

The meeting dragged on for hours. By the time Cassandra finished the reports, the office was long deserted-every employee had clocked out, leaving the entire floor eerily silent.

She wanted to leave, but without Tony's dismissal, she didn't dare. With no idea when the meeting would end and too intimidated to call, she had no choice but to wait in the office.

The clock had already struck seven, and the sky was gradually darkening. Anxiety gnawed at her-she had agreed to meet the loan sharks at eight. If Tony didn't show up soon, what was she supposed to do?

Forget it. She wasn't going to wait any longer. After all, the CEO hadn't explicitly asked her to work overtime.

It had taken her immense effort just to convince the loan sharks to lend her another fifty thousand. If she missed this chance, she had no idea when she'd ever be able to repay Tony.

It was already past office hours, and even on regular days, no one ever came to her office-the CEO usually just called her directly via the intercom. With no one around now, she didn't hesitate.

Relieved, she peeled off her work uniform and was just about to change when a sharp voice suddenly cut through the silence:

"Keep refining the 'City of Time' project. I need a detailed plan by tomorrow. Also, pack your things-you're coming with me to-"

Tony looked up and froze.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Cassandra stood there, clutching her clothes, her mind completely blank.

Tony's gaze raked over her creamy lingerie and porcelain skin, the lingering marks on her body not yet fully faded-pink traces that drove him wild.

A certain part of him stirred again, flames of desire licking through his veins, threatening to consume him.

The heat surged up to his chest, unbearable. In one swift motion, he yanked Cassandra into his arms, his dark, smoldering eyes glazed with lust as he rasped, "Woman, are you trying to seduce me again?"

Cassandra had been mid-change when he pulled her against him without warning. Her heart pounded violently as she struggled to break free, stammering, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you'd come in!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to kick herself. He was the one who barged into her office-why was she apologizing?

Tony fought to rein in his hunger, but her squirming only made it worse. With a rough sweep of his arm, he cleared the desk, sending everything crashing to the floor. In one fluid motion, he lifted her onto the surface, his long fingers gripping her chin as he narrowed his eyes. "Are you really that desperate?"

Cassandra felt like crying. Of all times for the elusive CEO-who had vanished into some endless meeting-to storm into her office, it had to be the exact moment she was changing. The misunderstandings between them were already deep enough, and now she had no way to explain herself.

She tried to wrench free, but his legs pinned hers down, leaving her utterly powerless.

"I just wanted to change clothes," she explained helplessly, though the excuse sounded painfully transparent even to her own ears.

"Since when do you need an excuse to seduce me?" Tony retorted, stripping off his shirt with one hand while pinning her down with the other. "Never took you for such a wild one." In that instant, the five-year-old image he had of her-the dowdy, humorless, frumpily dressed secretary-shattered completely.

Before Cassandra could react, her underwear was torn away, ripped clean in half. Panic surged through her. Was he about to lose control again? She struggled desperately, but Tony wasn't about to let her escape.

Without any foreplay, he took her.

Even though it was their second time, the pain still felt like being torn apart. Her body went rigid, humiliation and fury burning through her. She shoved at him with all her strength, but the harder she fought, the more relentless he became.

"Get off! Stop this! President... ah-!" Her screams were frantic, muffled against his dominance.