Part5

Charles patted Cassandra's shoulder gently. "I know it's not easy for you, but this is the reality you have to face."

Cassandra pushed Charles' hand away and looked at him sharply, "You don't have to pretend to care about me. You think I don't know that you're actually laughing happily to yourself at my destruction. What do you really want from me?" 

Charles smiled faintly back at Cassandra, then looked thoughtfully at her face. "Am I really that bad?"

Cassandra looked up while Charles stared at her and said, "You want to know what I want from you? What can you offer me right now? You don't have a house or a company. Is that worth what I have?"

Cassandra threw herself on the sofa and snorted in annoyance. 'He's right, I have nothing now, I'm useless now.

"Huh!" Cassandra grunted and covered her face with both hands. Charles immediately sat down beside her and put his arm around the fragile girl's shoulders again.

"Hey, I know your position right now is unfavorable, but believe me, i you're with me, it's still better than you staying at your family's house," Charles whispered, but Cassandra remained silent. 

"At least I can help you to claim what is rightfully yours, as well as expose the secret between your stepbrother and your beloved ex-fiancé!"

After saying this, Charles chuckled while Cassandra only glanced coldly at him.

Charles patted Cassandra on the shoulder and smiled slightly. "I'll leave you here so that you can think more clearly and determine what is best for you. Remember, your time is limited, if you take too long to think, don't blame me if they end up getting what is yours!"

After saying this, Charles also chose to leave Cassandra alone in her room, more precisely, the room for the two of them. Charles went to his study instead, opened his desk drawer, and looked at a photo of himself on vacation at the beach fifteen years ago. 

In the photo, Charles is playing in the sand with the hotel owner's daughter where he is staying. What he saw was not just a photo but a history. The girl was someone who had saved his life when he was kidnapped by his family's business competitors. 

The little girl bravely threw a rock at the kidnapper and led him away through a shortcut. The girl also helped him gain confidence and turned him into a brave man. She also managed to catch the kidnappers with the help of workers at his hotel.

Since then, he has tried to find out who the girl was. At that time, Charles promised himself that he would save her. The girl was Cassandra.

Charles noticed the broken shell-shaped pendant that he always kept in his wallet. This was the fractured pendant that Cassandra had when she saved him a few years ago.

"Cassandra, I have found you after all this time. I will never forget the promise I made to you."

Charles recalled the events of that night. When he saw Cassandra at the club, he knew very well that his half-brother had conspired with his fiancée to put something in her drink. 

He was also the one who saved Cassandra from the prankster stranger who tried to rape her that day. Fortunately, he was quick to come and rescue Cassandra, but unfortunately, he made one big mistake.

"Ah, I shouldn't have done that. I intended to help her, but why did I fall for her drug-induced seduction?" Charles ruffled his brown hair and let out a long breath.

He regretted doing it, but he didn't have the courage to confess.

***

It had been more than two days since Cassandra had tried to avoid him. Even when they were at the same dining table, the two of them were silent and did not greet each other. Even looking at her face, Charles didn't have the courage; he was constantly reminded of the events of that night. 

But this morning, everything was different. Cassandra was no longer wearing random clothes and disheveled hair like someone who was depressed. This time, she looked so elegant in a knee-length dress and a ribbon-shaped hairpin pinned to her long, neatly combed hair.

"Morning Charles," Cassandra greeted him in surprise.

"Cassandra... you."

Cassandra smiled, and this time, she took a seat near Charles. "I've been thinking about it."

"Oh about?" replied Charles, pretending not to care.

"About what you talked about two days ago regarding my family."

Charles, reading the news on his tablet, immediately stopped his activity and turned to the girl.

"What you said is true. I've investigated everything, and..." Cassandra stopped her sentence and chuckled. "I just heard about Vivian and Jordan's wedding plans. How ironic, they're planning a lavish concept wedding with a purple theme for their wedding. While still with me, Jordan always refused to talk about a wedding, he always told me that it was a waste of time and money, as long as we were legally married a party was not important. But with Vivian, he somehow managed to plan it all. Maybe they're having a secret relationship behind my back."

Charles turned to Cassandra and smiled coldly, "So you want to go back to where you came from and prevent their marriage? You want to get your pension back?"

Cassandra shook her head, "Not like that. I do want to go back to where I came from but not for my ex-fiancé. I have to go back for my mother's hotel, they can't have it, because I'm the only one related to my mother by blood."

Charles nodded, "So this is why you dressed up so nicely?"

"Yes, I also need your help."

Charles smiled faintly and murmured, "I guess you need my help too."

"What?" asked Cassandra.

"Nothing... never mind. Now tell me, what can I do for you?"

Cassandra folded her arms across her chest. "Lend me the money to go back there and live for a few months. Once the hotel comes back to me, I'll pay my debt, please!"

Cassandra looked adorable as she pleaded; even Charles almost pinched her cheeks. But she chose to shake her head. "No!"

"Please!"

Charles smiled slightly. "You are my wife, is something like this necessary. You don't need to borrow money from me, supporting you is my duty, and I have better ways than just going back there."

"What?"

Charles whispered in Cassandra's ear.

"Hmm, I think your idea is brilliant. I'm in!" Cassandra replied.

"Then let's go!"