Kassia and caleb pov

Chapter 16

Caleb and Kassia's Point of View

It was Saturday morning. Kassia and Chicago were still asleep when a loud, harsh banging rattled the door. The sound startled Kassia awake.

Rubbing her eyes, she walked to the door and opened it. Without warning, a hard slap landed on her cheek. She gasped, holding her face in shock.

Standing before her was a woman she hadn't seen or heard from in a long time—her mother, Caesarea. Beside her was Caesarea's boyfriend.

"You stupid girl! What took you so long to open the fucking door?" Caesarea barked.

"Babe, forget her snail pace. I'm hungry," the man grumbled as they both barged into the living room and collapsed onto the worn-out couch.

"Make my man something to eat and clean up this house. It reeks of your horrible smell," Caesarea demanded.

Kassia glanced at the wall clock. It was exactly 7:00 a.m. She had to work later in the evening, but she couldn't argue now. Silently, she began tidying up the house—starting with the bedroom, then the toilet, and finally the living room.

Cleaning the living room was the hardest. Her mother and her boyfriend sprawled carelessly across the cushions, barely moving, forcing Kassia to maneuver around them to get her task done.

By the time she finished, it was already 11:00 a.m. Kassia decided to prepare lasagna—thankfully, she still had some money left from doing Caleb's assignment last week.

She wanted to impress her mother. It had been so long since she'd been home.

A sleepy voice called from the living room. "Kassy?"

"Yes, Chi, I'm in the kitchen," Kassia replied.

"Hi, baby," Kassia added, smiling softly.

"Kassy, is that your mum I see?"

"Yes, baby."

"And who's the man lying on top of her?" Chicago asked innocently.

"Oh… that's Mum's friend," Kassia said, hesitating.

"Do your friends usually lie on top of you when sleeping?" Chicago questioned with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Chicago, go to the room. I'm almost done with breakfast. I'll come help you get ready before I wake Mum up to eat," Kassia said gently.

Kassia finished preparing the lasagna and set it on the table. She went to freshen up and help her sister get ready.

Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Caleb.

Caleb: My mum invited you to the house for Saturday brunch. I don't know if that's a thing. It starts by 2 p.m.

Kassia: Hmm. I'll be there, but I'm coming with my sister.

Caleb: That's fine. See you then.

Suddenly, Caesarea's sharp voice pierced the room.

"Kassia, what the hell is this rubbish you cooked?"

Kassia sighed, already dreading what was to come. She pulled Chicago close to her side protectively.

"Mum, what's wrong with the food?" she asked calmly.

"Imagine this stupid girl asking me what's wrong! I don't want to eat lasagna for breakfast. I wanted mac and cheese!" Caesarea shouted.

"Mum, I used up all the money I had to prepare this. Please just try and manage it," Kassia pleaded.

Caesarea's boyfriend, without warning, slapped Kassia across the face.

"Hey, brat! You act like it's just your mum here. What about me? Give me $25—I'll get something to eat."

Tears welled in Kassia's eyes. "You can't just slap me like that... I don't have any money."

She took Chicago's hand and quickly left the house, trying to escape the chaos and the sting of humiliation.

"Kassy, please don't cry. Does your face hurt?" Chicago asked softly.

Kassia bent down and smiled weakly at her. "Oh, Chi. I'm sorry you had to see all that. And you didn't even get to eat."

"My face doesn't hurt," she added, brushing her own cheek gently.

"It's fine. I'm not hungry," Chicago replied. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To Caleb's place," Kassia answered.

"Wow! I'll get to see Mr. Cain. I missed him... I haven't seen him in a while," Chicago mumbled excitedly to herself.

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Saturday Brunch

Mysia Mansion

Back at the Mysia mansion, Caleb turned to his mother, Charity.

"Mum, why did you invite Kassia to brunch today? I thought you didn't like her, judging from how you reacted when you first met her."

"I don't know her," Charity said coolly. "I invited her because I want to get to know the girl you went on a date with."

"It wasn't a date," Caleb replied quickly. "She went through something traumatic. I just wanted to check on her."

"Who went through something traumatic?" Cain interrupted, stopping in front of them. He was dressed in a sharp black three-piece suit, his expression unreadable.

"You're back?" Caleb asked. "When did you arrive? How was your trip?"

"He came back early this morning," Charity answered.

"Oh, it was his friend Kassia who went through something, right? Why was she in the hospital again?" Charity asked, turning to Caleb.

"I don't think she'd want me to share that," Caleb said firmly. "It's not my story to tell."

"I'll just ask her myself," Charity muttered under her breath.

Cain's phone buzzed, and he glanced down. "I forgot some important documents for a client. I need to head back out," he said, checking his wristwatch. "Shit, I'm running late."

Just then, laughter floated in from the hallway.

Kassia had arrived with Chicago, both of them smiling, lightness in their steps. Something in Cain shifted—tightened.

He wasn't happy to see her—not in the way one might expect. Her presence unsettled something carefully guarded inside him.

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Author 's note

Thanks for reading

Xoxo

CC