2025-08-05 09:07:08
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Chapter Twenty One
The meeting took place at a private club, and Nathan had barely sat down when the whole room went quiet.Liam sat across from him, looking like someone who already knew how everything was going to play out.Marjorie cleared her throat and placed her clutch on the table, giving it a tap that let everyone know things were about to begin. Cassandra sat on Nathan’s left, tense and quiet, her hands folded neatly in her lap and her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. One by one, the rest of the family settled into their seats. Nathan stood up. He tried to stay calm as he noticed the way Cassandra refused to meet his eyes. From inside his jacket, he carefully pulled out a single sheet of paper, holding it like it might fall apart if he wasn’t careful."This," he began, his voice calm but firm, "is a letter Liam wrote to Cassandra. In it, he threatened to expose her personal matters to the press if she didn’t cut ties with me and toe his line."Liam smiled, looking completely calm. There wa
Chapter Twenty
Before Nathan could answer, there was a knock on his door.Cassandra jumped.Nathan opened the door halfway, aunt Marjorie stood outside, she glanced at Cassandra, then at Nathan, frowning.“Is everything alright?” she asked.Cassandra didn’t meet aunt Marjorie’s eyes.Marjorie’s frown grew. “I saw Liam talking to you earlier. It didn’t look friendly.”Nathan stepped aside. “You should ask her what he said.”Marjorie turned to Cassandra. “What did he say?”Cassandra hesitated. “He told me to stay away from Nathan. Said I was making a fool of myself.”Marjorie’s lips pressed into a line. “Why would he say that?”“I think he’s afraid of what I might tell,” Cassandra said softly.Something changed in Marjorie’s eyes, too quick to fully understand. She looked at Nathan. “I won’t jump to conclusions—not without proof. But… thank you for not pushing things.”With that, she turned and left, her heels clicking down the hallway.Cassandra looked shaken. “I have to go. If he finds out…”Nathan
Chapter Nineteen
Cassandra’s hands trembled. “I tried. I thought—if they knew...”“You did the right thing,” Nathan said.“Did I?” she asked. “They’re still protecting him.”“Not all of them,” Emma said. “Some of them are listening. They just don’t know what to believe yet.”Cassandra turned to leave. “I need air.”Nathan didn’t stop her. He couldn’t blame her. He looked to Emma instead. “It wasn’t enough.”“It was a beginning,” she said.He gave a bitter laugh. “A beginning that got shut down.”“No. A beginning that made people uncomfortable, that means it mattered.”He didn’t answer.Nathan sat down, the USB still clutched in his fingers. Emma joined him.“They’re afraid of what it means to believe us,” she said quietly.“I know.”“But Cassandra spoke, that matters, even if they pretend it doesn’t.”—--Nathan hadn’t slept, he went in hoping to make peace. Instead, he left feeling like a stranger in his own home.That morning, while wandering aimlessly down the hallway outside the guest rooms, he pa
Chapter Eighteen
As Mr. Hayes walked off, the family slowly returned to their plates, but no one was really eating. Liam didn’t look at Nathan again.The living room was quiet, too quiet for a family that large. Nathan stood near the cabinet, watching the clock tick down toward the hour they had chosen. Emma sat next to him, her hands resting in her lap. Her face was pale, but calm. The USB drive with the recording felt heavy in Nathan’s pocket.“This is the right time,” Emma said, though her voice shook slightly. “We do it now or we never will.”Nathan nodded. “We’re not attacking him. We’re just letting them hear the truth.”“They won’t all listen. But someone might,” she said.The door creaked as Cassandra stepped in, avoiding Nathan’s eyes. She shut it quietly and glanced around. The cousins were drifting in curious and unaware. A few shot Nathan quick looks. No one mentioned the brunch, but the tension was clear in the whispers and stares. “Cassandra?” Emma asked.She nodded, her jaw tight. “
Chapter Seventeen
Nathan sat in the back garden, holding the recording device in his hand. He had quietly asked Cassandra to meet him before the family brunch. Now they stood under the old fig tree, the same place their younger cousins used to play. Cassandra looked nervous, her eyes flicking toward the house.“You sure no one followed you?” she whispered.Nathan nodded, then offered her the recorder. “Just listen.”She did. Her fingers gripped the plastic tighter. When Liam’s voice snapped at Lucas, telling him to shut up or risk “ruining what little future he had left”—Cassandra flinched. She held the recorder a moment longer, then gave it back quickly, like it was hot.“That’s real,” Nathan said softly. “Lucas didn’t make that up. Neither did I.”“I know,” she whispered. “I never thought you did.”“Then help me. We can play it at brunch. People need to hear—”“No.” Her voice cracked. “Nathan, if we play that in front of everyone, he’ll lose it. He’ll find a way to turn it on us. On Emma, on Lucas!”
Chapter Sixteen
Some laughed while a few and Nathan didn’t.Tonight was the annual Hayes Foundation charity gala that had always been a spectacle. Nathan straightened his blazer. On the other side of the room, Liam was already in the spotlight, chatting easily with donors and board members. Everything he did looked planned, from his smooth laugh to the relaxed way he held his drink. It all made Nathan feel small, like Liam was showing off on purpose.“They’re already eating out of his hand,” Cassandra muttered beside him. “We knew that would happen,” Nathan said. “We’re not trying to impress everyone but to get them thinking.”She gave a faint nod, then her eyes flicked over to the far end of the hall where Emma stood near the refreshment table. She looked out of place in the crowd of tailored gowns and designer jewelry. Still, she held herself high with her chin up.“She’s brave to come,” Cassandra said.Nathan agreed. Emma had wanted to stay quiet, to keep her head down. But after what happened
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