Cassie’s POV
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I groaned into my pillow, not ready to be awake, not ready to think about last night either — except I already was. I had the best sex of my life last night.
I cracked one eye open. Sunlight cut through the curtains, way too bright for how I was feeling. Then I actually looked at the clock.
9:00am.
I shot out of bed, sprinting for the bathroom with my towel half wrapped around me. Fuck. I’m dead.
Thirty minutes later, I was rushing to his office with his coffee in hand, already rehearsing an apology or an excuse, anything to get him off my back. I stood outside his door, bracing myself for him to yell at me.
I pushed the door open but he wasn’t there yet, no sign of him. I nearly sagged with relief, set the coffee down, quiet as I could, and slunk back to my desk, half relieved, but somehow last night still found its way looping through my head.
By 11am he still hadn’t shown up. I kept sorting through emails, checking the door every few minutes. Was he sick? I was actually starting to worry something had happened to him. I hated that I actually cared.
He finally walked in an hour later, and he didn’t look sick or upset at all. If anything, he looked... lit up. Excited, like he’d won a lottery.
"Come to my office now." He said over the intercom.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Cassie." His eyes stayed on me, something close to a smile tugging at his mouth. "How are you doing?"
"...Fine, sir." I stumbled over the word. It was strange, him asking me anything like that at all.
He caught himself almost instantly, attention snapping back to his screen. "Did you finish sorting the emails?"
"Yes, sir."
"Take these to HR, then go on your break." He said, handing out the files on his desk.
"Okay, sir."
I lingered a second, trying to work up the nerve to actually say something.
"Sir, are you okay?" It came out before I could stop it. "It’s not like you to come in this late. I was worried." I wasn’t sure that was the right thing to say, but it was too late now.
"I’m fine. Just take those to HR."
I left his office feeling almost proud of myself — at least he’d answered.
Ten minutes later, I was at the cafeteria picking my lunch when I saw CeCe sitting alone.
"Cassie!" She waved me over.
"Hey." I dropped into the seat across from her.
"Hi." She gave a small smile. "It’s been a while, how’s the dickhead treating you?"
I laughed. Dickhead. At least I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
"He’s not been so bad lately, actually. Maybe he’s changing."
She almost choked on her drink. "Him? Changing?"
"It’s not possible," she said, leaning in closer. "I’ve never told anyone this, but we used to date. Back in college."
"Wait, what?" I said. "He doesn’t seem like the type to date someone who works for him."
Then she told me the whole story — how he used to run some group back in school, how kids paid him just to be left alone, how his family kept him out of trouble no matter what he did. How everything changed when his mom died. He left the group after that, dropped out of school, disappeared for months. He convinced himself she’d been murdered, started treating everyone around him like a suspect, thinking he might be next.
"That’s when he cut me off completely," she said. "He just became this cold, distant version of himself."
"Oh my god."
"Don’t tell anyone I said any of this. Just be careful with him."
I sat there, still trying to process it. He dated CeCe. In college.
By the time I got home, I was already in my pajamas, half-working through emails on my laptop, when Kate walked in and sat on the edge of my bed.
"Hey. I’m really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have brushed you off like that."
"It’s fine, honestly," I said, setting my laptop aside. "How was the rest of the party?"
"So good. I had a blast."
"What about you?"
"Kate." I put my phone face down. "I got attacked last night. At the club. It almost turned into something a lot worse."
"What? Cass, when did this happen?"
"Right after I left you and Alex. Two guys cornered me on my way out. I was so scared. But someone showed up and got them off me."
"Oh my god, Cass. I’m so sorry that happened." Her voice was shaking. "Tomorrow we’re getting the security footage from the club. Those guys are going to pay for this, I promise."
"Okay, tomorrow." I gave her a small smile. "But something else happened too."
"What?"
"The guy who saved me — we ended up together in the bathroom and....."
She just stared at me. "Cass, is that a good thing?"
"I think so? He didn’t force anything. I kissed him first, actually. I kind of begged him to."
"Really?" She shook her head. "First you’re kissing some stranger in the back of his car, now this. Who even are you right now?"
I laughed. "Honestly, I had a really good time. He was really good. Good enough that I almost forgot about everything else that happened that night."
"Okay, well, I’m glad you had fun at least."
"How’s Alex?"
"He’s great. I stayed the night at his place."
I looked at her for a second. I’d never seen her this into someone before, and I don’t want to be the one to spoil it for her.
"I think you should be careful with him. I feel like he’s hiding something."
"Cassie, you’re overthinking this."
"I’m dead serious, Kate."
She just shrugged. "Fine, I’ll keep an eye out."