Cassie’s POV
Who could have planned something so hideous for me?
Have I offended anyone? The thought ran through my mind the whole way home.
They’d altered the club’s footage. How much power did these people actually have?
I was so deep in my thoughts that I barely registered we’d already arrived — that we were standing in front of...
"Dad." Kate’s voice came out as a mumble.
Dad? My eyes darted frantically between Kate and her father.
"What brought you here, Daddy?" she said, her voice shaky, hugging him.
"Can’t a father visit his only daughter? Or do I need an excuse now?"
"Of course not, Dad." She laughed, and the laugh said everything her words didn’t — you can’t just barge in whenever you want without telling me first.
"Good evening, sir." I needed to pull his attention off Kate, whose smile had gone fully plastic.
He looked at me like I’d interrupted a private father-daughter moment.
"...and you are?"
I nearly scoffed. Really? There was no pleasing this man — either he had dementia, or he was blind, which I knew he wasn’t, or he simply enjoyed frustrating me.
"Dad! Cassie — my friend, Cassie."
His eyes moved over me, from my hair down and back up again.
"Oh. Cassie."
I let out a small smile. Usually when he said my name, he tacked something else onto it — impersonator, or something in that spirit. This felt almost warm by comparison.
"I have good news for you, baby," he said, guiding her toward a chair.
"I should leave you two to it," I said quickly, already looking for the exit.
"No. Sit. You too."
Fear gripped me. Had he already found out? But he’d said good news. If he knew, I wouldn’t be standing here — I’d already be in the back of a police car like some hardened criminal.
"Dylan invited you to their family meeting this weekend."
"Wh— what?" Kate stammered.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, Dad. Absolutely not. I’m just surprised — isn’t it a little early for family introductions? We’re not even dating yet. We’re still figuring out where we stand."
"There’s no need to wait, Kate. You like him, he likes you — a lot. No sense wasting time."
He gave a small, deliberate cough, clearing his throat like he wanted it to land just right. "I’m not getting any younger. You’re all I have. I’d like to see your children before I die."
"Oh my gosh, Dad — you’re not dying. And I’m not even sure I’m ready for marriage yet."
He struck his walking stick against the floor. "You’re going, and my decision is final. He’ll call you with the details. His father is expecting you — he’s a good friend of mine, so I know you’ll be in good hands."
"Unless you’d rather go back to that place?"
Kate’s eyes flicked to me, scared. "No — no, Dad, I was joking. Of course I’ll go to the family meeting with him." She forced out a laugh. "Just pulling your leg."
"That’s my girl. I’ll leave you two to enjoy the evening."
He rose and started for the door, slow and steady, then stopped halfway and turned his gaze fully on me.
"Once Kate’s married, I’ll find someone for you too. It’s not easy for young girls to find a good man on their own these days."
I stared after him, too stunned to answer, and watched him disappear into his car and pull away.
I laughed. Kate joined in a second later. At least he cared, in his own strange way — unlike my own father, who only ever wanted to tear me down.
"I’m sorry about that," Kate said.
"It’s fine, honestly. Coming from him, I take it as a compliment. At least he considers me — more than my own dad ever has."
"Yeah." Her gaze settled on me, steady. "What if your dad is behind the club thing?"
I laughed. "No. He doesn’t have the money to pay anyone to rape me, and those guys clearly weren’t there to rob me either."
"True. We’ll figure out who’s responsible."
"Do you remember any of their faces?"
I searched my memory. "No — they wore masks. But I think I’d recognize them if I saw them again. They were big. Similar build, like they trained together."
"It was scary, Kate. I was terrified."
"I know. I’m sorry it happened, and of all places — my birthday party. Whoever did this is heartless."
"You know what’s strange?" Her attention sharpened on me, waiting.
"Your party came together on such short notice. I only found out that same day — it felt rushed, like whoever planned it didn’t have much time to get it right."
"You have a point. I only told most of my friends that afternoon, and Alex brought his friends along to fill the space. Nobody had much time to plan anything properly."
Silence settled between us, both of us turning the same question over — who could have pulled something like that off.
"What should we do about Dylan’s family meeting this weekend?"
"I can’t go. It’s too risky. His dad literally saw me today as his own assistant. He saw me, Kate."
"He probably won’t even remember your face. He’s too old to hold onto details like that."
"Old? No — aged, maybe. That man still looks like he could hold his own in bed. He’s sharper than you’re giving him credit for."
"Please, Cassie. I really can’t go back there. Just this once. You know how my dad is — he might set up some private dinner with me, him, Dylan, and his father if I don’t show up to the family meeting."
I looked at her. She was genuinely rattled. "Fine. But after this, we’re done with the charade. I can’t keep living this lie."
"Thank you — thank you." She threw her arms around my shoulders. "I promise, we’ll find a way to end this."