Chapter 39
“Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you for a second?”
Cassian paused and turned around. Joanne was instantly floored by how ridiculously good-looking this guy was. Jesus Christ! He was absolutely stunning! Joanne could literally hear her heart pounding in her ears. And her jealousy toward Anastasia just went through the roof. Why did Anastasia get to be so lucky, snagging a guy this incredible?
Cassian noticed Joanne’s googly-eyed stare, and his expression darkened. “What?”
Joanne snapped out of it, her voice turning nasty. “Look, I need to warn you about something. Don’t let Anastasia fool you. She’s not some high-class socialite—she’s just a basic gold-digger. My brother literally just dumped her, and now she’s already got her claws in you. She’s shallow as hell and totally manipulative…”
Before Joanne could finish trash-talking her, Anastasia stepped up and slapped her hard across the face. “Joanne, your mouth is fucking disgusting. What crawled up your ass and died?”
The crack of the slap echoed through the entire ballroom. Everyone went dead silent and turned to gawk. Joanne grabbed her cheek, looking completely shocked. “Did you just… did you just hit me?”
Anastasia’s voice was deadly calm. “Hell yes, I hit you. Got a problem with that? You were running your mouth like a sewer. Is this how your family taught you to act in public? What you just said was straight-up slander—I could press charges.”
“You crazy bitch!” Joanne’s eyes started tearing up with rage. She’d never been humiliated like this in her entire life. That psycho slut Anastasia! The more Joanne thought about it, the angrier she got. Getting smacked in front of half of New York’s elite, then getting called out for having zero class. The Hale name meant something in this city, and now she’d made them look like trash.
Joanne stared at Anastasia with pure hatred burning in her eyes. She suddenly lunged forward, trying to grab a handful of hair. She was ready to throw down right here in the ballroom. But before Joanne could touch her, Cassian stepped between them and blocked her. Cassian pulled Anastasia against his chest, his eyes turning ice-cold. “Touch her and you’ll regret it. I promise you that.” His voice could have frozen hell over.
Joanne took a step back, but she wasn’t backing down. Jasper had been watching this whole shitshow and finally stepped in. “Joanne, what the hell is wrong with you?” Could this get any more embarrassing? Jasper felt sick watching how protectively Cassian was holding Anastasia. What exactly was going on between them? They looked way too comfortable together. Jealousy and confusion twisted through his chest like a knife. Cassian kept his arm wrapped around Anastasia like she belonged to him.
“Jasper, why are you taking her side? I’m your fucking sister!” Joanne was practically having a tantrum. After getting called out by her own brother, Joanne looked ready to explode. She bit her lip hard, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. What had she done wrong? She was just trying to expose Anastasia for the fake she really was.
Valeria smoothly moved in to clean up the mess. “Joanne, honey, your brother’s just stressed. Don’t take it personally. Come on, let’s get some fresh air outside.” Valeria skillfully guided Joanne away from the scene. Jasper shot her a look of pure relief.
After Joanne was gone, Jasper turned to Cassian, trying to salvage the situation. “Mr. Rhodes, I’m really sorry about my sister. She’s young and stupid. I apologize for the drama.”
Cassian gave Jasper one cold, dismissive glance. So this was the blind moron who’d let Anastasia slip through his fingers. Actually, that worked out perfectly.