Chapter 56

The next morning, by the time Cassian got up, Anastasia had already made breakfast. Seeing him emerge from the bedroom, Anastasia smiled. “Come and eat. You were pretty hammered last night, so I made some oatmeal this morning—easier on your stomach.”

Cassian looked genuinely touched. “Sorry for being such a mess.”

“Don’t even worry about it.” Anastasia served him a bowl and set it in front of him. Cassian looked at the oatmeal—it was perfectly creamy and smooth, clearly slow-cooked with care for a long time. He felt genuinely moved by the thoughtful gesture.

Cassian sat down and started eating with his usual refined manner. To go with the oatmeal, Anastasia had also made some lightly toasted bread and perfectly scrambled eggs. Cassian ate with obvious enjoyment. That put Anastasia’s mind at ease.

After breakfast, Cassian said, “I’ll have the driver drop you off at work today. I’m flying out for business—should be back in two or three days.”

Anastasia looked surprised, then quickly said, “That’s totally fine, I can just grab an Uber.”

“It’s no big deal. Philip is picking me up for the airport anyway,” Cassian explained. Everything was happening pretty fast. Cassian gave her a quick rundown, tossed a couple of suits in his garment bag, and headed out.

At the office, Anastasia officially dove into her new role. The company had assigned her an assistant named Sharlene. “Ms. Kingsley, if you have any questions about anything, just let me know.”

Anastasia smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I’m going to check my emails first.” Usually, Barbara would send work assignments through email.

“Perfect.” Sharlene left her to get settled in. Anastasia got down to business.

Around lunchtime, Anastasia’s phone buzzed—it was Sharpson calling. Her first instinct was to decline, but she knew her father well enough to know he’d just keep calling until she picked up. Finally, she answered.

“What’s up?” Anastasia’s tone was completely flat.

“Your father, not some stranger,” Sharpson’s commanding voice came through.

“Sorry, but I’m way past the age where I need paternal guidance,” Anastasia had zero interest in chitchat.

“Better be there.” Sharpson cut straight to business. “This weekend is your grandmother’s 80th birthday party.”

Grandma Sheila had always doted on Anastasia, so she genuinely loved the old woman. It was unusual for her to be in the city at her age. Grandma had gotten deeply into meditation and spirituality, and usually lived at an upstate retreat center. She only came back to the city for major reasons like her birthday.

Anastasia froze. Grandma’s birthday? How had she completely spaced on something that important?

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be there,” Anastasia replied evenly. Even though she couldn’t stand the rest of the family, Grandma had always been amazing to her. When Sharpson had his affair and brought Whitney into their home, Grandma Sheila had been absolutely livid—nearly had a stroke over it. But Sharpson was completely obsessed, like Whitney had cast some kind of spell on him. After Sheila Paige left with Anastasia, Grandma had also basically checked out of family life, throwing herself into her spiritual practices. She rarely came home because she couldn’t bear to watch Sharpson and Whitney playing house.

After hanging up, thinking about Grandma’s party, Anastasia knew she couldn’t show up empty-handed. She immediately called someone. “Hey Ronan, I need you to source something really special for my grandmother’s 80th birthday.” The party would definitely be crawling with Manhattan’s elite, so Anastasia couldn’t afford to look cheap or give people ammunition to gossip about her.

Ronan was a kid Anastasia had helped years ago. He was now in his early twenties, and since he’d been a nameless street kid when she found him, Anastasia had given him the surname Kingsley and the name Ronan.