Chapter 67

If Anastasia and Cassian were really a thing, would the Kingsley family ever have to stress about money, dubious connections again? Half the people at the party were already scheming about how to get on their good side.

Jasper had been lurking in the corner the whole time, keeping his mouth shut, but he’d watched the entire scene unfold. Now there was this sick feeling twisting in his gut—something he couldn’t quite name, but it felt like pure hell. Like watching someone walk off with his favorite thing. It was really messing with his head.

Valeria caught Jasper’s dark mood and didn’t dare get near him. But she knew this was all Anastasia’s fault. That manipulative bitch, wrapping men around her finger left and right. Apparently, she was pretty damn good at it too, managing to snag Cassian Rhodes. But whatever. Cassian was probably just having fun with her anyway—no way he was taking it seriously. She’d just sit back and wait for Anastasia to get her heart broken.

By the time the party wound down, everyone was deep in their own thoughts. Sharpson looked like he was plotting something—seemed like he needed to start paying more attention to his eldest daughter. Even though Anastasia had said she was done with him, he’d raised her, so she couldn’t just write him off completely, right?

The next morning, Anastasia got up, whipped up breakfast, ate, and drove to work. She’d picked up a basic Honda a few days back—nothing flashy, totally under the radar, so she could get to work without anyone giving her a second look. Anastasia figured riding to work with Cassian would be way too risky—if people spotted them together, the office gossip would be absolutely vicious. She just wanted to do her job quietly and focus on what she loved.

When Cassian found out about the car, he wasn’t having it. “That thing’s a death trap—terrible safety rating. If you don’t like any of the cars in the garage, we can go shopping for something better.” But Anastasia shut that down fast. The garage was stocked with like fifteen supercars, all limited-edition beasts. Rolls Royce Phantom, Cullinan, Porsche Cayenne, Maserati…

If Anastasia actually rolled up to work in one of those, she’d be the main topic of conversation before she even made it to the elevator. People would probably assume she was some billionaire’s kept woman. Cassian didn’t really have a choice but to tell her to be careful out there.

Anastasia headed out pretty quickly. Cassian smiled to himself—his wife really was nothing like the typical crowd. Suddenly, his phone started buzzing. He figured maybe Anastasia had run into some trouble, so he grabbed it fast, but when he saw who was calling, Cassian’s face darkened. The phone kept ringing, so he finally picked up. A panicked voice immediately came through.

“Mr. Rhodes, hi, this is Jenny Yates. Sonia’s manager. She just flew back into the country today. She got mobbed by some psycho fans at the airport and ended up hurt. She doesn’t want this turning into a media circus, so she told me to call you…”

Cassian listened, then said flatly, “I’ll have someone pick her up and take her to Rhodes Medical Center.”

“Oh my God, thank you so much, Mr. Rhodes,” Jenny said, clearly relieved.

After hanging up, Cassian stared at his phone for a minute, then decided to head to the hospital himself. When Cassian walked into the medical center, he immediately spotted Sonia’s manager, Jenny, pacing back and forth in the hallway like a caged animal.

Seeing Cassian, Jenny practically sprinted over, her face a mix of worry and embarrassment. “Mr. Rhodes, I’m so sorry to drag you into this! Sonia just got done with her scans—doctor says it’s just a minor sprain, nothing major, but she’s pretty emotionally rattled.” Jenny said quietly, sounding exhausted.

Cassian nodded, his expression still stone-cold, “What room?”

“VIP suite. I’ll show you the way.” Jenny immediately started leading him down the hall. They walked to the hospital room together. Jenny knocked softly, then cracked the door open and motioned for Cassian to go in.

Neither of them noticed that down the hallway, someone with a long-lens camera was quietly snapping photos of the hospital room entrance…