From the second she first saw Cassian, she literally couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was cold, powerful, aloof—impossibly high and never to be clinched, but that’s exactly what made her fall so fucking hard. Still, Sonia was pretty confident that Cassian wouldn’t just ghost her. Because he’d given her his word.
“Jenay, am I being a total idiot?” Sonia asked quietly, her voice shaky.
Jenny let out a long sigh and softened her tone: “You’re not an idiot, honey. You’re just young. But if you keep leveling yourself up, I know Mr. Rhodes will take notice. He genuinely cares about you—don’t let your brain spiral.”
She took a deep breath, and something dangerous flickered in her eyes. “Actually, Jenny, I need you to hire a private investigator. I want to know everything about this bitch who’s got Cassian’s attention. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?”
Jenny’s face lit up with approval. “Now that’s the Sonia I know and love. Stop torturing yourself and get some rest. I’ll get you a full background check on this chick.”
This was about Jen’s career too, after all. She absolutely needed Cassian and Sons to work out. For years! All of Sonia’s industry hookups had come through Cassian’s connections. With him backing her, Sonia could basically rule the entertainment world. She always got the most prestigious gigs and primo opportunities.
Sonia nodded. She was dying to know what kind of woman could actually turn Cassian’s head. But whoever this mystery hitch was, she wouldn’t be real competition.
Anastasia had been feeling weird and anxious all morning, like something was about to go sideways, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. When she got to her desk, she realized she’d totally spaced and left her house keys at home. That’s why she’d called Cassian earlier, asking him to get home before her tonight.
Anastasia buried herself in work. Around coffee break time, she headed to the kitchen to grab some caffeine and walked right into her coworkers gossiping. That’s just how corporate life worked—any juicy drama spread through the office like a virus. Anastasia usually didn’t give a shit about office gossip. She made her coffee, took a sip, and was about to bounce.
That’s when she heard one of her colleagues drop something that made her blood run cold.
“Oh my God, did you guys hear? My absolute queen is back in the city! I’m literally obsessed with her,”
“Wait, you mean Sonia Vinci?”
“Yes! I heard she landed this morning, but there was some crazy fan incident at the airport and she got hospitalized.”
“Yeah, I just saw it on Page Six. Apparently our CEO dropped everything and rushed over there.”
“Mesus, they’re like the ultimate power couple. I bet Sonia’s gonna be the boss’s wife soon!!”
“I could totally see that happening.”
Anastasia tuned out after that. She’d just burned her tongue on the scalding coffee. Coming back to reality, she felt this tight knot forming in her stomach. Sonia? Was this the woman Yinsen had mentioned that night? This woman had serious history with Cassian? If that was the case, then why the hell had Cassian married her?