Cassie’s head drooped and there was a flash in her eyes. When she looked back up, she was back to her innocent, bubbly self.
“Oz, come sit with me. Don’t worry. I’m not going to harm you. Even if something should happen, isn’t it always the woman who’s at a disadvantage? I’m not even afraid, so why should you be?” Cassie sat Oscar down and brought him his glass of wine. “Go ahead and try it. Let me know if you like the taste.”
With a practiced hand, Oscar swirled his wine to release its aromas. He then brought the glass to his lips and took a sip, savoring it slowly. “This wine is good. It’s full-bodied and rich.”
Cassie laughed. “Good, good. You should drink more then.”
The two of them continued to chat and drink through the night. Even though he could usually hold his liquor, Oscar was starting to feel the buzz from the wine. He tried to stand up, only to fall back into his chair.
Concerned, Cassie made her way toward him. “Are you drunk? Let me take you to the bed.”
Oscar wanted to swat her away but found himself too weak to do anything. He gave in and let Cassie lead him to bed. As she reached out to remove his clothes, he suddenly grabbed her hands. “Oz, you’re drunk. I’m taking your clothes off so you can sleep more comfortably,” she said softly.
Oscar stared at her with glassy eyes.
A sly smile lit up Cassie’s face. “I’ll make you feel even more comfortable in a while. After tonight, I will officially be your woman.”
She reached up to caress Oscar’s face. “Don’t blame me for setting you up, Oz. I was just so afraid of losing you to Amelia. You keep telling me you love me, but you refuse to be intimate with me. You left me no choice but to do things my way. Once this night is over, you’re mine forever.”
Oscar was still staring at her in his drunken state when he suddenly muttered, “Amelia.”
This came like a bolt from the blue and Cassie froze.
“You keep saying you no longer love her, but even in this drunken and drugged state, you’re still calling out her name.” Cassie felt her rage boiling over and started tearing at Oscar’s clothes. “I was going to drug you further, but I held back for fear of side effects. How could you still call out her name? Do you know how much this hurts me?”
Oscar continued muttering, “Amelia, you’re home? Let’s go to bed then.” He was about to sit up and pull Cassie into bed, but he couldn’t muster an ounce of energy to do so.
“Amelia, what’s wrong with me?” he asked quizzically.
Cassie gathered all her strength to remove Oscar’s clothes before stripping herself down. As she straddled him, Oscar pushed her away in frustration. “Go away. You stink.”
Cassie was ashamed, embarrassed, and angry. She had people fawning over her since she was a child and never had she ever been shamed like this. And to be humiliated by the man who claimed to love her? This made Cassie even more furious.
She grabbed his face and gave a sultry whisper, “What’s the matter, Oz? Don’t be such a grump. Let’s go to bed.”
Oscar snored away, dead to the world.
Cassie’s face turned dark. She was not at all amused.
“Oscar Clinton, you keep saying you love me, and yet you’ve been humiliating me. The more you push me away, the more I want to become yours. Mark my words. I’ll make sure I’m the only woman in your life from now on.”
Cassie was about to lean down and plant a kiss on Oscar’s lips when he suddenly muttered, “Amelia, I don’t want a divorce. I think I’m in love with you.” He even had on such a dopey smile as he said that, a stark contrast from the cool, authoritative demeanor he always had.
Cassie was seething. She leaned into his ear and whispered, “Oz, I’ll make you fall in love with me again.”
She got off the bed and took out a packet of human blood from the wardrobe. It was one that she had purchased from the hospital. She tore a small opening and dripped a few drops onto the bed.
She dumped the remaining blood into the toilet and flushed it away.
Cassie then got back into bed and calmly lay on Oscar. “I hope you dream of me tonight.”
The next day, Oscar woke up to see Cassie still asleep and snuggled against his chest. He saw that they were both naked and guessed as much as to what they might have done. What he didn’t understand was why he couldn’t remember anything about getting intimate with her.
He hated this feeling. He was even a little disgusted by it. Oscar wondered if Cassie had set him up but promptly ruled that out. She was far too innocent to be this scheming. This was all probably just a misunderstanding.
Oscar was still contemplating it when Cassie stirred. She met his gaze with red, puffy eyes. “Oz, you got so drunk last night you forced me into bed. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t snap you out of it. You’ve promised me you wouldn’t hurt me, and yet you were so rough last night. I cried and tried to stop you but you just wouldn’t listen.”
Having said that, she broke into tears.
Oscar frowned but still hugged her gently. “Now, now, don’t cry. It was my fault that I got stupid drunk and did what I did. I promise I’ll take full responsibility.”
Cassie leaned into his chest. “You were really rough with me last night and it hurt. I won’t blame you though. I already knew I was going to save myself for you ever since we started dating. You wanted to wait till we got married and I was fine with that too. Now that you’ve taken my virginity, I’m officially yours. You can’t let me down now.”
Oscar’s gaze shifted to the drops of blood left on the bed and felt a surge of pity toward Cassie. “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “I’ll take responsibility for this. You’re now my woman, and I won’t let anyone bully you.”
Cassie gave a quick, self-satisfied smile. “I won’t force you to divorce either, Oz. But the way you were last night… There wasn’t any protection used. What if you got me pregnant? I don’t want my baby to be an illegitimate child.”
Oscar had a mix of emotions swirling inside him now. To be honest, he had always dreaded the prospect of marrying Cassie. He was aware of how often he professed his love for her but getting married was a whole other deal. He would usually suppress these thoughts and emotions, but now they were boiling over.
He had been in the business world for so long. The fact that he could bring their family business to even greater heights just showed how clever and capable he was. Yet now he had to convince himself that he loved Cassie? Had Cassie tricked him? Had he lost to her?
“Oz? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you disgusted by me now and regret your promise to marry me? You know I’m not that kind of woman, right? If you really don’t wish to marry me, I won’t force you either. We’ll cut all ties, and I’ll go back to Erihal. Even if I do have your child, I’ll raise him myself.”
Before the teary-eyed Cassie could leave the bed, Oscar stopped her and hugged her tight. “You’ve misunderstood me, Cassie. I was just thinking about stuff earlier. I’ll make good on my promise to get the divorce and marry you. You’re the woman I’ve always longed for, and I won’t ever let you down again.”
“I’m so relieved to hear that,” Cassie replied gently. “Why don’t you take a shower before going to work? I have to meet my team too. There might be a recital to attend tonight.”
Oscar nodded. “This is your first time with a man. If you feel uncomfortable in any way, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?”
“Oz, I know.”
When Oscar had gotten into the bathroom, Cassie picked up his phone and dialed Amelia’s number. Once the call got through, she said gleefully, “Ms. Winters, it’s me. I’m pregnant with Oscar’s child, so if you’re smart about it, I suggest you quickly get the divorce done. You don’t want to humiliate yourself now, do you?”
On the other end of the call, Amelia was cool as a cucumber. “Are you with him now?”
“How else would I be using his phone? He called me over to your house last night after you left. It may not be as grand as the Clinton residence, but it’s still got a nice, homely touch to it. I quite like it, to be honest. Oh, I just can’t wait to live there with Oscar and our child! We’ll be so happy together!”
Cassie was so good at putting on that saccharine voice of hers, but Amelia remained cool as ever.
“Ms. Yard, are you done? If there’s nothing else, I’ll be hanging up now. I’ve still got work to do. I don’t have time for your nonsense.”
With that, Amelia ended the call.
Cassie grinned at the phone smugly. “Amelia Winters, let’s see how long you can put on this brave front. Oz is mine! You’re merely a substitute, so scram as far as you can.”
The new lover laughs, while the old lover weeps.
Amelia, who was already at work, was still clutching her phone tightly. She was so crestfallen and distracted that she didn’t even realize Carter was now standing in front of her.
Carter sat her down on the couch and asked gently, “Amelia, are you okay?”
She snapped back to reality and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”
Carter always had such a pleasant smile. He was a true gentleman and Amelia felt comfortable around him.
“Amelia, we’ve been friends for so long. You can confide in me if you don’t mind.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine, Mr. Scott. It’s office hours now, and I’d prefer to keep my personal and professional life separate.”
“Don’t worry. Have you forgotten that I’m the boss? I can do whatever I like. No one can stop me.” Carter chuckled.
Amelia retorted, “All the more you should be leading by example. How else can you expect the company to have faith in you? If there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to work now.”
As she prepared to leave, Carter grabbed her hand. “You don’t look so well though. Why don’t you stay for a bit and let me make you some tea? You can get back to work once you’re feeling better. I can’t possibly let people think I’m overworking the newcomer.”
Amelia couldn’t help but break into a smile. “Mr. Scott, you’re always such a joker.”
Carter made a cup of warm tea and brought it to her. “This is my office, Amelia. You don’t have to be so formal. Please, call me Carter.”
Amelia accepted the tea from him with a polite smile. “There are still company rules and etiquette to follow. I can’t let there be rumors about the newcomer getting special treatment from the boss. It’s bad enough that they know I got this job through personal connections. Imagine how much more pissed off they’d be if I acted all arrogant around here.”
After all, being in the workforce means having to take extra caution with every word you say and every step you take.
