Chapter 156 - Contract Wife Morning, My Darling CEO
Third Person POV
A day passed by quickly.
Cassidy found herself occasionally checking her phone, browsing through the internet and checking Tweep to see if there was any change in public opinion, but it seemed to be getting worse by the minute.
Her post did nothing to quell the hunger and, combined with Adrian’s silence, seemed to aggravate the rumours the more, making many people believe that there was truth to the story.
She didn’t dare call Chad. Each time her phone rang, her heart would skip with fear, thinking it would be Chad. Somehow, his silence was putting her on the edge the more. She wished he would just call and ask her what was going on, rather than remain oblivious about it.
With the way things had blown out of proportion, there was no way he wouldn’t know.
She decided that she wouldn’t drive out from the main entrance of the film and television city for fear of being accosted by reporters. Also, she remembered that Chad had mentioned last night that he would go visit his grandmother today and that she wanted him to come with Cassidy. The thought of that alone made anxiety surge within her.
She decided to wear a disguise. Dressed in a hat and mask, she headed towards the side gate, intending to take a taxi. As she stood at the side gate, waiting for a taxi, a black Maybach pulled up in front of her. Chad was occupying the driver’s seat; his side profile was a glowing perfection combined with handsomeness. The neon lights cast a subtle glow onto the car which made him look cold and mysterious.
Cassidy’s steps faltered as she froze, just staring at him. Before she could utter a word, his cold voice cackled in the air.
“Get in the car,” he commanded.
“O-okay,” she replied softly and opened the door to the passenger’s seat and slid in.
“Hi,” she greeted as a way to loosen the knot she felt in her stomach.
The car was at a standstill and the only thing moving was the windshield wipers, which were swaying back and forth. Outside, the sky had darkened and the atmosphere was heavy and it seemed like it was going to rain.
“Chad,” Cassidy started again, hating the way her voice sounded “I know you’re aware of what happened today and I’m also sure that you must have seen my counter post on Tweep. I have nothing to do with Adrian Moss. Aside from the fact that we’re co-actors, there’s nothing more, I promise,”.
She trailed off as her voice quivered. She was filled with uneasiness and fear of being blamed by him. Chad closed his eyes and exhaled before he turned to her.
“I know and I believe you,” he said, but still there was a trace of bitterness in his voice.
That was because last night, she had confessed how much she loves him in his arms and she couldn’t change her mind in just a few hours. Besides that, he had faith in her character and upbringing, which is why he didn't immediately confront her upon learning of the situation. Instead, he had driven here and waited patiently, hoping for her to clarify things.
He was waiting for her to reach out, waiting for her to explain, waiting for her to show that he occupied an important place in her heart.
But the call never came, and the hours stretched on and in those few hours of waiting, it felt like his world stopped. Everything came to a standstill. He couldn’t function, he couldn’t think. That was why he sought her out.
Cassidy hadn't expected Chad to believe her instantly and the outcome left her both happy and filled with a deep sense of gratitude that nearly moved her to tears. Her clear, apricot eyes glistened with unshed tears as she gave him a warm smile.
“You believe me,” it was a statement “You cannot imagine how worried I was that you might misunderstand the situation. I’m so sorry, Chad. I am always on the news trending for all the wrong reasons,”.
“It’s alright, Cass,” he said warmly “I just want you to be well, that’s all,”.
“Yeah,” she sniffed back tears. “By the way, didn’t you say you were going to see Nana today? Shall we go?”
Chad turned his head slightly in her direction, his eyes held a mixture of unreadable emotions which seemed to overwhelm him.
Cassidy wrung her fingers with unease as she stared at him, wondering what was going through his mind.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” she asked.
“No, I just think…” he trailed off.
He was about to say something but seemed to change his mind, which was unlike him. Chad was always very decisive. He always knew the right words to say, the right response to use and was never one at a loss for words. But seeing him hesitate was a rare occurrence even if I knew it.
Cassidy’s unease increased as she stared at him with anxiety.
“What’s the matter? Just say it. No matter what it is, I promise I will understand,”.
He laughed, his laughter resembled ripples on a cold lake, sending waves through every layer of her heart.
He touched her head gently, whispering,
“I just realized something. I mean, I recently discovered it but it has become clearer now,”.
“What is that?” Cassidy murmured.
“I think you are very important to me, more important than I thought,”.
And it was true. It was because of how important Cassidy was to him that made his mood always be easily affected by anything either good or bad happening to her. She was important because he had driven her with an accumulation of burning anger but he had no intention of venting it on her.
Most times, when she made him angry, no matter the offence, he’ll always find himself trying desperately to repress what he felt at that moment. So, yes… she was truly important to him and he wasn’t mincing words.
Cassidy was originally afraid that he had something else in mind, but the weight of his love lingered behind the words he had just said, putting her at ease. Suddenly, her heart became filled with warmth as she threw back her head and laughed with delight.
“I don’t know what to say about you,” she said.
“Then don’t say anything,” Chad gave her an easy smile “Let’s just go home,”.
The storm that Cassidy had originally been expecting didn’t come from Cassidy’s heart, which
had been gripped with anxiety, finally eased. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, resting until they arrived at the West Family Mansion.
The West Family mansion was as magnificent as ever. The style of architecture and decoration was a combination of Western and Chinese. Bright lights were hanging between the buildings and servants were busy going in and out of them.
Chad reached for her hand as both of them started towards the hall of the mansion’s main building.
Catherine West (Grandma/Nana) was sitting in the hall, her presence commanding respect. Chad’s mom, Hannah West, sat beside her looking beautiful and dignified. Behind her also stood Cao Popo, whose gaze was downwards and eyes pleasing.
Rumours had it that Chad's father had passed away early, leaving behind a family of widows and orphans. The more Cassidy thought about it, the more she realized that her mother-in-law, Hannah West, was very miserable.
Snapping back to reality, Cassidy moved towards Grandma West and presented the gifts she had prepared earlier; in the morning. She smiled and sweetly said,
“Grandma West, I came to see you. How have you been?”
Grandma West fixed her gaze on Cassidy, giving her a stern expression,
“Why are you still calling me Grandma West? Don’t you think it’s about time to call me Grandma or that name you used to fondly call me,”.
“Oh,” Cassidy chuckled “Sorry about that, Nana. How have you been?” she reiterated.
“Shocked, mostly. So, you and Chad got married and have been married for a while now and you kept it from me?”
The smile left her face as she scrutinized Cassidy with angry eyes. Cassidy quickly comforted him.
“I’m sorry, Nana. I didn’t mean to hide anything from you. It was because so many things happened at the beginning and we made a decision not to announce it to anyone, including family. I apologize on our behalf,”.
“Still, I thought we were close,” Catherine pouted.
“C’mon, Nana. I have already apologized. Besides, I am now your grandson’s wife. Isn’t that the most important thing?” Cassidy teased.
The old woman burst into laughter and nodded,
“You still have a way around words, Cassidy Hart. Come now dear, come and meet your mother-in-law,” Catherine pointed at Hannah’s direction.
Cassidy’s attention shifted to where Hannah was sitting, acknowledging her presence for the first time. Her eyes met with Hannah’s and held. Hannah regarded her coolly, the corners of her lips curving into a smile as she spoke.
“Mother, I know you don’t know this but I’ve had my eyes set on her – who is now my daughter-in-law now; for a long time. She caught my attention,”.
There was bitterness in her voice as she spoke, even if there was a smile on her face. Even the way she said the words ‘She caught my attention’ felt ominous. Catherine West immediately noticed that something was wrong and was keen to find out. So, she continued speaking, acting like she didn’t notice the dense atmosphere between them.
“If both of you have met each other before, then it’s simply fate. Hannah and Cassidy; both of you should stop being bitter. I’m positive that you’ll get along well in the future, you know?”
Hannah loved and admired Catherine West- her mother-in-law, a lot. After her husband had left, she was bullied several times by the family. It was Catherine that stood by her and protected her the best way she could. So, she was always grateful to her.
She nodded and ordered Cao Popo to take out a box. Cao Popo came back with a red brocade box that had a silver ring inside, with an emerald crafted in the middle of the ring. The emerald was in its purest form and this type was rare. Combined with the silver, it was so beautiful.
When Hannah and Catherine saw the ring, their eyes misted with tears as fond memories played out in their minds. A tear even rolled down Hannah’s cheek and she quickly cleaned it, chuckling.
“I always get emotional when I see this ring,” Hannah sniffed and turned to Cassidy. “This was given to me by Grandma West when I came into the family and, according to the tradition of the West family, you have to pass this ring to your child’s wife, which is what I am doing,”.
Cassidy sucked in her breath; she didn’t know what to say.
“I pray that in the future you won’t just be Chad’s little wife, but also a wife who will care for the entire family. Also, I am not asking you to try to please us or anything, but all I ask is that you treat Chad well. Love him, be his peace, have tons of children, as many as you can,” Hannah chuckled, sniffing back tears “Just be happy, Cassidy, and make my son happy too. Even though I hate to say this, I and Grandma,” she reached for Catherine’s hand “We’ll finally be lonely,”.
Though Hannah was fifty years old, she still looked radiant and beautiful like a woman in her thirties, but she spoke with so much sorrow and resignation in her voice that everyone around her couldn’t help but be sad.
Catherine sighed, squeezing Hannah’s hand comfortingly.
“Hannah, today is such a good day, a joyous day at that, stop feeling sad, or else you will scare Cassidy away. She’d think that the women in the West family are a bunch of sad, fat women,”.
Rather, Cassidy felt uncomfortable.
Because she was moved by Hannah’s words, especially by the sincerity she had seen in her eyes when she spoke. After the last episode where Hannah wanted to force her to be examined physically, she had formed a bad impression of her
However, as she collected the emerald ring from her hand, it seemed like the loneliness Hannah felt was passed on to her. All the lonely 20 years she had endured after Chad’s father left, seemed to be transferred to Cassidy. And for the first time, she understood that Hannah had come after her.
Maybe she had been searching for a little spark, something exciting, perhaps to make her feel alive. Being surrounded by your enemies, and not being with your partner, was an emotional hardship that was way beyond comprehension.
Perhaps Hannah had also seen her as an enemy that day, but today, she had become her family.
Hannah solemnly took the ring out of the box and she dutifully slid it onto Cassidy’s finger; the atmosphere went silent as if they were performing some kind of ritual.
The ring fits perfectly. Hannah stepped back, sighing wistfully, while Cassidy turned towards her and Catherine and bowed in reverence.
“Thank you, Mom, thank you, Grandma,”.