Chapter 164: Contract Wife Morning, My Darling CEO

Third Person POV

Cassidy didn’t answer Chad’s call in the end but hung up directly.

She was afraid that her emotions would get the better of her and she would blurt out a bitter question and she wasn’t in the mood to quarrel with him either.

Most of all, she was avoiding his impression of her in his mind. She didn’t want it to keep getting worse.

At the other end of the phone, Chad watched as the call was disconnected, his amber eyes filled with pain. She had hung up on him.

Did she no longer want to hear his voice? He wondered

All he wanted was a chance to apologize to her and make things right, but she didn’t seem to be giving him a chance.

Chad was everything was humble. He often displayed aloofness and wore pride like neon. He had never, for any reason, been in a position where he had to compromise his standards for the other person, but with Cassidy, he had lost count of the number of times he had broken his own rules for her.

Each time they quarreled, he lowered the bottom line again and again, promising himself that this would be the last time, but it didn’t mean he would allow her to continue to step on his dignity continuously.

He put down his phone and stared into the distance with cold, distant eyes.

“Tom,” he said after a moment.

“Yes boss,” Tom hurried over “What can I do for you?”

“Prepare the helicopter for a trip to City Central Country as soon as possible," he commanded.

Tom looked at him, puzzled.

“But didn't you say you were going to see Miss Hart first?”

Chad didn't answer Tom's question. He simply remained silent, his tall figure exuding an aura of loneliness.

***

By afternoon, the press conference began at 2:30, and all the media representatives were in attendance. The lead actors stood on the stage, with Adrian in the middle, since he was one of the main protagonists of the story. Cassidy and Jasmine flanked him from left to right, both looking stunning.

Traditionally, Cassidy wasn't as famous as the two main protagonists of the story, and, as such, it’s only normal that the majority of the media attention should have been directed at them. But since her recent feud with Adrian Moss, her popularity has increased.

As expected, after asking a few scripted questions, the media turned their focus to Cassidy. “Miss Hart, there have been lots of rumors going on between you and Mr Moss. Can you tell us the true nature of your relationship with each other?

If Adrian hadn't been standing right beside her, she would have confidently brushed off the question. However, with Adrian present, saying too much might embarrass him. Moreover, Adrian had many fans in the audience, and she didn't want to cause any offense that would lead to another public outcry.

She has been in the news for too long and 9 out of 10, it’s not been in a good light.

So, she gave the reporter a polite smile.

“This is a press conference for ‘When Heart Meets’. I think it would be best to focus on questions related to the upcoming TV series,”.

“Yes,” Jasmine suddenly butted in with a bright smile “According to lots of official reports, I am the rumoured love interest of Mr Moss. Ask me anything and I promise to answer it honestly,”.

Jasmine aimed to draw attention away from Cassidy.

But the reporters weren’t willing to let go of an opportunity to get high clickbait bait news-especially since they would be hearing from the mouths of the horses.

So, they turned to Adrian, pointing their microphones at him.

“Mr Moss, can you tell us more about the rumors surrounding your relationship with Miss Hart? Is there anything that needs to be clarified?”

Cassidy’s breath caught in her throat and her heart raced as she stared at Adrian nervously hoping that he would give a good response.

Adrian was dressed elegantly in a pale blue traditional costume and exuded an irresistible charm and sophistication in his gestures. There was a gentle smile on his face as he faced the reporters.

He turned his head partially to his right so he was looking at Cassidy. His eyes were filled with warmth as he stared at her. Compared to how nervous she was, he appeared composed and graceful, even as the questions kept coming. His responses were smooth, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand.

He leaned towards the microphone, his voice clear and gentle.

“I once said that I agreed to become a part of this drama's cast because of Cassidy. If it weren't for her, my life might have revolved only around movies. She made me realize that there's someone in this world more wonderful than movies, someone who has deeply moved me,”.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers, and Jasmine was left stunned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Reporters, sensing a juicy confession, gathered around Adrian like mosquitoes and began asking more questions.

“Mr Moss, are you openly confessing your love for Miss Hart?”

Adrian's eyes remained fixed on Cassidy's face. His tenderness filled the room, and everyone could feel it, so he nodded gently.

“Well, the only reason why I haven’t responded to this particular rumor or tried to clear the air is that I hope it’ll become a reality,”.

The audience erupted into even louder cheers, while Jasmine cast a worried look toward Cassidy, whose face was white as though she had just seen a ghost. Jasmine secretly tugged at Adrian’s sleeve hoping he would call it a bluff, but it was as though her hand hit a tree thump when she touched him.

She quickly withdrew her hand as though it was a needle that pricked while trying to fight off the dangerous aura that Adrian always gave off whenever she was around him.

“I’m sure Mr Moss was just joking. Right, Adrian?” Jasmine chimed in, trying to direct Adrian’s gaze at hers, but he ignored her.

The reporters didn't pay attention to her at all, as their cameras were focused on Cassidy and Adrian.

“Miss Hart, what do you have to say about Mr Moss's confession?”

“Do you love him too? How do you explain your previous statements on Tweep?”

“Please comment, Miss Hart,”.

Cameras were going off in a frenzy as thousands of microphones were stuck in Cassidy’s face. The room was chaotic and she knew that they wouldn’t let her go easily unless she gave them an answer.

And she’d be damned if she was going to agree with Adrian.

She quickly reached for the microphone, gripping it tightly until her knuckles turned, and her beautiful face looked like a flower that was slowly withering away.

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her lips trembled slightly as she tried to explain “Listen, everyone, the truth is...”

The words were barely out of her mouth when a hand pulled her into a tight embrace.

Adrian lowered his head and claimed her lips with a passionate kiss.

The crowd of reporters erupted into a frenzy. Camera flashes illuminated the scene, and screams filled the air. Cassidy's eyes widened, shocked by the unexpected turn of events. She struggled to break free from Adrian's embrace, but he held her firmly.

As she struggled, a movement caught her eyes.

It was Chad, and he was standing in the crowd. Her body immediately went limp as she saw him.

Yes, it was unmistakable to him.

He was dressed in a black windbreaker with a hat on his head. His handsome face was half hidden in the shadow and half exposed to the sun. Although everything seemed to be chaotic around him, he was surprisingly quiet.

His eyes mirrored the people in the hall as though it was a machine set up high, quietly observing like a lonely cloud in the sky.

Shocked and flustered by everything, she made a second attempt to break free from Adrian’s arms but he held on to her as if she was some life support. His hands slipped to her waist, imprisoning her.

In the chaos, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, leaving her feeling as though she were ensnared by a cold serpent, unable to move.

Jasmine's brows wrinkled with anxiety as she stared at Cassidy, wondering how she could help in this situation. If this blows beyond proportion which it would, and if Chad would see it, then Cassidy would be truly done for.

She looked down at the wide skirt of the costume Adrian was putting on and stepped on Adrian's foot. Adrian's body twitched, and he finally released Cassidy… slowly.

Cassidy’s eyes were dull and listless, her lips were swollen from Adrian’s assault. Tears rolled down her cheeks and swiftly Adrian pressed her head against his chest, shielding her from the prying eyes of the cameras, and the onlookers assumed they were just an affectionate couple.

He smiled at the audience:

“I’m sorry, Cass is very shy,” he said fondly “We’ll leave first,”.

Like a puppet, he led Cassidy away amidst the pleas from reporters for one last word. Jasmine quickly tried to remedy the situation by drawing their attention back to the purpose of the conference. After saying a few words, she ended the session and hurried in the direction Adrian and Cassidy had just left.

“Adrian, please wait,” Jasmine hurried after them.

“Why?” Adrian asked coldly, with Cassidy still pressed firmly to his side and he prevented even Jasmine from having access to her.

“She must be scared silly, Adrian,” Jasmine tried to control the anger she felt. “Please can I take her from here,”.

“We’ll be fine,” he responded coldly “Stop following us,”.

Adrian led her straight to his hotel room, holding her hand tightly all this while, and made sure she couldn’t leave.

Meanwhile, Chad had seen tears in her eyes. He had seen how her shoulder trembled… he saw everything but he didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything. He just turned quietly and left.

This was not his style of doing things. Was he pretending to be indifferent because there was someone new and he no longer cared about her?

When they finally reached the hotel, Cassidy’s sobs became louder and louder. Adrian raised her head, peering at her face with worry.

“Please don’t cry, Cass, Cass. If it’s because I scared you, then I apologize,”.