Chapter 94 Chapter 94

Chapter 94 Chapter 94
  The shift didn’t happen loudly.
  It wasn’t an explosion or a fight or some dramatic moment everyone could point to and say that’s when it started.
  It was quieter than that.
  It started with Jace saying no.
  He didn’t announce it.
  Didn’t argue.
  Didn’t slam doors.
  Just… didn’t show up.
  The meeting had been scheduled for late afternoon. His father’s office. Closed door. Important people. The kind of room where decisions were made without asking the people they affected.
  Jace had known about it all week.
  He just didn’t go.
  By the time he got home, the house felt different.
  Still.
  Too still.
  Like something had already happened and the walls were waiting for him to catch up.
  “Where were you?”
  His father’s voice came from the living room.
  Jace didn’t stop walking.
  “Out.”
  “Don’t do that.”
  Jace paused.
  Slowly turned.
  “I just did.”
  The air between them tightened instantly.
  His father stepped forward, calm in that controlled way that somehow made everything worse.
  “You embarrassed me today.”
  Jace let out a breath.
  “I’m not a prop.”
  “You’re part of something bigger than yourself.”
  “I didn’t ask to be.”
  “No,” his father agreed. “But you were born into it.”
  That old line.
  That same weight.
  Jace’s jaw tightened.
  “And what happens if I stop playing along?”
  A beat.
  His father studied him.
  Then said quietly—
  “Then people get hurt.”
  Jace didn’t look away.
  “Who?”
  The silence stretched just long enough to feel intentional.
  “People you care about.”
  And there it was.
  Not loud.
  Not aggressive.
  But clear.
  Jace felt something cold settle in his chest.
  “So this isn’t about business,” he said.
  “It’s about control.”
  His father didn’t deny it.
  Upstairs, Jace shut his door harder than he meant to.
  His hands were shaking.
  Not from fear.
  From the realization.
  This wasn’t pressure anymore.
  This was a line.
  And if he crossed it—
  It wouldn’t just affect him.
  Across town, Cass sat cross-legged on her bed, her diary open but untouched.
  Her pen rested between her fingers, unmoving.
  Her thoughts weren’t scattered anymore.
  That was the problem.
  They were… clear.
  Too clear.
  Her phone buzzed.
  Jace.
  She stared at it for a long moment before answering.
  “Hey.”
  His voice was quieter than usual.
  “Hey.”
  A pause.
  “I didn’t go to the meeting,” he said.
  Cass sat up slightly.
  “You didn’t?”
  “No.”
  “Jace…”
  “I’m done pretending this is normal.”
  Her chest tightened.
  Because part of her had wanted this.
  And part of her was afraid of it.
  “What happened?” she asked softly.
  He exhaled.
  “He made it sound like if I don’t cooperate… things get worse.”
  “For you?”
  Another pause.
  “For you.”
  The words hit differently this time.
  Not like a warning.
  Like a weight.
  Cass looked down at her diary.
  At the blank page waiting for something honest.
  “You can’t do this for me,” she said quietly.
  “I’m not doing it for you.”
  “Then why does it feel like I’m the one it’s going to fall on?”
  Jace didn’t answer immediately.
  Because the truth was—
  He didn’t know how to separate it anymore.
  “I don’t want to lose you,” he said finally.
  Cass closed her eyes.
  “You might not have a choice.”
  The next day at school, the tension was… visible.
  Not loud.
  But present.
  Teachers were stricter.
  Students quieter.
  Even the usual chaos in the hallways felt slightly off.
  Like everyone was waiting for something to snap.
  Lena noticed it immediately.
  “This is not normal,” she muttered as they walked to class.
  Cass nodded.
  “I know.”
  They turned the corner—
  And stopped.
  Because Marvin was standing there.
  Waiting.
  Not leaning.
  Not relaxed.
  Just standing in the middle of the hallway like he’d been expecting them.
  Lena sighed. “Oh, great.”
  Cass stepped forward slightly.
  “What do you want?”
  Marvin looked at her.
  Really looked at her.
  And for once—
  There was no smirk.
  No sarcasm.
  Just something harder.
  “You should ask your mom about the house,” he said.
  Cass frowned. “What?”
  “The one your dad died in.”
  Her stomach dropped.
  Lena went still.
  “That’s not funny,” Cass said quietly.
  “I’m not joking.”
  Marvin stepped closer.
  Lowering his voice just enough.
  “You think all of this started now?” he said. “It didn’t.”
  Cass’s pulse started racing.
  “Then when?”
  Marvin held her gaze.
  “A long time ago.”
  Silence.
  Heavy.
  Uncomfortable.
  “What are you talking about?” she asked.
  Marvin hesitated.
  Just for a second.
  Like he was deciding something.
  Then he said—
  “Our families didn’t just meet recently.”
  Cass’s chest tightened.
  “They’ve been connected for years.”
  The words felt wrong.
  Like they didn’t fit into anything she knew.
  “That doesn’t make sense,” she said.
  “It will,” Marvin replied.
  Then he stepped back.
  And walked away.
  Just like that.
  Leaving her standing there with something new.
  Something bigger.
  Something that didn’t feel like school drama anymore.
  That evening, Cass stood in the doorway of the living room.
  Her mom sat on the couch, flipping through a magazine like everything was normal.
  Like nothing was waiting to be asked.
  “Mom?”
  Her mother looked up, smiling softly.
  “Yeah, honey?”
  Cass stepped inside slowly.
  “Can we talk about something?”
  The smile faded slightly.
  “Of course.”
  Cass swallowed.
  Her voice steadier than she felt.
  “The house we used to live in…”
  Her mom froze.
  Just for a second.
  But it was enough.
  Cass’s heart started pounding.
  “What about it?” her mom asked carefully.
  Cass took a breath.
  “Did you know Jace’s family before we moved here?”
  Silence.
  Long.
  Heavy.
  Her mom set the magazine down slowly.
  And in that moment—
  Cass knew.
  Something had been hidden.
  Something important.
  Something that was finally starting to surface.