Chapter 95 Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Chapter 95
  Her mother didn’t answer right away.
  That was the first crack.
  Cass stood there, every instinct sharpening, every small detail suddenly louder—the way her mom’s fingers pressed into the fabric of the couch, the way her gaze dropped before lifting again, carefully composed.
  Too carefully.
  “Why are you asking that?” her mom said finally.
  Not denial.
  Not confusion.
  A question.
  Cass took a slow step forward.
  “Because someone told me our families didn’t just meet recently.”
  Her mom’s expression shifted.
  Not dramatically.
  But enough.
  A flicker of something old. Something she had buried.
  “Who told you that?” she asked.
  Cass didn’t answer.
  Because suddenly it didn’t matter.
  The truth was already sitting between them.
  “Is it true?” Cass pressed.
  Silence stretched.
  Her mom exhaled slowly, like she had been holding that breath for years.
  “Yes.”
  The word landed heavy.
  Simple.
  Final.
  Cass’s chest tightened. “So… you knew them? Before all of this?”
  Her mom nodded faintly.
  “Not the way you think,” she said quickly. “It wasn’t close. It was… complicated.”
  “Complicated how?”
  Her mom hesitated again.
  And that hesitation said more than any answer could.
  Cass felt her voice sharpen.
  “Mom.”
  Her mom looked at her then, really looked at her.
  And something in her expression softened.
  Not defensive.
  Not distant.
  Just… tired.
  “There was a time,” she began slowly, “when your father worked with them.”
  Cass blinked.
  “With Jace’s dad?”
  “Yes.”
  The room felt smaller.
  “That doesn’t make sense,” Cass said. “You never mentioned that.”
  “I know.”
  “Why?”
  Another pause.
  Because the answer wasn’t easy.
  “Because it didn’t end well.”
  That sent a chill through Cass.
  “What does that mean?”
  Her mom looked away briefly, gathering herself.
  “Your father and him—they had a partnership. Business. Investments. Plans that were supposed to build something bigger.”
  Cass’s pulse picked up.
  Like pieces were starting to form something she didn’t fully understand yet.
  “What happened?”
  Her mom swallowed.
  “They disagreed.”
  “That’s it?” Cass asked. “People disagree all the time.”
  “This wasn’t small.”
  Her mom’s voice dropped slightly.
  “It became… personal.”
  Cass’s hands curled slightly at her sides.
  “How personal?”
  Her mom didn’t answer immediately.
  And that silence felt heavier than before.
  “Mom,” Cass whispered.
  Her mom finally met her eyes again.
  “There were accusations,” she said quietly.
  “About money. About trust. About who was trying to take control of what they built.”
  Cass felt her heart pounding harder.
  “And you just… left?”
  “We didn’t just leave,” her mom said.
  “We walked away before it got worse.”
  Cass let out a breath that didn’t feel like relief.
  “And then… he died.”
  The words hung in the air.
  Fragile.
  Dangerous.
  Her mom’s expression changed.
  Pain flickered across her face.
  “Yes.”
  Cass stepped closer.
  “Was it connected?”
  The question came out before she could stop it.
  And the moment it did—
  Her mom froze.
  Completely.
  That was answer enough.
  Cass’s voice dropped to almost nothing.
  “Mom… was it connected?”
  Her mom shook her head quickly.
  “No. No, it wasn’t like that.”
  But it didn’t sound convincing.
  It sounded rehearsed.
  Like something she had told herself too many times.
  Cass felt something twist in her chest.
  “You’re not telling me everything.”
  Her mom stood up then.
  Too fast.
  “I’m telling you what matters.”
  “That’s not true,” Cass said.
  Her voice didn’t rise.
  But it cut deeper.
  “You’re telling me what’s safe.”
  Silence.
  Heavy.
  Uncomfortable.
  Her mom looked at her, something conflicted in her eyes.
  “You don’t need to dig into this,” she said softly.
  “It’s over.”
  Cass shook her head.
  “No, it’s not.”
  Because suddenly—
  Nothing felt over.
  Not the tension.
  Not the connections.
  Not the way Jace’s father looked at her like she was something that didn’t belong.
  “This is why,” Cass continued, her voice steady now, “this is why everything feels like it’s already decided.”
  Her mom frowned slightly.
  “What do you mean?”
  “Because it is,” Cass said.
  “Before we even got here… before I even met Jace… all of this was already tangled.”
  Her mom didn’t deny it.
  And that silence confirmed everything.
  Later that night, Cass sat on her bed, her diary open again.
  But this time—
  She wrote.
  I thought I walked into something complicated.
  But I didn’t walk into it.
  I was already part of it.
  She paused.
  The pen hovering.
  Then she added:
  And no one told me.
  Across town, Jace stood in his father’s office.
  He hadn’t knocked.
  Hadn’t asked.
  He just walked in.
  “We need to talk.”
  His father didn’t look up immediately.
  Still focused on the papers in front of him.
  “I’m busy.”
  Jace stepped closer.
  “This isn’t about the event.”
  That got his attention.
  His father looked up slowly.
  “What is it about?”
  Jace didn’t hesitate.
  “Cass.”
  A flicker of recognition.
  Then—
  Something else.
  Something sharper.
  “What about her?” his father asked.
  Jace held his gaze.
  “You knew her family before all of this.”
  Not a question.
  A statement.
  His father leaned back in his chair.
  Calm.
  Too calm.
  “Yes.”
  Jace’s jaw tightened.
  “And you didn’t think that was important to mention?”
  “No.”
  “Why not?”
  His father studied him.
  Then said quietly—
  “Because that chapter is closed.”
  Jace let out a short breath.
  “It doesn’t feel closed.”
  “That’s because you’re opening it again.”
  The words landed with weight.
  Jace stepped closer.
  “What happened between you and her father?”
  Silence.
  For a moment, it looked like his father might not answer.
  Then—
  “He made a mistake.”
  Jace frowned.
  “What kind of mistake?”
  His father’s gaze hardened slightly.
  “The kind that costs people everything.”
  Jace felt a chill run through him.
  “That’s not an answer.”
  “It’s enough.”
  “No, it’s not.”
  Tension filled the room.
  For the first time—
  Jace didn’t back down.
  “This has something to do with why you’re pushing me toward Zayelle,” he said.
  His father didn’t deny it.
  “She understands the structure.”
  “And Cass doesn’t?”
  “No,” his father said simply.
  “She doesn’t.”
  Jace’s voice dropped.
  “Or she refuses to play along.”
  That made his father’s expression shift slightly.
  “Exactly.”
  The word hit harder than expected.
  Because it wasn’t an insult.
  It was a problem.
  A real one.
  Jace left the office with more questions than answers.
  But one thing was clear now—
  This wasn’t just about control.
  This was about history.
  And whatever had happened back then…
  Was starting to shape everything now.