Cassidy and Hailey were tight, and Cassidy knew Hailey had never dated anyone before.
In college, a bunch of guys tried to get with Hailey, but she turned them all down. This was the first time Hailey had ever asked about a guy.
Cassidy got what was going on right away. She looked at Hailey's still slightly red face, her eyes getting a bit mischievous. "You really wanna know about him, huh?"
Hailey felt her face heat up even more under Cassidy's gaze. She quickly covered Cassidy's eyes. "Cassidy, stop staring at me."
"I never thought I'd see the day Hailey asked me about a guy. This is wild." Cassidy grinned.
Hailey got even more flustered. "Cassidy, stop it!"
Cassidy finally burst out laughing and pulled Hailey's hand away. "Alright, Hailey, I can tell you who he is, but I'm curious, do you really wanna get to know him?"
"Of course, I'm serious!" Hailey nodded quickly. "Cassidy, he's super handsome! And he's got a great personality! When the attendant stopped me, I felt so embarrassed and upset. If he hadn't shown up, I might've cried! I've never met a guy as charming as him. It's totally normal to be curious about him!"
Seeing Hailey's seriousness and her face all red, Cassidy could tell she genuinely liked Chase and wanted to know more about him."Okay, I'll spill." Cassidy thought for a moment, recalling Chase's details. "His name's Chase Bennett. He's a good friend of Easton, has a great personality, and is friendly to everyone. Seems like a really nice guy. Even to strangers, he's super helpful."
As Hailey listened, she pictured Chase again, remembering how he gently asked the attendant what happened and then brought her into the venue. He really was kind and friendly.
Seeing Hailey's expression, Cassidy knew what was up and sighed, "But he's a notorious playboy, involved with a lot of women. If you like him, think it through. Chasing him won't be easy. He doesn't seem like the type to settle down."
Hailey got the hint and quickly covered Cassidy's mouth. "Cassidy, stop it!"
She didn't have a crush on Chase! She just thought he was super charming and wanted to know more about him! She never thought about chasing him!
Cassidy's mouth was covered, but her eyes stayed on Hailey, making her blush even more.
"Cassidy, stop saying that stuff. I just think Mr. Bennett is a good guy. I don't like him!" But the more she said it, the less convincing she sounded.
Cassidy's eyes got even more playful. "Hailey, we're friends. You don't have to hide your feelings. If you really like him, I can help you out. I'm the head of the Cooper family now and can dig up more info than you."
Hailey quickly shook her head, insisting she was just curious about Chase and had no plans for a romantic thing. But her constant blushing made it hard for Cassidy to believe her.
Unable to hide anything from Cassidy, Hailey glared at her and then grabbed a wine glass, trying to hide her embarrassment by taking a sip.
After leaving, Chase wandered around the venue and soon spotted Easton.
Easton, who had just finished chatting with some folks, didn't react when he saw Chase approaching.
Chase spoke up first, "Hey, Cassidy's friend got stopped at the door earlier, and I brought her in."
Easton didn't respond or even look at him.
Chase shrugged it off and kept talking. "That Hailey Blake seems pretty tight with Cassidy. Must be a close friend."
Easton still didn't react, leaving Chase puzzled. He looked up to see Easton staring off in a certain direction. Following his gaze, Chase saw Cassidy and realized that Easton was looking at her.
Cassidy's vibe was totally different when she was with her friend. Before Hailey showed up, she was mingling with the guests like a true head of the family. But now, standing with her friend, she had this lively and beautiful smile, surprisingly captivating.
This Cassidy reminded Chase of the past. "Cassidy's only about 23 now, still really young. She was your junior in school and always seemed so innocent."
Back in school, Cassidy was just a little girl who'd light up when she got something she liked and pout when she didn't. She was lively and charming, adorably innocent.
But after marrying into the Cooper family, Chase hadn't seen her smile like this for a long time. Marrying into the Cooper family seemed to have taken away her happiness.
Chase's words also took Easton back to the past, to the first time he met Cassidy. He downed his wine, gripping the smooth, cold glass, and let out a cold laugh. "Chase, you think she's innocent, but to me, she's just as scheming as any other woman."
How could an innocent woman sneak into her stepson's room and try to seduce him?
Easton's harsh words about Cassidy surprised Chase. "Why would you think that? Honestly, Cassidy is the most innocent person I've ever met. Even now, she still looks like an innocent child. I can't believe she's already the head of the Cooper family."
Chase struggled to understand Easton's perspective. The cold expression on Easton's face made him worry even more about Cassidy's situation. When Ashton was alive, he treated Cassidy well, but even then, she rarely smiled. Now that Ashton was gone, Cassidy had no support in the Cooper family and could face danger at any time. If Easton was unhappy with her, Cassidy would be in even more trouble.
Chase's defense of Cassidy made Easton laugh mockingly. "A woman who deliberately seduces her stepson, and you call her innocent?"
Chase almost dropped his wine glass. What did he just hear? Easton said Cassidy deliberately seduced her stepson! How could that be?
"Hard to believe?" Easton glanced at Chase. "But she hid in my room on purpose, and we've already had sex."
Chase's wine glass immediately fell onto the table, spilling the wine. Did he just hear wrong? Cassidy seduced Easton and they had sex?
He wanted to argue because the Cassidy he knew wouldn't do such a thing, but his mind was in chaos, unable to form coherent words.
Did something happen to force Cassidy to do this, or was she coerced by Easton?
Chase had too many questions for Easton, but before he could sort out his thoughts, someone announced that the wedding was officially starting.