Chapter 45
“Slippery as an eel,” Ryan said, shaking his head
“It was Lilian who sent me here…” Cassandra replied, a little flustered.
“Hey, Ryan! What the hell?” Janice stood in the doorway, frozen in shock.
What was even happening right now? Ryan was clearly fresh out of the shower, and there was a woman lying on his bed?
Cassandra was equally thrown. What was Janice doing here? And from the way she spoke, it sounded like she knew Ryan quite well.
Suddenly, everything started to click for Cassandra.
Janice stammered, “C–Cassandra, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“What exactly are you two doing?”
Cassandra looked right at her. “If I told you I was just making some towel animals for the bed, would you believe me?”
Janice looked Cassandra up and down, then shot a glance at Ryan, who was lounging on the bed like nothing unusual was going on. Clearly, she didn’t buy it.
Cassandra asked, “Ms. Wesker, can I ask you something too?”
“Yeah, shoot.”
“Have you ever been divorced?”
Janice’s jaw dropped. “What?”
She then jabbed a finger at Ryan. “You told her about that?”
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Ryan raised both hands, looking totally innocent. “Not me. I didn’t say a word.”
Cassandra had already gotten off the bed. She pressed on, “Was it recent?”
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Janice stared daggers at Ryan. “If it wasn’t you, who was it? How does she even know the timing?”
Cassandra shrugged. “Okay, now I get it.‘
Janice was fiery and didn’t care who was watching. She launched herself at Ryan, going straight for his neck. “You jerk! Spilling my private business like that? I ought to strangle you! Maybe whip you too! And drip candle wax all over you!”
Ryan made no effort to fight back and only pleaded, “Have mercy! Please, I surrender!”
Cassandra just stood there, a little stunned, but things were suddenly much clearer.
She listed off Janice’s traits–tough, bold, spicy, definitely one of a kind. No wonder Ryan had been waiting for her all these years. He clearly had a type, and it wasn’t an easy one. He had waited through a whole marriage just to get another shot.
Cassandra quietly slipped out of the room. She carefully locked the door behind her and flipped the “Do Not Disturb” light on for good measure.
Over in Hannover, at the Dorsey estate, the mood was so tense the housekeepers wouldn’t
even speak. They fled to the kitchen after setting down the food, wanting nothing to do with what was coming.
Grace served Simon a bowl of soup. “You’ve been at the police station all day. Drink some soup. It’ll help.”
Simon slammed his silverware down on the table. “Look at the son you raised! He threw his own father in jail over a woman!”
Grace flinched in shock.
Cameron calmly continued eating his meal. “You broke the law, so you ended up in jail. That’s just how the world works. No one is above the law, and you’re no exception.”
Simon’s anger flared. “Don’t make it sound so noble. You’re just trying to stand up for Cassandra!”
“Yeah, I am,” Cameron replied, setting his bowl down. “Dad, Mom, you two really make a great team. One of you tricked me into coming back, and the other set a trap for Cassie. If she hadn’t been quick on her feet, what would’ve happened to her?”
Simon snapped, “So, you blame me for this? If she had just agreed to the divorce, none of this would’ve happened! She brought this on herself.
The word “divorce” darkened Cameron’s expression.
Cassandra had brought it up more than once. She had even run off to Stokelle just to avoid him. She wasn’t trying to hang on. If anything, she couldn’t wait to get away and never come back.
“I’m the one who doesn’t want the divorce,” Cameron said quietly. “I’ll pick her up tomorrow.
“How dare you?” Simon threatened, his voice cold. “You saw those photos! She’s trash! She slept with a professor old enough to be her dad just to get into grad school. She was probably thrilled when she found out I had arranged a dozen men for her!”
Cameron shot to his feet and flipped the entire dining table, sending everything crashing to