Chapter 329
"Yes, I am the devil. I'm giving you one last choice. It's up to you now," Joseph said with a cold smile, then turned and walked toward the door.
Cassie chuckled bitterly. She didn't want to let him win.
But compared to an old, fat man who could be her father, she would rather be with him.
"I don't want to be with him." Cassie found herself saying as she impulsively wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, feeling immense shame spreading through her.
Joseph coldly glanced back, pulled her arms away, and commanded, "Follow me back to Oasis International."
Cassie quietly followed behind him.
Joseph entered the room and sat on the bed, the overhead light casting a perfect outline of his chiseled profile.
"What's the matter? Do you need me to teach you?" His eyebrows raised in jest, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Cassie approached with flushed cheeks and tentatively pressed her lips to his.
Later in the night, Joseph snapped a photo with his phone and sent it straight to David's after she had fallen asleep.
---
The next day, Cassie woke up to find Joseph smoking by her side, draped lazily in a robe, a stark contrast to the night before. Remembering the events, unease tinted her expression.
As she began to stir, Joseph turned to her. Their eyes met, and he extinguished his cigarette before stroking her dark hair. "Were you this shy with David?"
Silence hung heavy as the blood drained from her face.
She looked up at him, anger surging within her. "Nothing has ever happened between David and me!"
Joseph's eyebrow quirked up. "Is that so? I don't buy it."
Without another word, he got up and walked to the dressing room.
Cassie fought the urge to smash a pillow over his head. He was the epitome of scum.
Five minutes later, Joseph emerged, looking every bit of a dapper gentleman, and Cassie couldn't help but feel that last night's version of him was an illusion.
"Aren't you going to make my breakfast?" he commanded as if it were her duty.
But Cassie held her ground. "Aren't you supposed to let David off the hook? A man like you wouldn't break his promise, right?"
His smirk had a dark edge to it. "You do love David, don't you? You are ready to sacrifice your own body for him."
"Think what you want," Cassie retorted, too tired to explain, knowing he wouldn't believe her anyway.
Her indifference destroyed Joseph's good mood from the night before. Kicking the door open with an icy tone, he assured her, "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. But from now on, you're forbidden to see him. You'll be mine, or he won't be so lucky next time."
With that, he went downstairs.
Cassie managed a bitter smile. There was no need for warnings; she didn’t have the guts to see David again, let alone hope for a future with someone else.
...
After washing up and dragging her sore body downstairs, she opened the fridge to find nothing but eggs. "What kind of breakfast am I supposed to make with this?" she mumbled in defeat.
"Just make eggs then," replied Joseph. Even with his usual lack of appetite, he was hungry now.
Cassie silenced her protests and prepared two fried eggs and four boiled ones for him.
Devouring the simple meal, Joseph mused how even plain boiled eggs tasted delicious when she made them. Finishing up, he commented with feigned disappointment, "Just this? It’s barely enough to fill my teeth."
Cassie could only respond with speechless resignation.
"Are you insane? Who eats that many eggs in the morning? You know that's a one-way ticket to high cholesterol, right?"
"Forget it; just whip up something extra tasty for me tomorrow," Joseph said as he rose from the table, tossing a black card onto it. "I'm moving to a new place this afternoon. I've got a suite over there, and since Luna and Grandma know about this place, it's not quite convenient for me anymore."
Cassie gazed at the card with a bitter smile. Was she now his secret mistress, hidden away from the sunlight? Sarcastically, she said, "Joseph, you’re lucky that you’re always surrounded by love and adoration."
"It's my fault. I gave you a choice before. If you were pregnant, I wouldn't have needed Luna. It was your decision not to go through with it, and now, that chance is gone." Joseph picked up his coat and left without looking back.
Cassie remained seated in the dining chair for thirty minutes before finally getting up and driving to the police station. Along the way, she even stopped to swallow a morning-after pill.
The lawyer was efficient, getting David released in just over ten minutes.
David looked unscathed but exhausted from worry, the elegant contours of his face drawn with fatigue.
"Cassie, I'm so sorry to have put you through this," David said as he embraced her tightly.
"As long as you're okay," Cassie replied, motionless. Her heart ached; she had no idea how to break up with him.
"Cassie, please don't leave me," David whispered suddenly in her ear.
Her throat tightened. Being as bright as he was, David probably had an inkling of what was happening. This trouble must be connected to Joseph in some way.
"Let's go home," David said, taking her hand and walking out.
"Mr. Foster, you forgot your items," a police officer called out, catching up to give him his stuff – his phone, wallet, and watch.
Once in the car, David powered up his phone. A deluge of texts and missed calls filled the screen. As he opened them one by one, his face, already worn, turned ashen at the sight of a particular photo.
Clutching his chest, he bent over in sudden agony, his phone slipping from his trembling hands.
"David, what's wrong?" Alarmed, Cassie steadied him, but he was shaking like a leaf, on the verge of passing out.
She gripped his hand, bewildered by his collapse after glancing at his phone. Her eyes darted to the fallen device, and instantly, she saw the photo displayed on the screen – there she was, asleep in Joseph's embrace. Her blushed, peaceful face said it all.
She couldn't stomach the time stamp below the photo: three in the morning.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
