The Tycoon's Secret Wife's Escape

CASSIE 24: Almost Honest

Ronan sat silently at the long conference table, his eyes fixed on the presentation, but his mind was far from the room. The report went on-land acquisitions, mining operations, partnerships with international companies-but his mind wandered elsewhere.

He was physically present yet completely detached.

There was something different about Cassie lately, something he couldn't quite defige. It was more than just the usual tiredness on her face.

'You're the reason she's like that, you idiot.'

He never thought he'd fall even deeper in love with her, and that was the problem.

By the time the meeting ended, he hadn't absorbed a single word. Frustrated, he picked up his phone and sent Cassie a message.

"How are you doing, love?"

A moment later, he saw the typing indicator. “Enjoying my day and missing you."

Her reply made him smile quietly, though it did nothing to lift the weight pressing on his chest.

A knock on the door broke his train of thought. His female assistant entered with a stack of documents and set them on his desk. He started flipping through them but noticed she hadn't left.

She stood there, uneasy, like she had something more to say.

"Mr. Carter... if you're doing this because of my best friend-"

Ronan's gaze sharpened. "What exactly are you implying?"

"Cassie Monroe. You're using her to hurt Asher Reid."

He leaned back, the leather chair creaking as he moved.

"I'm not using anyone," he said, calm but with an edge that warned him not to push him.

"Are you sure? Because now you're planning to marry her."

"That's my personal life. Whatever transpires between Cassie and me is not your concern. You have no right to interfere," Ronan snapped, cold and sharp.

But assistant pressed on, "You weren't supposed to fall in love with her, Ronan. I thought you were just making her fall for you to give Asher a taste of his own medicine!"

Ronan trembled with rage and hurled the crystal paperweight against the wall. The sharp crack echoed through the room as the assistant flinched, frozen in fear.

"Cassie never deserved what Asher did to her," he growled. "Yes, I pursued her deliberately. Do need to justify my personal relationships to someone who's merely an employee? Inserting yourself into my private affairs isn't what I pay you for."

The assistant straightened her shoulders, gathering courage despite his intimidating stance. "Elena, my best friend, would be devastated if she knew you were marrying Cassie Monroe."

At the mention of his sister's name, Ronan's face changed; grief and anger mixed together.

"Elena is dead!" he snapped.

"She's dead because Asher Reid killed her!"

"Get the fuck out!" Ronan roared, his entire frame trembling with the force of his emotion. “Go to the finance office and collect your last paycheck. You're fired, effective immediately!"noveldrama

Tears welled up in the assistant's eyes, but she said nothing more. She turned and walked out, leaving the heavy silence

behind her.

Ronan sat there, shaking, his muscles all stiff. He wanted to throw everything off his desk, to smash every reminder of the chaos he'd created. Once he was alone, the tension felt like it was squeezing him from all sides.

What he felt for Cassie had evolved into something genuine.

Even when Elena was alive, she'd seen his artwork, his devotion. Though he knew, she never liked Cassie... until the day she died.

Successfully unlocked!

Ronan couldn't deny it-after Elena's death, he had planned to get back at Asner through Cassie. He wanted to make Asher feel the emptiness he'd felt, to destroy him with the one thing that mattered most to him.

But Cassie reminded him of why he was drawn to her in the first place. She didn't deserve the hate.

Asher had abandoned her to be with another woman, leaving her alone at the event. That night, as Ronan cared for her

CASSIE 24 Almost Honest

through her fever and tears, he saw how lonely she truly was.

Cassie had already suffered enough at Asher's hands. What Ronan felt for her wasn't about revenge-it came from somewhere deeper-a haunting need to make Cassie his.

None of his assistants knew how far he'd gone-sponsoring her projects secretly, watching from the shadows, loving her with a desperate intensity that made him feel like a madman.

Ronan knew this was way more complicated than it ever should've been.

***

Ten days passed, and Cassie constantly texted Ronan so he didn't notice anything unusual.

Meanwhile, Ronan showed up at an industry gathering, and the vibe got tense when he walked in. Asher Reid stood with his business associates, locking eyes with Ronan. The tension was apparent as he walked over to him.

"Where is Cassie?" Asher demanded through clenched teeth. "I've discovered your financial connections to the Monroe Group, Ronan. You've communicated with Cassie! You're doing this on purpose to hurt me."

Ronan felt a cold satisfaction as he saw that Asher had reached the same conclusion as his old assistant.

Asher continued, “I've been piecing it together. You were in Singapore the exact same week Cassie traveled there. You were in Paris there during her runway show." His rage was building as he listed the facts. "And that blonde figure captured by paparazzi-that was you! You're the mystery man Cassie's been seeing!"

"Congratulations on your detective work!" Ronan replied with deliberate casualness but infused with mockery.

Asher's fist suddenly flew toward Ronan's cheek, and the sudden violence drew gasps from nearby attendees. Ronan couldn't help but smirk as security quickly stepped in to hold Asher back.

Looking at Asher, Ronan felt the familiar heat of anger rises in his chest, the same rage he'd held onto since learning about Asher's role in Elena's death.

"Cassie belongs with me!" Asher shouted, struggling against the guards' grip. "Stay away from my fiancée!"

"Your fiancée? Maybe you should get your facts straight, Mr. Reid. Cassie ended that relationship months ago. She's going to marry me!" he added, pushing Asher's buttons.

"You're just doing this to hurt me, Ronan!" Asher accused, his face contorted with understanding.

"That's exactly right!"

Ronan's calculated composure finally cracked, giving way to the raw grief and fury he'd carried for over a year.

"You drove my sister to her death! Out of all the women you could've played with and discarded, you chose her! Why Elena? Why her? I've wanted nothing more than to make you feel the same pain you caused!"

Ronan's voice was shaking with barely contained rage. “I'm going to make you pay, Asher Reid, to destroy you as thoroughly as you destroyed my innocent sister!"

"What do you mean?" The familiar weak voice froze Ronan in his tracks before he could say another word.

The anger turned to dread instantly when Ronan saw Cassie standing just a few steps away, with her brother standing beside her.

"Cassie..."

No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

He hadn't meant to say that. Ronan wanted to explain.

The pain on Cassie's face was impossible to ignore-first confusion, then understanding, and finally, a deep, gut-wrenching hurt that changed how she looked.

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