Page 16 of Vows of Deceit
The next morning, Cassie met with Jared at the Sterling Ventures conference suite. The floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the sleek interior in morning light, making everything, plans, lies, dreams look far more innocent than they were.
Jared held up a mock-up on his iPad. “This is the front page of the invite.Legacy Reimagined: A Celebration of Timeless Vows and Vision.You like the phrasing?”
Cassie nodded slowly. “It’s soft but strong. Perfect. I want them to think it’s about tradition until they see it’s actually about truth.”
Jared adjusted his cufflinks. “You’re walking into volatile PR territory, you know. Public spectacle, family reputation, media spin. Once this drops, there’s no coming back.”
“I’m not interested in coming back,” Cassie said. “I’m interested in moving forward with everything I’m owed.”
Later that afternoon, Harper met Cassie at her suite at The Kings. The space had become her sanctuary, her war room. A large corkboard filled with notes, photographs, receipts, and mapped-out timelines took up an entire wall.
Harper eyed the wall, uneasy. “It’s meticulous. Chilling, even.”
Cassie didn’t look up from her laptop. “It’s necessary.”
“You’re not sleeping. You’re not eating.”
“I’m functioning.”
“You’re transforming,” Harper said quietly. “Into someone I don’t fully recognize.”
Cassie finally turned to face her. “Then maybe you never saw me clearly to begin with.”
The words weren’t cruel just honest but they landed between them like a slap.
Harper sighed. “You don’t need to destroy him to be free of him.”
Cassie rose, walked to the window. “You’re wrong because as long as he walks through this city wearing the Sterling name and that wedding band, people will look at me and see a wife still bound to him. Still fooled. Still weak.”
Harper stood too. “But what happens after? What’s left when the ash settles?”
Cassie stared out at the skyline. “Me. Finally me.”
Jared returned that evening with early RSVPs.
“The list is already catching fire,” he said. “Elaine Sterling confirmed. So did Charles and Vivienne. Even Kelly RSVP’d—plus one.”
Cassie raised a brow. “She’s bringing someone?”
“Probably to rile you,” Jared replied. “Or distract from her part in this.”
Cassie made a note. “Make sure Collin Media has drone access for event footage. I want full documentation.”
Jared hesitated. “This doesn’t just expose them. It’ll hurt a lot of people.”
“People who stood by and did nothing,” Cassie said coolly. “They can take a little discomfort.”
That night, alone in her suite, Cassie removed the necklace Damien had given her their first Christmas together. She laid it in a velvet box and wrote a label in neat handwritingReturn to the illusion.
One by one, she packed away the symbols of their story. The ring. The honeymoon photos. The anniversary cards. It wasn’t grief anymore. It was rebirth.
She slipped into a silk robe, walked to her balcony, and let the wind touch her bare skin. She wasn’t hollow. She was focused and the world would soon learn when Cassie King took a vow, she meant it. Even if it was a vow for revenge.
Chapter Twelve
Kelly’s Games
The penthouse was dim, the air thick with the scent of jasmine and high-end liquor. Kelly lounged across Damien’s chest, their naked bodies tangled in silk sheets. His hand lay limp at her hip, the remnants of their passion still clinging to her skin like perfume.
