Cassandra was back at full capacity after a few days of rest.
She ran the morning team like a pro, then made her way upstairs to fold towel animals for Elise and Ryan–one zoo per room, every day without fail.
Elise was easy, Cassandra would take yesterday’s animals and give her new ones.
But Ryan’s room? Every morning, the bed was in a clean state, with no animals in sight. She’d started to suspect that the three Mastiffs were treating the towel animals like midnight snacks. So today, she cautiously raised the question. “Maybe it’s time your boys get a check–up?”
Ryan was at his laptop, sipping coffee as he answered dryly, “Relax. They’re all male. No pregnancies,”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried they might’ve, you know… eaten something. Like fabric or paper.”
He paused, considering it. “Fair enough. I’ll take them to the vet this afternoon.”
“I’ve got work, though. You should take Lilian with you.”
“Doesn’t she work, too?”
“Then go alone.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re their mom. The kids are getting their annual physicals, and you’re not even showing up?”
Cassandra groaned. She walked right into that one.
After lunch, she changed into something casual, only to spot Ryan waiting out front in a sporty T–shirt and jeans with sunglasses on, looking casually handsome in a way that didn’t match his usual vibe.
The three Mastiffs sat by his feet as he chatted with a lady.
She didn’t know who that lady was. She wasn’t about to ask, but…
She took a stealthy photo.
If he dared to call her in the middle of the night again to fix the coffee machine, send this picture to Janice.
ould
Janice wouldn’t just choke him out. She was someone who nearly broke his spirit. Now that was leverage.
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Cassandra chuckled to herself, scanning the area for a better angle. She tried to hide under the
shade of a tree.
“Over here,” Ryan called out.
Busted
The lady turned to look at her. Up close, she barely looked 18.
Cassandra approached, giving a small wave. “Chatting with a friend?”
The lady pointed at her and asked, “Who is she?”
Ryan replied, “The mother of my three sons.”
Cassandra nearly dropped her jaw. The lady’s eyes went wide. “You have kids?”
He nodded calmly. “Yup. They’re big boys now. 70 to 80 pounds each.”
The lady’s face crumpled instantly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was married! I didn’t mean to come between you two. I’ll leave now!”
With a choked sob, she turned and ran. They could still hear her crying as she disappeared
around the corner.
Ryan urged, “Get in the car. Don’t just stand there.”
Cassandra blinked, then finally asked, “Wait, was that lady just now… confessing to you?”
He handed her the dog leashes, then leaned casually against the car door with a smirk. “When you look this good, it’s natural for others to confess to you, isn’t it? You get them all the time, too, don’t you?”
Cassandra snorted. “Me? Hardly.”
Aside from Cameron, no one had even come close to pursuing her. It had always baffled Daisy. She and Cassandra were beautiful in their own ways. While Daisy was constantly surrounded by admirers, Cassandra had never even received a single love letter.
It just didn’t make sense.
But back then, Cassandra was focused on her studies and didn’t give it much thought.
It wasn’t until she crossed paths with Cameron–by some twist of fate–that she finally experienced her first romance.
Too bad her first love ended in disappointment.
“No
one ever pursued me,” she muttered.
“Really?” Ryan asked.
“Seriously. Except for the people spreading rumors about me, I never had anyone genuinely
Chapte
interested.”
Ryan thought about the shoebox back at home, the one packed full of confession letters addressed to her. He hesitated, then said nothing
Instead, he rapped on the car door. “Get in.”
Cassandra hesitated. “Maybe I should sit in the back. The front seat’s usually reserved for the girlfriend. We’re parked outside a hotel. If someone sees us, it’ll look bad.”
“You want to squeeze in the back with those three large boys?”
She glanced at the Mastiffs and weighed her options.
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