The CEO’s Revenge

Chapter Three

Cassandra.

Back in the ward, Cassie's heartbeat was yet to return to normal. She was still reeling from the shock of seeing Richard Evans again. It didn’t help that he was more attractive than ever. But there was a coldness and a sharp edge to him now. It chilled her to the bones. Despite that, she was surprised at the tension between them. It was raw and palpable. She could tell he felt it too. Cassie took a few calming breaths to analyze her situation objectively.

She was at the hospital with minimal injury from the accident. Her phone was nowhere to be found. She was pretty sure it survived the accident since she called Terry’s line afterward.

Which brought her to the second thing: Terry. She had no idea where her brother was.

Richard Evans—the nerdy-turned-sexy blast from the past—seemed like he had a serious beef with her brother about a contracted debt. And finally, it seemed as though Richard wanted to use the situation to somehow control her.

*What was it he said earlier? ‘Rest well and we’ll talk about your future.’*

She briefly wondered what he planned to do to her. Whatever it was, she had a feeling he was up to no good.

*Well, not if I can help it.*

Cassie yanked out the needle feeding fluids into her arm. She winced at the pain before stumbling out of bed. Her head grew heavy and her vision blurred for a second. The doctor had said she might have a concussion. Cassie did not doubt that. Her side felt sore and taut as she glanced around the room for her belongings. Finding none, she dashed towards the door. She was done being a sitting duck.

Cassie opened the door and stopped short. Before her, two burly men in dark clothing were standing guard by her door. They turned at the same time when the door opened.

*Shit.*

She mentally facepalmed herself. Of course, someone was conscientious as Richard would have a backup plan. She tried to walk past them, pretending as though she hadn’t seen them. One of them stopped her easily.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Sorry, ma'am," He said. "But we can't do that. You need to get back inside and rest properly, doctor’s orders."

*More like Richard’s orders.*

Cassie could not get herself out of his death grip. Too weak to struggle, she seethed wordlessly as he bundled her back into the room as gently as he could. He glanced at her arm where she had foolishly ripped the needle. Blood was dripping from the open wound. Her angry gaze turned sheepish.

Still holding on to her, he turned to his partner. "Get the doctor. Miss Thomas is injured."

His bald partner nodded and secured the door before leaving. Mr. Burly finally let go of her.

"Don't try to escape, Miss Thomas. You would only hurt yourself and your brother in the process.” He said matter-of-factly.

Her heartbeat skyrocketed. She had not thought about Terry even if she managed to escape. She would have to be more strategic.

"Mr…What is your name?”

“You can call me Five.”

“Five? Why Five?” she asked curiously.

He looked away, shuttering his features. Cassie felt she had probably gone too far with her line of questioning—until he began to speak.

“ ‘Five’ because I’m fifth on the aptitude ranking.” He sounded pissed about that.

“Five sounds pretty good,” She commented, trying to console him. He handled her gently and called for the doctor. He didn’t have to. But it was the softness of his tone and his kind eyes when he told her to stop trying to escape. He knew it was futile. Feeling defeated, Cassie continued the conversation to keep her mind off her situation.

“How many people are on the rankings?”

“Two hundred.”

*Wow.* “Forget what I said earlier, Five is AMAAZING.” She exaggerated the last word, eliciting a smile from Five.

“What number is your partner ?”

“ Seven.”

“Wow, Five and Seven. Richard really sent his best men. I guess I’m f****d, aren’t I?” Cassie glanced at Five, smiling sadly when he said nothing to that. After a brief silence, she asked softly,

“Do you know where my brother is?"

He nods. "At Mr. Ricard's place.” Probably feeling the need to reassure her, he added, “Stay put till he comes for you tomorrow morning. I promise you will see your brother. Mr. Richard is not all that bad once you get to know him."

Cassie was about to say something to counter that when the doctor came in with Seven. He efficiently cleaned her wound and re-administered the fluids. Less than five minutes later, she was alone again. Her thoughts unknowingly strayed back to Richard.

The Richard she dated in college was a cowering, sweet boy. That confident, strapping man she saw earlier looked nothing like the boy she fell in love with. *What has he been up to all these years? Well, it doesn’t matter.* What they had together was beautiful, short as it was. She smiled sadly as she recalled one of her favorite memories.

“Babe, I got you something.” A shy, young man with bangs stretched his hand across the table. A small package laid in his palm.

“Richard! You got me a gift again?” Cassie’s face brightened with delight. “Aww, you’re so sweet.” She gushed as she eagerly reached for the tiny package. Richard often gifted her inexpensive but thoughtful gifts. And although she was used to getting expensive gifts from her admirers, none could compare to Richard’s. He was intentional with his gifts, making her heart flutter each time.

“What’s in it?” She quizzed as she opened the package. Inside, she found a silver necklace with an interesting pendant. She could not keep the smile off as face as she inquired. “Is this the solar system?”

He nodded shyly. “The earth revolves around the sun. It’s fitting for a three-month anniversary gift since my whole world revolves around you.” Her heart thudded in her chest at his declaration. No one has ever treated her with so much love and gentleness.

“Baby!” Moved by his genuineness, Cassie stood up from her seat to kiss him on the mouth. She pulled away after a while to look deeply into his eyes. In his gaze, she saw all the things words couldn’t express—the depth of his longing, the promises unspoken, the magnetism of their bond—but ran deeper than time or reason. In that moment, she realized her feelings for him weren’t just passion; they were an overwhelming force. It felt like a pull that made her want to merge with him in ways she couldn’t fully articulate. Her soul had found its match, and nothing else mattered except this perfect, fragile moment. That was when she told him for the first time, whispering softly,

“I love you, Richard.”

“I love you more, Cass.”

Recalling how good they had it back then, Cassie could not help but sigh sadly. It was all her fault. They got along well until she ruined everything. And although she had her reasons, she knew they no longer mattered. What mattered was that Richard Evans was back in her life and he was out for blood.

Plagued by these disturbing thoughts, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep. The sun was already up in the sky when she woke up to a soft knock.

"Come in," she called out hoarsely. Her throat was dry.

Five came in with a breakfast tray and a package in hand. He placed the tray on the bedside stand, handing the package to Cassie. "Mr. Richard will be here soon. You should go wash up, change, and eat."

He poured her a glass of warm, honeyed water. She received it gratefully, sating her parched throat. Jumpy and worried, she slept through dinner last night. She had no idea when the doctor came to remove the dressings and the fluids. She shuffled to the bathroom to wash her face and hands. Opening the package, Cassie found a simple sundress and lacy thongs in it. Her cheeks colored at the sight. At the same time, a warm feeling blossomed in her chest.

She had not thought about what to wear when leaving the hospital. Her outfit had been stained with blood from the accident and discarded. She hurriedly put on the dress. It sat right on her. Cassie stared at herself in the mirror before deciding to let her hair down. It tumbled in waves down her back. Satisfied with the best she could do, she turned around to leave.

When she returned to the room, Five lifted the silver covering to reveal the simple breakfast spread. She eyed the warm loaves, jam, and salad on the side.

"Thank you, Five. Did you get this outfit? How did you know my size?” She inquired. Five shook his head. “Mr. Richard sent them.”

*Just as I guessed.*

“I’ll take my leave now, Miss Thomas.” Five bowed slightly and turned around to leave. Famished, Cassie dug into her food in earnest. Within minutes, the tray was virtually empty.

She was scooping up the last bit of salad when the door opened again. She glanced up to see Richard strolled into the ward. Her heart did a mini flip at the sight of him in a crisp white shirt and dress pants. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to reveal his veiny forearm. Cassie swallowed uneasily and looked away.

"It's good to see you are back to your usual self," he said. There was a sparkle in his eyes that she almost missed as he looked down at her.

Cassie ignored his commentary as she dropped the salad bowl. She did not trust herself to speak to him without giving herself away. Unmoved by her lack of response, he walked toward her. His long legs covered the distance between them in three short strides.

Richard leaned over her until his face was directly before hers. His warm breath caressed her face. Cassie's breath hitched. Everything stopped as they locked gazes. He slowly reached out to wipe a smudge of salad cream off the corner of her lips. Not breaking eye contact, he licked the cream off his finger slowly.

"Delicious," he muttered.

Cassie tried to appear unaffected. But her chest tightened involuntarily at the heaviness of his intense stare. The iciness in his eyes gave way to a dense, liquid fire burning in their depths. Her pulse quickened and she took deep, steadying breaths to push the feeling down. It only grew, with heat creeping up her neck. She didn't want this. She didn't want * him, * she told herself emphatically.

There was an unmistakable mirth in his eyes. She realized that he could tell how her body reacted to him and was laughing at her. She clenched her jaw, mentally scolding herself for falling for his tricks. Unfortunately, the colour in her cheeks didn't subside.

Thankfully, he finally stepped back and she could breathe properly again. Still, the heaviness in the air was present, the attraction undeniable, despite every reason to resist it. Cassie closed her eyes, wondering how to get out of the mess Terry had dumped her in.

"How do you feel?" Richard asked suddenly. Her eyes flew open at the unexpected softness of his tone. But when she met his gaze, she knew she was overthinking it. His eyes were cold, observing her indifferently.

“Great, thanks,” Cassie muttered. “Am I discharged already?”

“Yes.” Richard c****d an inquiring brow. “Ready to see your brother?” Not trusting herself to speak, Cassie merely nodded.

“Very well, then. Shall we?” He held out his hands to her. Cassie ignored it, pushing herself up from the bed. As she tried to steady herself, her knees gave way without warning.

“Ah!” She screamed in shock. Her arms flailed, desperately seeking something to grasp. Her hands collided with Richard's, but instead of steadying herself, she only succeeded in pulling him down with her as she collapsed onto the bed.

As they tumbled, Richard’s quick reflexes kicked in. He instinctively shielded her head from the fall, angling his body to take the brunt of the impact. He landed on top of her with a soft, startled grunt. The weight pressing down on Cassie shot a sharp discomfort through her chest and ribs. She gasped, struggling to breathe beneath him.

Realizing her discomfort, Richard shifted slightly, adjusting his forearm to brace against the bed, lifting himself just enough to alleviate some of the pressure. His chest hovered above hers, but his body no longer crushed her. Cassie could finally inhale with a little more ease.

“Erm…” Cassie suddenly realized the compromising position they were in. Her heart raced as she tilted her face up, her eyes catching his for the briefest moment. He was looking down at her as though lost in a trance. Without thinking, she closed the gap between them, her lips meeting his in a kiss that was raw and unguarded. It was a clumsy collision that spoke more of unrefined need than perfection.

Richard’s breath caught in surprise, but she felt his response almost immediately—hesitant at first, then softening as he adjusted his weight. Her breath mingled with his, warm and shallow.

“Cass…” he breathed, shocking her back to reality. Cassie pulled away from the kiss, blushing furiously.

Oh my god! What have I done?