Tied by Vows, Torn by Secrets

Chapter6

The rest of the week passed in a blur, filled with work and spending time with Isa, who insisted we should “live it up while I was still single.”

That earned her an immediate eye roll.

Our days together were simple but fun movies, shopping, or just staying in and binge watching our favorite shows on Netflix. Still, no matter how much I tried to distract myself, my thoughts kept drifting back to Tony. I tried pushing him to the back of my mind, reminding myself that it was just the two of us now, but it didn’t work. Isa noticed and did her best to pull me out of it, and I was grateful for that.

After a week of silence, I started convincing myself the whole wedding situation had just been a bad dream something everyone had already forgotten. Then again, I had been avoiding my family and barely saw them, so maybe that explained it. Still, no one had said anything in a while, and I allowed myself to feel relieved.

Of course, that feeling didn’t last.

I was at work, going through one of the usual reports, when I started noticing quiet murmurs spreading through the office. I ignored them at first and kept reading until Paul suddenly appeared at the door of my office my little safe haven.

“Haven’t you heard?” he asked, his golden brown eyes gleaming with mischief.

I shot him an annoyed look and rolled my eyes, clearly signaling that I was busy and not interested in anything that wasn’t work-related.

Paul was one of the few people I genuinely trusted at work probably the only real friend I had there. Most people only approached me because of my father’s wealth or my brother, hoping to gain something. The moment they realized I wasn’t interested in helping them, they disappeared just as quickly. I was used to it by now.

Paul had been married to his high school sweetheart, Gwen, for three years, and they were expecting a baby. Most Friday nights were spent at their place, drinking and gossiping about coworkers.

“Cassandra!” he called again, louder this time when he saw I wasn’t paying attention.

“What do you want?” I asked, giving him a sharp look.

“Nothing much just that someone’s here to see you,” he said with a smirk.

That got my attention immediately. I looked up at him.

“Who is it?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but someone beat him to it.

“Hazel.”

The voice was firm, authoritative and unmistakable. There was only one person who called me that.

I turned, already knowing who it was, and there he stood his piercing blue eyes fixed on me like he could see straight through my soul.

So that explained the earlier commotion. Of course he would draw attention the moment he walked in.

And when I glanced around, I wasn’t wrong. The entire office was watching.

Great. Just great.

“What do you want?” I asked impatiently, irritated by the stares and needing him gone as quickly as possible.

People clearly didn’t understand basic manners staring was rude but I couldn’t entirely blame them. He had that commanding presence that naturally drew attention.

“I came to see you,” he said flatly, as if it were nothing.

“For what?”

“I’m taking you out to lunch.”

I blinked, confused. “Wait… what?”

“You heard me,” he replied, his expression unreadable.

“Well, even if I did, I’m not going anywhere. I have work to do,” I said, gesturing to the pile of files on my desk.

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” he said coldly.

“The hell it wasn’t. You can’t just walk into my workplace and start ordering me around. Last I checked, I don’t work for you,” I snapped.

“Stop making a scene,” he said quietly.

I rolled my eyes. “Look around you already did.”

Only then did he seem to notice the attention, though several women were practically devouring him with their eyes. I scoffed at the absurdity.

Honestly, if they wanted him, they could have him.

“Look, I hate this just as much as you do,” he said more calmly.

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because we need to discuss our engagement party.”

“Oh,” I muttered, my mood instantly souring. So much for thinking everyone had forgotten.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Give me a minute. I just need to finish something. You can wait outside,” I said, gathering my things.

He didn’t move.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I added dryly. Still, he stayed right where he was.

Typical.

Once I was done, we left together, though I couldn’t ignore the glares I got from some of the women. Not that he noticed.

Outside, a sleek black SUV was parked at the entrance obviously his. A man in a black suit and sunglasses stood beside it, likely his bodyguard. He looked serious, but when I smiled at him, he gave a small one back.

I guessed smiling wasn’t exactly part of his job description.

I expected the bodyguard to open the door, but David did instead, which surprised me.

“Well, looks like the devil does have a heart,” I muttered.

If he heard me, he didn’t react.

The drive was short and painfully silent. He stayed glued to his phone the entire time, which annoyed me. When we arrived, he opened the door again.

“My hands work just fine, you know,” I said.

“Yes, I’m aware,” he replied shortly.

“Then stop doing that. I can open it myself or better yet, let your driver do it,” I added, smiling at the driver, who nodded politely.

David didn’t look pleased.

“That’s Manny. He’s not my driver he’s my bodyguard.”

“Oh. Hi, Manny,” I said cheerfully. He nodded again, a faint smile on his lips.

Inside the restaurant, David once again pulled out a chair for me.

“You really need to stop doing that,” I muttered.

“Doing what?” he asked.

“This,” I said, rolling my eyes again.

“I don’t like it,” he said simply.

“Well, I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m going to be your husband.”

“Yeah, right.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me.”

“Look here—” Jason started, but he was cut off.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite couple.”

The voice was light and teasing. I turned toward it and saw a guy with dark blonde hair and striking green eyes. His lips curved into an easy, charming smile one that immediately stood out.

It was only then I realized we had stopped in front of a table, and the stranger was clearly addressing us.

I frowned slightly, confused, then glanced at David. He was still scowling, but now his irritation was directed at the blonde guy.

The stranger stood up from his seat and stepped closer, extending his hand toward me, his smile never fading.

“Hello, you must be Cassandra Matthews. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

“Well, unfortunately, I can’t say the same,” I replied honestly.

He didn’t seem offended. Instead, his smile widened slightly.

“I’m not surprised. David here prefers to keep things private especially when it comes to relationships.”

That caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.

“He doesn’t talk much, does he?” the guy added, glancing at David, whose scowl deepened. “Yeah, I know. He saves all that energy for the bedroom.”

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, and I blinked, caught somewhere between shock and amusement.

Before I could react properly, David reached out and smacked the back of his head.

“Shut up,” he muttered.

Then, turning to me, he said flatly, “This is Gregory.”

Like that explained everything.

“And he’s my best friend,” David added.

“Nice to meet you, Cassandra Matthews. I’m Gregory Hart,” the blonde guy said warmly, flashing that same bright smile again.

I found myself smiling back.

At least he wasn’t cold and arrogant like David. I liked him already.

“Nice to meet you too, Gregory,” I said politely.

“I have to say,” he continued, studying me with interest, “pictures really don’t do you justice. You’re even more beautiful in person.”

I felt my cheeks warm instantly. Compliments had never been my strong suit.

“Thank you,” I murmured, avoiding eye contact.

“Aww, she’s shy,” Gregory teased lightly, nudging Jason. “Looks like you got yourself a shy one.”

David simply scowled at him and said nothing, which made me sigh internally. I was going to have to get used to that, wasn’t I?

“Please, sit,” Gregory said, gesturing toward the table.

David pulled out a chair for me, and just as I was about to roll my eyes again, he leaned in slightly and whispered near my ear,

“Don’t even think about it.”

That caught me off guard. He knew exactly what I was about to do.

Instead of reacting, I just scoffed quietly and sat down, while he took the seat across from me.

I wasn’t much of a restaurant person I preferred takeout but I let them handle the ordering. David seemed more than willing to take over that part.

I had just started eating when David spoke again.

“We need to talk about our engagement party.”

I nearly choked on my food.

Gregory immediately reached over, patting my back lightly until I recovered. When I finally looked up, David was staring at me like I’d just committed a crime.

It irritated me.

“What did you just say?” I asked, hoping I had heard him wrong.

“You heard me, Hazel,” he replied in that same bored tone.

“Right. You might as well have said we should plan my funeral,” I snapped, my irritation rising fast.

God, this man was exhausting.

“Look, I’m not interested in any of this, and I’d rather not marry someone like you,” he said bluntly, his words hitting harder than I expected.

It stung but I refused to let him see that.

“Good,” I shot back. “The feeling is mutual.”

“Guys, guys,” Gregory cut in quickly, raising his hands. “Fighting won’t solve anything. The situation isn’t going to change unless Cas here decides to run away and I don’t think she’s planning on doing that… right?”

He looked at me expectantly.

“Yeah, whatever,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“Great! Then let’s plan your wedding,” he said excitedly, clapping his hands like a child.

Despite myself, I smiled slightly at his enthusiasm but it faded the moment I looked at David.

He still looked as miserable as ever.

“Technically, it’s an engagement party, not a wedding,” I corrected.

“Same thing, Cas,” Gregory said with a grin.

“He doesn’t hate you, Cas,” Gregory said. “He just doesn’t know how to handle things properly.”

“So the best way he deals with that is by taking it out on me?” I shot back. “For someone who’s supposed to be a future CEO, he’s pretty slow.”

That made Gregory laugh, and I couldn’t help noticing how good he looked when he did. No dimples like Dsvid, but still undeniably attractive.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You,” he said, still smiling. “You’re the first girl who actually speaks to him like that. It’s probably why you get under his skin so much.”

“Well, someone has to knock some sense into that thick skull of his.”

“And you’d be perfect for the job,” he replied with a wink.

“Yeah, right,” I muttered.

“I think you’re exactly what he needs right now,” Gregory added, his expression turning thoughtful. “Just give him time. Be patient. You’ll understand him eventually.”

I felt the urge to ask what he meant, but instead I sighed. “I’ll need a lot of patience for that.”

“You will, Cas. You definitely will.”

I found myself liking Gregory definitely more than David. At least Brandon wasn’t… well, the devil I was apparently supposed to marry.

When David returned, I quickly said I needed to get back to work, partly to avoid the awkward silence that would’ve followed.

My lunch break was probably already over, and as nice as my boss was, she didn’t tolerate lateness.

“I’m going to miss you, Cas!” Gregory called loudly, drawing attention again.

“You’ll see me next week, Gregory,” I replied.

“I know, but I’ll still miss you more than your ‘husband’ over there.”

“Yeah, right. He’s not my husband.”

“Not yet,” he said with a playful wink, earning another eye roll from me though this time it was lighter.

I grabbed my bag, ready to leave, when David suddenly stood up.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Taking you back to work,” he replied flatly.

“You don’t have to. I can call a cab,” I said, not eager to sit through another silent ride with him.

“I brought you here. It only makes sense I take you back,” he insisted.

The ride back was just as quiet and dull as before. No music, no conversation not even an attempt. He didn’t want the radio on, and he clearly wasn’t interested in talking, so I kept to myself.

By the time we reached my office, I felt relieved.

“I’ll let Anne know you’ll be joining her to shop,” he said.

“Whatever,” I replied, already opening the door. “And next time I have to ride with you, remind me to bring earphones. Riding with you feels like sitting in a graveyard dead silent.”

I stepped out without waiting for a response.

This was going to be one hell of a marriage.