Reborn as the Discarded Fiancée of the Ruthless CEO

Chapter3

The Man Who Knew Her Name

Elowen's POV

The car door closed behind me with a soft click, shutting out the rain and the chaos. Inside, it was warm and quiet. Leather seats. The scent of expensive cologne. Classical music playing softly from hidden speakers.

And Cassian Valecrest, watching me with those dark, unreadable eyes.

"You're soaked," he said, reaching for something behind him. He pulled out a cashmere blanket and offered it to me.

I took it automatically, wrapping it around my shoulders. My hands were shaking now. Adrenaline crash, probably. Or maybe shock at what I'd just done.

"How did you know?" My voice came out rough. "How did you know I'd be there?"

"I didn't." He nodded to the driver, and the car pulled smoothly away from the curb. "I've been watching the Ashbourne estate for three weeks now. Waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to finally break." He leaned back, studying me. "Or break free. I wasn't sure which would come first."

I stared at him. He was probably in his early thirties, dressed in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than I'd spent on clothes in my entire first life. But it wasn't the expensive clothes that caught my attention. It was the way he looked at me. Like he saw me. Not the Ashbourne puppet. Not the convenient scapegoat. Me.

"I know you," I said slowly. Memories were surfacing, fragments from a future that hadn't happened yet. "You paid my hospital bills. Three years from now. I collapsed outside a clinic, and you.."

"Covered everything." He nodded. "Yes."

"But that hasn't happened yet." My mind spun. "How do you know about that?"

"I don't." His expression remained calm. "But clearly, you do."

We stared at each other in silence. The rain drummed against the windows. The car glided through empty streets.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered.

"I don't know," Cassian said honestly. "But I know what I've seen. I've seen the Ashbournes use you for three years, Elowen. I've watched them forge your signature. Manipulate you. Control every aspect of your life."

"Why?" The question burst out of me. "Why were you watching? Why do you care what happens to me?"

He was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "Five years ago, you were at a charity gala. You probably don't remember. You were sixteen, newly adopted, trying so hard to fit in. A waiter spilled wine on Maribel's dress. She started screaming at him. The man was terrified. He had three children and couldn't afford to lose his job."

I did remember. Vaguely. I'd been so focused on not embarrassing the family that most of that night was a blur.

"You stepped forward," Cassian continued. "Told Maribel you bumped the waiter's arm. Took the blame. She was furious with you, but the man kept his job." He met my eyes. "You were just a child yourself. You had no power in that family. But you used what little you had to protect someone weaker."

"That was nothing," I said quietly.

"It was everything." His voice was soft but intense. "I've built an empire, Elowen. I have money, power, influence. But I've watched you endure what should have broken you, and you still thought of others. That's rare. That's worth protecting."

Tears burned in my eyes. I looked away, out the window at the blurred city lights.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"An alliance," he said simply, like he was proposing a business lunch. "I'll give you protection, resources, a clean identity that the Ashbournes can't touch. You'll have power again. Your own power, not theirs."

"And in return?"

"Honesty. Cooperation. I need to know what you know about the Ashbourne operations. Their crimes. Their connections." He paused. "And I need you to trust me."

I laughed bitterly. "Trust you? I don't even know you."

"Then test me," he said calmly. "Ask me anything. I'll answer honestly."

I turned back to face him. "Why now? If you've been watching for three years, why help me tonight?"

"Because tonight, you helped yourself." Something that might have been approval flickered in his eyes. "I've been waiting for you to fight back. I wasn't going to save someone who wouldn't save themselves."

"That's cruel."

"That's realistic." He didn't apologize. "I don't save victims, Elowen. I invest in survivors."

The car slowed, turning into an underground garage. Sleek. Modern. Secure.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"One of my private residences. No one knows about this place except my most trusted people." The car stopped, and he opened his door. "You'll be safe here."

I followed him into an elevator. My wet dress dripped on the polished floor. We rode up in silence, and when the doors opened, I stepped into the most beautiful apartment I'd ever seen. Floor to ceiling windows. Minimalist furniture. Art that probably cost more than the Ashbourne estate.

"The bedroom is through there," Cassian pointed out. "There are clothes in the closet, different sizes. Help yourself to anything you need. Food in the kitchen. You're safe here."

"Just like that?" I turned to him. "You're just going to leave me alone in your home?"

"You've had enough people controlling you." He moved toward the door. "I'm not interested in being in another cage."

"Wait." I stepped forward. "The Ashbournes. They're not going to just let me go. You know that, right? They'll come after me. If not for revenge, then to protect themselves."

"I know." His expression hardened. "Let them come."

"Why are you really doing this?" I asked again. "There has to be more to it than a kind of act from twelve years ago."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Because I watched you endure what should have broken you. And you survived. People like you are rare, Elowen. Worth protecting. Worth investing in."

"And if I want revenge?" The question came out before I could stop it. "If I want to destroy them the way they tried to destroy me?"

Something dark and satisfied crossed his face. "Then I won't stop you."

He turned to leave, pulling out his phone as it started to ring. I watched him answer, watched his expression shift from calm to alert.

"When?" he asked sharply. A pause. "How did they move that fast?" Another pause. His jaw tightened. "I understand. Increase security on all floors. No one gets in without my authorization."

He ended the call and looked at me. For the first time since I'd met him, I saw something like concern in his eyes.

"What is it?" My heart started pounding.

"The Ashbournes have hired investigators," he

said quietly. "They've already located your trail."