CHAPTER SEVEN - Half the truth
1719 Words
Meanwhile back at the Mansion that night
Cassie didn’t sleep, she tried, she really did. But every time she closed her eyes, her mind dragged her right back to the same place—the hallway, Ronald walking away without a word, the sudden tension in the house, the way everything had shifted so quickly.
Nothing about this was normal.
And she was tired of pretending it was.
By the time the clock crept past midnight, Cassie was already out of bed.
Her patience had run out.
If no one was going to give her answers the she would take them.
The hallway was quiet as she stepped out, her movements quick, determined. The mansion had settled into its usual silence, but tonight it didn’t feel peaceful.
It felt like something was hiding beneath it, waiting.
Cassie didn’t slow down, She knew exactly where she was going.
When she reached her mother’s door, she didn’t hesitate.
She knocked once…..Then pushed it open without waiting.
“Mum.”
Her mother, who had been seated at the edge of the bed, looked up in surprise.
“Cassie? What—”
“We need to talk.”
The tone in her voice left no room for softness.
Cassie stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her with a quiet but firm click.
Her mother’s expression shifted slightly, concern settling in.
“Is everything okay?”
Cassie let out a small, breathless laugh.
“No,” she said. “It’s not.”
She moved further into the room, her arms folding tightly across her chest as if holding herself together.
“It’s not even been a week,” she continued, her voice controlled but heavy with frustration. “Not even a week since we moved here, and everything already feels… wrong.”
Her mother stood slowly, watching her carefully.
“Cassie—”
“No, please,” Cassie cut in, shaking her head. “Don’t do that. Don’t tell me to calm down or that everything is fine, because it’s not.”
Silence fell.
Her mother didn’t interrupt again.
That alone told Cassie she had her attention.
Cassie swallowed, her voice lowering slightly but not losing its edge.
“I don’t know this house. I don’t know him.” She paused briefly. “I don’t even know the man you married.”
The words hung in the air.
Her mother’s expression tightened just slightly.
“You’ve known him long enough to marry him,” Cassie continued, her eyes fixed on her. “So don’t tell me there’s nothing to say.”
A pause.
Longer this time.
Her mother exhaled slowly, as if choosing her next words carefully.
“What exactly do you want to know?”
Cassie didn’t hesitate.
“Everything.”
The answer came quickly.
“I want to know what kind of family this is,” she added. “What kind of business he’s running. Why people keep telling me I need to stay inside like something is going to happen.”
Her voice wavered just slightly at the end, but she held her ground.
“And I want to know why Ronald looks like he’s living a completely different life from everyone else in this house.”
That did it.
Something shifted in her mother’s expression—something subtle, but unmistakable.
Cassie caught it immediately.
“You do know something,” she said quietly.
Her mother looked away for a brief moment, her fingers tightening slightly against the fabric of her dress.
“It’s not that simple.”
Cassie let out a soft, frustrated breath.
“It never is with you people.”
“Cassie—”
“No,” she said again, more firmly this time. “I’m serious. I need the truth. I deserve that much.”
Her mother finally looked back at her.
And this time—
There was no avoiding it.
The silence stretched between them, thick with everything that had been left unsaid.
“You’re right,” her mother said quietly.
Cassie stilled.
“You do deserve the truth.”
Her heart skipped.
But something about the way her mother said it—
Didn’t feel comforting but It felt heavy. Like whatever came next wasn’t going to make anything better.
Her mother took a slow step closer.
“There are things about this family…” she began carefully, “things about your stepfather… that are not as straightforward as they seem.”
Cassie’s chest tightened.
“I figured that much.”
Her mother hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then she said something that made Cassie’s stomach drop—
“Your father’s business isn’t just business.”
The room felt smaller.
“What does that mean?” Cassie asked quietly.
Her mother didn’t answer immediately.
And that pause—
That hesitation—
Said more than words ever could.
Cassie stilled, her gaze fixed on her mother as the words settled between them.
“Your father’s business isn’t just business.”
For a moment, the room felt too quiet.
Too small.
Cassie let out a slow breath, her fingers curling slightly at her sides. “Then what is it?” she asked, her voice lower now, more cautious.
Her mother hesitated, and that hesitation alone made Cassie’s chest tighten.
“It’s… complicated,” she said finally. “Your father deals with very powerful people. People who don’t always play by the rules.”
Cassie frowned. “That still sounds like business.”
“It is,” her mother replied gently, “but not the kind you’re used to. There are risks involved. Enemies. Situations that require… protection.”
Cassie’s brows pulled together. “Protection from who?”
Her mother gave a small, tired smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “From people who want what he has. From people who don’t like how much power he holds.”
The words made sense, but it’s not enough……Not nearly enough.
Cassie shook her head slightly, pacing once before turning back to her. “So basically, you’re telling me he’s dangerous.”
“No,” her mother said quickly. “I’m telling you the world he operates in can be.”
“That’s not better,” Cassie muttered.
A brief silence followed before she asked the question that had been sitting at the edge of her mind since the beginning.
“Then why?” she said, her voice softer now, but no less firm. “Why would you marry into something like that?”
Her mother looked at her, really looked at her this time, and something in her expression softened.
“Because not everything in life is simple, Cassie,” she said quietly. “Sometimes love doesn’t come in the safest form.”
Cassie didn’t interrupt.
“Your father…” she continued, choosing her words carefully, “he’s not what you think. There’s more to him than what you see. And being with him means accepting certain things. Making sacrifices.”
Cassie’s lips parted slightly. “Sacrifices?”
Her mother nodded.
“Yes. For him. For us. For the life we chose.”
Cassie searched her face, trying to find something—anything—that would make all of this clearer.
“But you’re okay with that?” she asked.
A small smile appeared on her mother’s lips this time, softer, more certain.
“I am,” she said simply. “Because I love him.”
The answer lingered in the air somewhat simple but yet somehow heavy.
Cassie didn’t know what to say to that.
Love??… Was that really enough to step into something like this?. Before she could ask anything else—
The door opened…..Both of them turned instinctively.
Ronald stepped in.
But this time—
He didn’t look like the man from earlier.
No sharp suit, no controlled, intimidating presence.
Just a simple black t-shirt, loose joggers, his hair slightly undone, like he had just returned and hadn’t bothered with appearances.
For a moment, Cassie simply stared.
The contrast was almost unsettling.
Like she was looking at two completely different people.
Ronald paused just inside the room, his gaze moving briefly between them before settling.
“Am I disturbing something?” he asked calmly.
His voice was steady. Normal.
As if nothing had happened that night.
As if the tension, the calls, the sudden departure—none of it existed.
Cassie’s mother recovered first.
“No,” she said gently. “Not at all. Do you need anything?”
Ronald shook his head slightly.
“No. Not right now.”
A brief pause followed, his eyes flickering toward Cassie for just a second—long enough to be noticed, short enough to be ignored.
“Goodnight,” he added.
Then he turned and walked out.
Just like that, the door closed behind him.
Silence returned.
Cassie blinked once and then again still trying to fathom what just happened.
Then she turned slowly to her mother.
“…What was that?”
Her mother frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
Cassie let out a short breath, almost laughing as she ran a hand through her hair.
“I mean—him.”
She gestured toward the door.
“He just… walks in like nothing happened. Like he didn’t leave the house in the middle of the night acting like—” she paused, searching for the right word, “—like something out of a crime movie.”
Her mother’s confusion softened into mild amusement.
Cassie continued, her tone a mix of disbelief and frustration.
“One minute he’s calm, quiet, acting like a normal person—well, a slightly arrogant one,” she added, “and the next minute, he looks like a dragon about to breathe fire on someone.”
That did it.
Her mother let out a soft laugh…a genuine one.
Cassie stared at her.
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” her mother said, still smiling. “It’s just… that’s Ronald.”
Cassie frowned.
“That’s not an explanation.”
Her mother shook her head slightly, the smile lingering.
“You’ll understand him eventually.”
Cassie groaned softly, turning away.
“There it is again,” she muttered. “That line everyone in this house loves to use.”
Her mother’s laughter faded into something softer.
But she didn’t argue.
Because deep down—
She knew Cassie wasn’t wrong.
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