Jasper’s POV
I didn’t go home.
Didn’t eat.
Didn’t sleep.
I drove straight to a quiet estate on the city’s edge.
A house full of wine-stained secrets and perfume-laced lies.
Vivienne LeClair, Cassie’s mother, was the kind of woman who never spoke unless it was useful, never moved unless it was elegant, and never blinked unless she wanted someone to think she cared.
But tonight?
I wasn’t playing politics.
I rang the bell.
No answer.
I rang again, longer this time.
Still nothing.
So I banged the damn door.
And then, slowly, it opened.
Vivienne stood there in a deep plum robe, her graying blonde hair twisted into a loose bun. Her face was as calm as ever, porcelain with venom beneath.
“Jasper,” she said, her voice like chilled champagne. “How unexpected.”
“I’m not here for ple
