The Billionaire’s Ex

Chapter 2

Cassandra refused to believe this was real. She had to be dreaming; there was no way this was possible.

She had been staring at her email for the past hour since she had woken up and couldn’t believe her eyes. She had just started being an attorney yesterday, and today she was being transferred? To New York of all places? No, this can’t be right. This was not mentioned in the contract she had signed.

She picked up her phone from her bedside table and dialed Evelyn’s number. As always, Evelyn was sour and bitter herself, but that did not stop Cassandra from explaining her situation to her. Once she was done, she could hear the clicking of keyboard keys.

"Seems like Mr. Jason demanded that you be transferred immediately you left," she said, and Cassandra’s eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at the wall in front of her as though it were her worst enemy.

"But I do not have the money to go to New York; I don’t know anyone there. Where will I live?" I asked all in one breath, and there was a brief pause.

"Your flight and accommodations have already been paid for, Miss Hills; if the email you received did not carry the details, then I would be happy to forward them to you," Evelyn spat bitterly, making it clear as day that she would not be happy doing such a thing.

Cassandra’s eyes fell on her laptop, and she read through her email once again. Her ticket and accommodation details were in the link at the bottom of the email. A sigh left her lips, and she massaged the crease that had formed at the top of her head. "No, that won’t be necessary, thank you." Cassandra said, and immediately she did so; the call came to an end.

Only a single thought floated within her mind as she stared at the wall in front of her. Well played, Jason Owens.

In three hours, Cassandra was seated on a plane and heading towards New York. Her hatred and dislike for Jason grew with every passing second, and he knew that she had no choice but to accept this trip because of the contract she had signed. She was not in a financial position to terminate it or file a lawsuit. So, unless she wanted to spend some time in jail or be in a debt she knew she would never be able to repay, there was no getting out of this.

And Jason Owen knew it.

But she had to admit, New York was a beautiful city. The streets were busy, but the air was new and refreshing, the skies looked a lot brighter, and there were a lot of skyscrapers. As Cassandra dragged her box out of the airport exit, she hailed a cab driver before giving him the address to her apartment complex. As she sat in the back of the moving vehicle, she wondered what type of home Jason had gotten her. But Cassandra doubted he had handpicked it himself; it was probably one of his many lady friends.

But why did she care if he had hand-picked it or not? It didn’t matter to her, as long as the place was safe and clean.

A few minutes later, the cab came to a stop, and Cassandra got out immediately. The driver helped her take out her luggage from the trunk before zooming off. Cassandra took the time to admire the apartment; it was, of course, another skyscraper, but it looked a lot like a hotel. It had about ten floors and beautiful balconies up front; the lawn was green and outlined with flowers. As Cassandra made her way towards the glass doors, she was surprised that they opened automatically. The interior of the building was rather impressive, and this was just the reception.

Cassandra adjusted the straps of her yellow sundress before making her way towards the receptionist. Unlike Evelyn, this woman was a lot nicer and friendlier. She had a warm smile and vibrant blue eyes. Her hair was thin and swayed in every direction as she shook her head. Cassandra learned her name was Sally before she got her key from her.

Apparently, her room was on the topmost floor, the tenth. As Cassandra took the elevator, she was a lot more convinced that this place had been chosen by Jason himself; something told her the guy had a thing for heights and amazing views.

when the elevator stopped at her floor. She stepped into a lobby and was met by three doors. They each had numbers on them, and Cassandra looked at the number on her key before heading to the door with a similar number.

Heaven.

That was what Cassandra had stepped into, or so she believed. The smile that lit her face as she shut the door behind her was almost as bright as the sun. Her eyes took their time to take in every aspect of her new home: the white walls, the cream-colored couches, the chandelier hanging TV screen, and the well-furnished kitchen to her left. Cassandra’s attention was stolen by two doors to her right, and she opened them; they were both bedrooms, but one was obviously bigger than the other.

Cassandra bent over to take off her sandals before throwing them away carelessly. A childish laugh escaped her lips as she turned around in a circle and tilted her head skywards. Her attention was drawn towards the double glass doors leading to the balcony, and she practically sprinted towards it. She slid the door to the side before stepping out. The cool evening wind blew her hair and sundress softly.

She sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes. Her feet moved forward until the bars stopped her. Cassandra placed her hands on the rail and leaned forward a bit, keeping her eyes shut the whole time. She relished her surroundings: the air, the warmth, the freedom...

Slowly, she parted her eyelids, and the sight she was met with was one that nearly brought her to tears. The sun was setting over a bunch of trees in the distance; different streams of orange, yellow, and gold lit the sky.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

Cassandra had never believed in God until that moment, because she had no logical explanation as to why she hadn’t slipped off the balcony, especially with the way she was leaning over the edge. The other reason she believed God had saved her was because she was still able to breathe despite the fact that it seemed her heart had stopped working.

Her sapphire eyes stared at a pair of beautiful brown ones, and she was mesmerized, not because Jason had surprised her by showing up at her apartment without any warning, but because she could see the sun set in his brown orbs. The light of the sun made his hair appear bright hazel and not the thick brown it usually was. The reflection of the sun setting was as clear as day as it set over the trees.

Cassandra could feel her eyes glaze over, and she wanted to hate what was happening, but she couldn’t. It was the most captivating thing she had ever seen.

"Yes, it is." She answered, and the two of them stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Jason cleared his throat loudly. Cassandra tore her eyes away from him, and her hands flew to her nape in embarrassment. Why was she always staring at him?

"I hope you like the place," Jason said, placing both of his hands in his pockets. Unlike the last time they met, he was dressed a bit more casually. He wore a dark sweatshirt and pants with slides, and his hair was messy like last time.

"No." Cassandra lied, but it seemed to have made him smile.

"Good, because it is your punishment," he revealed, making her jaw drop slightly.

"For what?"

Jason ignored her question and turned on his heel, making his way towards the exit. Then he said, "See you at work tomorrow," before leaving Cassandra alone and confused.