Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't make them stop. I bit down on my lip, desperate to hide the tremor in my voice from Cason West.
"Cason, are you trying to push me over the edge? My brother was your best friend."
He answered me, calm as ever. "I personally oversaw the first trial. You really think any law firm in London would dare touch this case?"
"If you come home and behave, I'll handle the second trial for you."
I let out a bitter laugh. Like hell I'd fall for the same trick twice.
He'd played me exactly like that before.
His voice dropped, turning threatening. "Keep trying if you want. Let's see if a single person in London has the guts to take Charles' case."
The line went dead.
I sank to the floor, my strength draining out of me.
He was dead set on stopping me.
The Reed family was already ruined, and he had the legal world in his pocket. What did I even have left to fight him with?
With trembling hands, I called him back, my voice thick with sobs. "Cason, aren't you afraid you'll push me to madness one day?"
He let out a light chuckle, brushing me off. "Rosalina, stop kidding around. Instead of begging some third-rate law firm, why not just come straight to me?"
To him, my desperation was laughable.
But I was out of options.
To save my brother, I was ready to swallow every last bit of my pride.
My eyes swollen from crying, I forced out each word, humble and defeated. "Fine. I'm begging you, Cason. Let my brother go."
I heard him irritably loosen his tie on the other end.
"Come home first. Accompany me to Mr. King's Thanksgiving dinner tonight, and I'll take care of your brother's case."
After I hung up, I went to the mirror and caked on concealer to hide my puffy, tear-streaked eyes.
Rosalina Reed, just trust him one last time. Just this one last time.
When night came, Cason didn't bother to pick me up himself. He sent a driver.
I didn't get why he couldn't spare a moment for me until I walked into the banquet hall.
There, in the center of all the attention, stood Cason next to Jessie Rose, who was dressed to the nines.
He mingled with the elite crowd, showering her with compliments and showing blatant favoritism at every turn.
"Jess isn't just beautiful, she's incredibly capable—my indispensable right hand."
"Truth is, I need Jess more than she needs me. She's been by my side for years, knows me inside and out."
Jessie lifted her chin a little, radiating the confidence of a high-society lady.
She blushed, her voice soft. "It's all thanks to Mr. West's guidance."
A wealthy young man nearby jumped in, "No need to be modest. We all know the stories about you and Cason from back in school."
Cason chuckled, swirling his wine, neither confirming nor denying, just letting the teasing hang in the air.
Jessie ducked her head shyly, her eyes dancing with flirtatious mischief.
The room buzzed with laughter and chatter, and not a single person noticed me standing alone at the entrance, completely out of place.
It was only when Cason's gaze accidentally met mine—full of contempt—that he paused for a second, then quickly walked over, his voice edged with reproach. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
I kept my face blank. "I saw you were busy. I didn't want to interrupt."
He reached for my arm, but I instinctively sidestepped him.
He grabbed my wrist, his grip firm, and lowered his voice in warning. "I don't want tomorrow's headlines to be about some marital spat. Rosalina, since you're here, I expected you to behave."
Behave?
Before I came, I'd planned to suffer through it, even if it meant swallowing a thousand dull needles, just to keep up the pretense of a happy marriage.
But the moment Jessie shot me a deliberately provocative look, all the anguish and madness I'd pushed down for a year came unraveled right then.
