Chapter 9: Fight
Cassandra’s POV
I whipped my head toward the voice at the door.
Dillon?
My jaw fell open.
Dillon was the last person I expected to see here!
Luckily, Jordyn was surprised, too. Surprised enough to let go of my hand. This gave me the chance to step away from him.
Dillon stepped in front of me, blocking Jordyn.
Jordyn was pissed off. He glared at Dillon.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jordyn seethed.
“She doesn’t want to be in here with you,” Dillon snapped back.
“She’s my WIFE! Mind your own fucking business,” Jordyn said, his voice rising.
I saw them both clench their fists.
Shit. They were going to fight. That was the last thing I wanted.
“Let’s just go,” I said, touching Dillon lightly on the shoulder. “Come on. It’s not worth it.” 1
Dillon didn’t respond, but I could see that he was breathing heavy. He was clearly very agitated. They both were.
My hand on Dillon’s shoulder must have really pushed Jordyn over the edge. His face contorted with rage.
“It’s HIM, isn’t it?” Jordyn said through clenched teeth. “HE’S your lover!!!”
“What?” I gasped.
I’d had ENOUGH of this! Jordyn was accusing me AGAIN of cheating on him! This was beyond ridiculous! We were getting a bloody divorce for crying out loud. He needed to just stop. And I was just about to tell him that, when Dillon clocked him right across the face.
Jordyn’s head snapped back from the punch. He wobbled, caught off guard, and took a few steps forward.
“Dillon!” I said, angry.
Jordyn had regained his balance now and he was coming back for Dillon. He charged at him, his hand raised.
“Stop it!” I yelled, throwing myself at Jordyn.
Jordyn dropped his hand.
“What are you doing, Cassandra?” Jordyn spat at me. “You could have been hit! Get out of my way.”
He tried to push past me but I placed my hands on his chest.
“This is so immature,” I told him. “Stop acting like a child! Any minute now, security’s going to come in here. Just think what that will do to your reputation.”
Jordyn looked down at me, his lips pressed together. Behind me, Dillon stood, smirking. But my words got through to Jordyn. He cared a LOT about his reputation and he knew I was right. It would be all over the tabloids tomorrow morning if he was caught
1/4
fighting in a ladies powder room.
“Go,” was all Jordyn said. Then he briskly turned away from us.
Dillon offered me his arm, a smug smile on his face. We left the bathroom together.
“I’m sorry, Cass,” Dillon said softly once we were back in the ballroom. “I…I don’t know what got over me. I was impulsive. I never should have punched him.”
“It’s okay,” I replied. Dillon’s green eyes were sincere.
“I heard him slandering you, and I don’t know. I just went ballistic. I couldn’t control my anger.
“”
“I know,” I sighed. “Honestly, I was really happy to see you. Stop apologizing. I should be thanking you. He was being a real asshole. You saved me.” I smiled up at him. “My knight in shining armor.”
He furrowed his brows and then fixed me with an intense gaze.
It made me feel uncomfortable. Why was he looking at me like that? He reached out and brushed a tendril of my hair from cheek.
“Any time,” he said, his voice low.
Um…okay? There was an odd tension between us. Unless, of course, I was just imagining it. This was Dillon, after all! My trusted friend. My BROTHER’S best friend.
I shook my head.
It had been a strange night. I was just imagining things.
“So how did you snag an invite to the Talks and T***s gala anyway?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Cameron invited me,” Dillon said, his face returning back to normal.
“Huh.”
That was odd. This was a gala for CEO’s only. And Dillon was a lawyer. He didn’t really have any reason to be here.
“Enough about me,” Dillon waved his hand in the air. “Let’s talk about you. I’m curious. How’s the networking going here tonight? Have you made any valuable connections?”
He smiled at me bemusedly.
I nodded. “Well, I passed out a lot of business cards. But honestly, the one person I REALLY wanted to talk to…I haven’t been
able to find.”
“And who’s that?”
“The son of the CEO for Finch Fox Holding. I’m really eager to collaborate with them. But I haven’t seen Mr. Dursting anywhere. And I have no idea what his son looks like.”
Dillon nodded, but something hit me then.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Dursting. That’s your last name, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Yeah it is. Well, that’s a coincidence, huh?”
“Completely,” I agreed.
“What are the chances?” I chuckled, joking.
“Honestly, pretty good, Cassandra. Dursting is a really popular name around here.”
2/4
“Apparently so,” I smiled brightly.
Buzz.
Our conversation was interrupted by my phone. I was surprised to see Jordyn’s grandfather’s name displayed on the caller ID.
“You should get that,” Dillon said.
I nodded and answered.
“Cassandra?” His voice was gruff, as always.
“Uh, yes, hello Mr Stanley,” I said.
“I’m calling to invite you to my estate next weekend. It’s my birthday and we’re having a dinner to celebrate.” He was right to the point, too. As always.
“Oh,” I replied. Of course, I remembered his birthday. Despite the old man’s gruff and no-bullshit demeanor, I had to admit, I had a soft spot for Stanley. My occasional help to him made him take care of me a lot too. 1
Jordyn and I were going through a divorce, but I didn’t want to upset Stanley. This was news he needed to hear in person, not on the phone.
ཛ་འཇ ༩ ༤ ཋ
And I didn’t want to miss his birthday. It would probably be the last one I was ever invited to.
“Well, you can count us in,” I smiled into the phone.
Dillon raised his eyebrows skeptically.
“Wonderful. See you at six.”
Then..click.
He hung up.
Always a man of little words.
“Who was that?” Dillon asked as I put my phone away.
“Jordyn’s grandfather.”
Dillon frowned. “What did he want?” Dillon couldn’t keep the contempt out of his voice.
“To invite me and Jordyn to his birthday celebration next weekend.”
“You AND Jordyn?” Dillon started. But I interrupted him.
“I know what you’re going to say. We’re getting a ‘divorce. Why would I go with him to his grandfather’s birthday? My answer is simple. It’s complicated.”
Dillon narrowed his eyes. “These things always are.”
The truth was though…Dillon had NO idea.
Already, my heart started pounding in my chest.
F2 = 2 =
How was I going to tell Jordyn’s grandfather that we were getting divorced?
Me AND Jordyn?
It was a worry that would plague me through the next week…
3/4
Right up until the night of the party.
