The room fell silent. Cassius didn’t flinch or act as if they had exited. Instead, he waited for them to leave, but they didn’t. Why did they have to ruin the moment?
Tatiana finally came to her senses and pushed him away from herself. He let her, taking a step backward.
An awkward smile appeared on Tatiana’s face as her eyes darted from the three figures.
“I… it’s not what you think… umm, we were not doing anything,” Tatiana stuttered badly.
This was the first time Catelyn had seen Tatiana lost for words. Tatiana had always been a straightforward, courageous woman. So who was the man beside him? Her eyes narrowed, seeing the striking resemblance to Dylan in the man.
“Mr. King,” Jolene struggled to breathe. Catelyn got her answer. Dylan’s father?
Cassius simply tucked both of his hands into his pockets, waiting for any of them to break the silence. The atmosphere was tense, but he cared less.
“Auntie, you wanted to prepare coffee. I think Mr. King would like to have some,” Tatiana spoke, trying to smooth over the situation.
Cassius gave her a brief look and then returned his attention to Catelyn.
“I’m leaving,” he announced and approached the door. Tatiana didn’t stop him. He stopped before Catelyn and introduced himself. “Cassius King, nice to meet you.”
“N… ice to meet you too,” Catelyn said with a smile, even though his face remained serious. After that, he left, and Tatiana bit her lip, waiting for the two women to question her.
“I need to get some water,” Jolene broke the silence and ran to the kitchen.
Catelyn approached Tatiana, folding her arms across her chest.
“I swear nothing happened,” Tatiana quickly explained.
“It was about to,” Catelyn smirked. “He is a fine, handsome man, Tatie. Did you tell him about Dylan?”
Tatiana exhaled, her mouth hanging open, and Catelyn got her answer.
“Delaying such a thing isn’t a good idea if you ask me. If he finds out himself, which is definitely going to happen soon, he’ll be so mad at you. Besides, you promised Dylan he was going to meet him, Tatiana,” Catelyn scolded.
“I know. He just got here and didn’t give me the chance to speak-”
“You’re afraid, and that is a personality you do not possess. Where is it coming from?” Catelyn asked, and Tatiana sighed, knowing it was true.
“Cat, I don’t know him well, and I’m scared of what kind of person he’ll be to Dylan. He is engaged, and I just… I just don’t know what to think. What if he hates me?”
“He doesn’t look like someone who would hate you. In fact, he seems good to me, just cold,” Catelyn chuckled.
“I’ll tell him, I promise,” Tatiana assured, and Catelyn nodded.
“You guys were about to kiss!” Jolene exclaimed from the kitchen.
“No, Jojo, we were not!” Tatiana yelled back.
—
That night, Mason walked into his apartment with a smile. Maya, who followed him in, had a conflicted look.
“Isn’t that great, Maya?!” Mason laughed excitedly. He held her face and kissed her. “Fuck, I love you! Why the heck didn’t you tell me you could play cards?”
“I… I never thought of that,” Maya stuttered. Her expression made Mason frown, still holding her face close.
“What is wrong with you? I’ve just won millions of dollars to fix my company problems, and this happened because I have such a loving wife like you, Maya. You’re brilliant-”
“I do not want to gamble,” Maya blurted, her voice barely above a whisper. Mason’s smile slowly disappeared.
“What are you talking about?” His brow creased slowly. Maya’s lips shut in fear; he was getting angry, and she needed to avoid being hit because of her state.
“Did I hear you say something, Maya?” he asked again, and she shook her head vehemently.
“No, I didn’t say anything.” The fear in her eyes only worsened his anger.
“Did you just-” He paused, drawing his face closer, his eyes burning with anger. “Lie to my face?” he finished, and Maya’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her face.
Was he going to hit her again? She couldn’t be hit; it would cause internal bleeding.
“I’m so sorry… please don’t hit me, I might die,” she begged. His hand held her face closer, his breath hitting her as he glowered.
“Die? Oh, that would probably be fucking good news, Maya. Your husband just got something that would solve his problem from you. He praised you, and all you could do is lie to his face. That is not a lovely thing to do, wife.”
“Please, the doctor said I shouldn’t get-” She paused, realizing what she had just revealed. She slowly lifted her gaze to him, and a chill ran down her spine.
He stared at her for an unmeasurable amount of time as she cried. Oh Lord, was this the end for her?
“You’ve been going to the hospital behind my back? You let the doctors see the lovely marks I gave you?” he asked.
“I was in pain. I had no choice. I won’t go back there, I promise!” she pleaded loudly, but the man’s lips curled into a dark smirk.
He forcefully grabbed her hair, dragging her with him as she screamed in terror. He headed upstairs, and the apartment was soon filled with Maya’s painful cries.
—
“Strange,” Nathan muttered as his assistant explained everything to him. Jolene had found Tatiana drunk and taken her to a hotel, and the next morning, they left the hotel.
It was simply normal and fine, but could she have slept with someone in the same hotel? Did she perhaps find solace in sex just to forget about him?
If yes, who? A gigolo?
“Find out each and every name of those who spent that night in the hotel. Make it quick,” Nathan ordered, and Flynn nodded, leaving the place.
His phone buzzed as he received a message from one of his spies.
Tatiana was planning to work on a movie. The director, Felix, was well acquainted with him. It was probably the best time for him to make his move. As for her child, he would get to see him someday.
—
“Isn’t it weird, Mom, how someone can be friends with you one day and then suddenly act like they hate you the next?” Dylan asked, his eyes wide with curiosity as Tatiana tucked him into bed.
“Did your friend do that?” she asked.
“Yes. He suddenly changed today; he won’t sit with me at lunch, and when I tried to talk to him, he barely responded. It’s like he doesn’t like me anymore,” Dylan explained, pouting his cute lips.
“Did you say or do something that might have hurt or upset him?” she asked calmly.
Dylan shook his head. “No, Mom, I swear! We were fine yesterday, and I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“What is his name, dear?”
“Landon Redmond,” Dylan replied, and Tatiana paused for a moment. Landon? Paisley and Nathan’s son.
Tatiana composed herself and smiled. “Sometimes, people deal with their own struggles by pushing others away. It might not be about you at all. But here’s what I want you to remember: you can’t control how others behave, but you can control how you respond. Be kind, be patient, and be yourself. If Landon needs space, give it to him. And if he doesn’t come back around, know that you deserve friends who appreciate you for who you are.”
Dylan’s face brightened slightly. “Thanks, Mom. You always make me feel better.”
“That’s what moms are for, sweetie.” She kissed his forehead and lay beside him, pulling him close to her embrace.
“Mom,” he called again, barely above a whisper.
“Yes, darling?” Tatiana responded.
“You didn’t forget about your promise, right?” he asked, and Tatiana’s smile dropped momentarily.
“I didn’t.” She watched Dylan close his eyes and observed him for a while before leaving his room. She took out her phone as soon as she got into her room and checked the message she had sent to Cassius a day ago.
~I have something to tell you. Can we talk?~
He hadn’t responded, and she had no way to find him. Heading to the King’s company might not be a good idea, but still, she needed to spill it out.