Hudson waited outside a restaurant for Indigo. She had called him to pick her up, and his heart was racing. He had been trying every means to avoid her, but she somehow always ended up around him.
Finally, Indigo emerged from the restaurant, clad in a beautiful short silver gown.
“Hey, Hudson. I’m so sorry I called you like that. My assistant told me my car broke down, and she wouldn’t make it on time. I needed to get out of there as fast as possible, which is why I called. I hope you weren’t busy?”
“No, it’s fine. What are you doing here anyway?” Hudson asked, composing himself.
“Blind date.”
“What?”
“Yeah, a blind date. I needed to get my mind off Cassius, so I thought seeing another man might help, but I was wrong,” Indigo sighed. “This guy wouldn’t stop talking. He didn’t even let me introduce myself.”
“Maybe he was trying to impress you.”
“Oh please, he might as well have told me how good he was in bed,” Indigo rolled her eyes, and Hudson let out a secret smile that quickly disappeared when she added, “I had to lie and tell him you were my boyfriend and you were coming to pick me up.”
“B… boyfriend? You could have used another excuse.”
“That was the best I could think of at the moment. Let’s get out of here.” Indigo rushed to the other side and got into his car.
Hudson glanced back at the restaurant. A blind date? He sighed.
—
After several hours of filming, Tatiana felt like her bones might fall off from the stress. The male lead of the project seemed to be making mistakes on purpose.
Tatiana couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but his stares were quite disturbing, especially when they were acting in close scenes.
“How’s your head?” Jolene asked.
“Fine,” she lied. Her head was throbbing with a severe headache at the moment. The makeup artist had done a good job of covering the wound.
“Let’s head to the hospital,” Jolene suggested.
“It’s pretty late already. I need to see Dylan first before heading home.”
Cassius had left early, so she hadn’t seen him. She needed to talk to him about Zero. That asshole couldn’t die until he revealed the name of the person who killed her sister.
She had suspects but no evidence.
“Mom!” Dylan ran to hug her as soon as she stepped into the mansion.
Cassius wasn’t home, so Tatiana decided to wait. She wanted to thank him for what he did last night.
Dylan had missed her homemade food. Despite the aches in her body, Tatiana entered the kitchen and made Dylan’s favorite dish.
Butler Conrad told her how Cassius had requested the same food she had cooked last time. And when Butler Conrad made it, Cassius complained that he liked hers better.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I come here every day,” Tatiana said.
“Master warned me never to mention it, madam. Besides, you seem quite busy, and I didn’t want to bother you,” Butler Conrad responded politely.
They both chatted about Cassius, and Tatiana got to know a few things about him. It made her heart feel alive.
After she finished cooking, she took care of Dylan. They watched some movies while waiting for Cassius.
“Father seems busy these days. Have you made up your mind about staying?” Dylan asked, looking up at her.
“I’m still thinking, dear,” Tatiana kissed his forehead. She badly wanted to be around him, but too many eyes were on her now. She was being trailed because of Dylan… they wanted to know who his father was.
Another reason she regretted coming here. She didn’t want her boy to be dragged into this. But it was something she couldn’t escape.
Dylan is Cassius’s son!
Dylan fell asleep, and she took him to bed. Cassius still hadn’t returned. It was almost 11 p. m.
She texted Hudson, who told her Cassius was on his way. She decided to wait for him, but the stress got the best of her, and she fell asleep.
—
Cassius stepped inside, his face tired from the day’s stress. His gaze fell on the figure sleeping on the couch, and his expression softened. The worry he had in his mind slowly disappeared.
“Madam made dinner,” Butler Conrad said as he served the meal Tatiana had prepared.
Cassius quietly ate the food and asked Conrad not to wake Tatiana. Every now and then, he took a peek at her peaceful state.
Even from a distance, he noticed the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her face was tired, yet she had waited for him.
—
Tatiana jolted awake from her slumber and scolded herself inwardly for falling asleep.
“Madam?”
Tatiana turned to the sound of the voice. It was Butler Conrad.
“Master has returned. He went upstairs ten minutes ago. I was about to wake you up to ask if you’re staying.”
All she heard was that Cassius was back.
“Thanks,” she said, noticing that he had eaten the meal she prepared.
Her throbbing headache had lessened after the light sleep.
Tatiana knocked lightly on Cassius’s door and heard him tell her to come in.
Her eyes met his. He was seated on his bed with his head down, his face troubled. His perfect brows were furrowed… Was it about Zero, or was something else bothering him?
Sensing her presence, Cassius looked up, and their gazes met.
“Hey,” he stood and walked up to her.
She saw his face up close and knew something was definitely wrong.
“Hi, um… I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday,” she said, and he nodded gently.
“You’re welcome,” he replied shortly.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, and he stayed quiet for a while before speaking.
“I almost lost my mother today,” he announced, and Tatiana’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God, how is she doing now?” she asked worriedly.
“She’s fine. The doctor said she would wake up soon, but I just can’t understand why she suddenly fell into a critical state.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
Cassius didn’t reply. Instead, he crossed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug, his face buried in her neck. Tatiana froze at his unexpected move.
“Cas…”
“Let’s stay like this for a while,” he whispered in a hoarse voice, and Tatiana allowed him.
She slowly hugged him back, and he responded by hugging her tighter, as if he wanted more of her embrace.
“She’ll be fine, Cassius. She’s a strong woman,” she assured him.
“Hey, Little Rebel,” he whispered and Tatiana found herself smiling, however her smile dropped and her face turned paled when he requested…
“Stay with me tonight. Here in the same room.”