Cassandra was having problems with the custody battle, as it had taken an unexpected turn. She was about to lose her child, and Priscilla hadn’t made any contact with her, so she had no idea that Kyle had a plan in place to sabotage Justin and the judge. Cassandra was worried that things might go wrong and considered taking the deal that Jessica had proposed. Shared custody suddenly didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. Despite Kyle telling her otherwise, it was ultimately her child, and if she chose this, she didn’t need to run it by Kyle. Kyle wasn’t the person responsible for such decisions even though she informed him about it, it was because she wanted to not because she had to.
She accepted his proposal, but it said nothing about her child. Her child remained hers to raise as she saw fit, and that was what she planned to do. Jessica had already been replaced by a man whom she didn’t feel safe with, due to the background check she had done on him. He had used underhanded means to win some of the absurd cases, had no moral compass, but this was the kind of monster she needed if she was going to get her child. And his status in his firm was a testament to his achievements.
But she had no idea how far he was willing to go to get the preferred outcome. Unlike Jessica, who stayed and entertained legal alternatives, this man gave a lot of hypothetical scenarios that weren’t so legal, but the outcomes were favorable. This was the only reason she entertained it. She had a meeting with him to prepare for the case in a day, but she was anxious. She needed Kyle, but she understood what it meant to give that much power to a man. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire
She was still paying for such a decision till date in the form of her ex-husband, Justin.
Kyle was young, and the responsibilities that came with taking care of a single mother were enough to make any young man leave. There was a reason Kyle wasn’t married—if he wanted all of these responsibilities, then he would have at least had a kid. She needed to handle certain things herself and ultimately show him that she was capable. She wondered why Kyle hadn’t reached out and soon realized that she was getting a lot more excited than she needed to. But her heart soon skipped a beat when she received a text message on her phone, and to her surprise, it was from the person she was just thinking about—it was Kyle.
[[Hey you, how are you holding up? Do you need anything?]] The message was a simple one. Cassandra didn’t know if she should respond right away like some lovestruck teenager. But this feeling made her feel young again, a feeling she had long forgotten. If anything, Kyle was consistent and that was one of the hardest to be, grand gestures every now and then is easy but consistency was one of the hardest things to maintain that people don’t speak about enough.
However, she knew she couldn’t get too comfortable, or the rug might be pulled from beneath her. She took a deep breath before placing her phone on the table. However, that same phone rang only a few seconds later, and naturally, her first instinct was that it was Kyle calling. Unfortunately for her, she was wrong—it was Jessica.
She had no business calling her since their partnership had been terminated. Cassandra knew that Jessica must have something for her or she wouldn’t be calling.
“Hello?” Cassandra took the risk, as she had nothing to lose at that moment. It was just a phone call—there wasn’t any harm that could come from it.
[[Cassandra? Is that you?]] Jessica asked over the phone to confirm, but she should have known it was her by her voice alone.
“Yes, it is… Is everything alright?” Cassandra asked, sounding somewhat concerned.
[[It was with utmost regret that we couldn’t work something out among us ladies, but the man you’ve hired in my stead—be careful,]] Jessica offered her a word of advice.
“Careful?” Cassandra asked.
[[Sometimes, the lawyer you hire to take a case determines if you’re guilty or not. He is the type of lawyer guilty people hire.]] Jessica gave her a piece of advice that she could heed or discard.
Cassandra knew that this must be true because of what he had said to her already. It made sense, but she was willing to do anything to get her daughter. Even if it meant dancing with the devil, because she knew her husband wasn’t fighting fair—so why should she? That was the ultimate question, but she was right. It wasn’t ideal, but this was all because Kyle refused to tell her what he had going on behind the scenes.
“I understand your concern, and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to reach out to me… I really do, but I have no other choice,” Cassandra confessed. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and the fact that he was someone Kyle had picked out for her made it all the more personal.
Kyle must have known better than to trust Jessica with this case, because there was an oversight on Jessica’s end: the idea of shared custody. That wasn’t what Kyle wanted, nor should she have suggested it in the first place. Maybe Justin got to her, or she was simply incompetent? Kyle didn’t care—it was his way or no way at all.
[[Okay, I hope this works out for you. I’m on your side.]] Jessica reassured her, which was strange because Cassandra assumed it was strictly business for her. She was being paid, after all, to show interest in the case that was rapidly unfolding before their eyes.
“Thank you so much, Jessica. This means a lot to me,” Cassandra expressed her gratitude, and thus the conversation came to an abrupt end.
Cassandra knew now wasn’t the time for second thoughts—it was now or never. She had to go all in and hope for the best. She had to put her full trust in the man handling the case. No, not him—she had to put it in Kyle.
–
Kyle had arrived home. Jane decided to spend some time with Ella at their apartment, something Kyle didn’t object to because he was aware that Ella needed her friend now more than ever. He was glad that nothing that couldn’t be ironed out happened in that room. Kyle was surprised that he was keeping it together around Ella. This only showed that he respected Jane to that degree, but for a brief moment, Ella did show signs of weakness, and Kyle wondered if he could have gotten more out of the situation if he had applied more pressure.
But he was glad he didn’t. For the first time in a while, he had his apartment all to himself. Jane’s scent still lingered in the air, but this wasn’t something Kyle paid much attention to. His eyes slowly closed—he could barely sleep the night before, but the moment he walked through that door, Kyle’s body left fight mode and instantly transitioned into a relaxed state.
[Ding!]
“Huh?” Kyle recognized that sound—it felt like it had been ages since his system did anything noteworthy.
[Congratulations! A new member has been added to your Harem!]
Kyle’s heart instantly dropped, but the name that appeared on his cyan screen made his jaw drop.
“H-How…?”
–
Calista was on set, shooting some of the final scenes of the movie. However, everyone on set could tell she wasn’t at her best. This wouldn’t do, considering these were the final touches to the movie; everything had to be perfect. Calista needed to bring in her A-game.
Lorenzo knew it had to do with the lady the day before, but it wasn’t his place to pry. If she wanted to tell him, she would have done so herself. Either way, he needed her at her best, and her personal life should in no way jeopardize the progress of the movie. That could be termed selfish, but Lucas was on his best behavior—much to the surprise of the staff. By now, he would have been scolding them, and this made Calista feel untouchable. One could say it made her complacent because there was a power above Lucas at that moment. It was her, but they managed to finish the scene. Calista knew that this was probably the most important movie of her life at that point in time. If she didn’t deliver, she had no one but herself to blame, even if it did take multiple reshoots to get it right—more than needed.
“Are you good?” Lorenzo asked, handing her a bottle of water.
“I am, just a little distracted,” Calista said before drinking the water in hand. “I need something stronger…” she thought to herself, and there was only one place on her mind: the club that had just opened.