The betrayal didn't come from a stranger.
It came from someone wearing a tailored suit and a charming smile—someone Cassandra once called a friend. It came from Miranda Voss.
★★★★★
Manhattan, 3 Days Earlier
In a dimly lit boardroom of Ashford Industries, Miranda slid a confidential folder across the table. Her red lipstick didn't smudge as she smiled at the senior executives.
"Let's just say Julian's too… distracted to notice he's bleeding power."
Her fingers tapped the paper with perfectly calculated menace.
"You back me, and I'll deliver a hostile takeover without the mess."
★★★★★
Present Day — Vienna
Cassandra read the report in stunned silence. The evidence was undeniable: emails, timestamps, wire transfers… all pointing to Miranda.
Julian paced like a panther. "She was my assistant. My right hand. My—"
"Your ex," Cassandra finished quietly.
He stopped. "That was two years ago."
"And this?" She held up the report. "This is now."
His voice dropped. "I'll handle it."
"No," Cassandra said, stepping in front of him. "We will."
★★★★★
Later That Night
They flew back to New York under aliases, landing in silence. The storm outside mirrored the tension between them—hot, volatile, waiting to strike.
At the penthouse, Cassandra peeled off her coat and boots, her face set in ice.
"She used your trust," she whispered. "The same way you once thought I did."
Julian turned to her, regret all over his face. "Don't you dare compare yourself to her."
She stepped closer, eyes blazing. "Why not? You compared me to her when it counted."
And just like that, the kiss exploded between them. Angry. Electric. Desperate.
Clothes dropped.
Emotions tangled.
In the chaos of the bedroom, Cassandra pushed him down, straddling him like vengeance in silk.
"This," she hissed, running her nails down his chest, "isn't forgiveness. This is punishment."
Julian groaned, grabbing her hips. "Then punish me harder."
And she did.
All night.
★★★★★
The Next Morning
The sunlight was merciless.
So was the knock on the door.
Julian opened it shirtless. His expression hardened instantly.
"Miranda."
She stood there in head-to-toe Chanel, fake tears in her eyes.
"Julian… I had no choice."
Cassandra stepped into view, wearing nothing but one of Julian's shirts. Her voice sliced through the tension.
"You always had a choice, Miranda. You just chose betrayal."
Miranda's façade cracked.
"You were nothing before him," she spat. "Just a rich girl with no name in this world."
Cassandra smiled coldly. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you."
Julian crossed his arms. "Why, Miranda?"
"Because I built this empire with you," she snapped. "And then you threw me aside for her."
Her voice broke. "I loved you. And you replaced me with a marriage stunt."
Cassandra didn't flinch. "This stunt? Saved your company. Built empires. And found something real."
Miranda laughed bitterly. "You think this is love? He doesn't love anyone. He only owns them."
Julian's voice was low. Deadly. "Leave. Before I call security."
But Miranda wasn't done. She stepped close to Cassandra and whispered something no one else heard.
Then she left.
Cassandra stood frozen, face pale.
Julian frowned. "What did she say?"
Cassandra looked up, eyes wild.
"She said… I'm not the only woman you betrayed."
★★★★★
Later That Day
Julian dug through archives, emails, and old records. And then he found it:
> A trust fund... offshore… set up in a child's name.
A daughter.
His daughter.
With Miranda.