Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 17

A wistful smile curved my lips as our gazes locked, the room settling into a quiet stillness. I offered him a reassuring look and I saw the moment it clicked for him.

“Just tell me what to do, Cassie,” he said, nodding once, his expression hardening with resolve.

“Of course, CEO Zandrie Wallace,” I replied lightly, pride threading my voice.

“Soon, your name will be carved into the very pillars of Savannah City’s business world.”

It wasn’t an empty boast meant to flatter him. I could see it now–he was beginning to understand my vision. Beginning to believe in it.

“I may get the name and the fame,” he said with a crooked smirk, “but the mind behind all of this is just a plain housewife–my full–time wife.”

The teasing glint in his eyes lingered on me.

“Exactly as planned,” I replied with a knowing smile. “I don’t mind staying in the background. We bring your name to the summit, and everything else will follow.”

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice.

“Even your father will come to you.”

I winked and watched as my words sparked something fierce and determined in his eyes.

“We’ll never beg for attention again,” I continued quietly. “We’ll never be desperate to be believed. Our words will become law. Our presence–indomitable.”

I exhaled slowly, almost tasting the future I was describing.

Zandrie studied me as if seeing me for the first time.

“You’re really something, Cassie,” he said finally. “Who hurt you this much to give you a heart this determined?”

The question landed harder than I expected. I stared at him, my mouth suddenly tasted bitter. “My family,” I answered after a moment. “Especially my father.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. “I grew up begging for scraps of attention. I was so desperate… I threw myself away just to please them.”

The memories still pierced sharply, no matter how far I’d come.

No matter how often I told myself I was doing well now, a part of me still felt unbearably small.

Zandrie didn’t interrupt. He stayed silent, offering me that rare, precious thing–space. Letting me sit with my past without rushing me out of it.

“I promised myself I’d give myself what I truly deserved,” I continued quietly. “I’ll reclaim every

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opportunity I abandoned because of them.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back.

“I’ll redeem myself,” I said, lifting my gaze to meet his. “And my dignity.”

His eyes were calm, attentive–steady.

“And… correct the way Malakai’s father thinks about you?” Zandrie asked gently.

The question caught me off guard.

I stared at him, words evaporating before they could form. For a moment, my thoughts scattered leaving me lost in the space between truth and denial.

“I…”

I swallowed.

“I don’t know.”

The words fell from my lips but they didn’t sound like mine at all.

“My betrayal is already etched into his bones,” I said after a long pause.

“He can’t even look at me anymore without disgust in his eyes.”

The words tasted bitter as they left my lips.

“And by now,” I continued softly, “they’re probably already planning a wedding. He’s happy–with what he has. With my sister.”

I forced a smile, fighting the jealousy and envy tightening around my chest like a vice.

Zandrie’s voice came gently, almost cautiously.

“What about Malakai?”

The question pierced straight through me. It was another cruel reminder of the truth I tried so hard not to dwell on.

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