Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 41

I stiffened at the familiar voice calling my name.

After hours of aimless walking, my feet had begun to ache. I had been searching for a quiet café- somewhere I could rest and have lunch–when fate decided otherwise. I had walked straight into someone I knew all too well.

“So, you came back,” she said, lips curling into a thin, mocking smile.

“After six long years, here you are again–loitering around Bay City.”

The snicker that followed was unmistakable.

I didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, I took my time, drawing in a slow breath and schooling my expression into calm neutrality. I had expected this encounter–Bay City was never big enough to hide in—but I hadn’t thought it would happen so soon.

When I finally faced them, two scornful gazes locked onto mine.

Six years ago, my hands would have been shaking. My chest would have tightened, my voice caught somewhere between fear and obedience. But not today.

“Well,” Madame Rima drawled, her eyes scanning me from head to toe with open disdain, “it seems nothing has changed after all these years. You’re still just as… boring.”

The look alone could have withered an acre of crops.

“Good afternoon, Madame Rima,” I said evenly, inclining my head slightly. I ignored Miriam entirely, though I could feel her presence beside her mother.

Seeing Miriam–perfectly dressed, composed as ever–stirred something unpleasant in my chest. The same familiar ache I’d felt whenever I’d seen her standing beside Ashton. Envy. Jealousy. Feelings I had buried for years.

I hadn’t expected them to still be there.

“And where have you been all this time, Cassidy?” Miriam asked with a sneer.

“Did you finally succeed as a dishwasher? Or maybe a janitor?”

The mockery was obvious, but I refused to rise to it.

“Well,” Madame Rima continued, smiling as if she were doing me a favor, “you were smart enough to come back. I knew you would. There’s nowhere you truly belong except Bay City. We are the only people who can help you.”

Her smile sharpened. I knew that look too well.

“You came back just in time.”

She stepped closer and reached for my arm. Instinctively, I stepped back.

Chapter 41

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Surprise flickered across her face, quickly replaced by irritation.

“You remember President Roel Dane of Shell Motors?” she asked, her tone syrupy.

I said nothing, watching her carefully.

“He’s your father’s closest friend,” she continued. “He had helped Knowles Corporation countless

times.”

“We’ve actually been trying to find you all these years,” Miriam added, her voice dripping with false concern.

“You can come home now,” Madame Rima said, laying the sympathy on thick.

“Life must be harsh without a family. Without a home.”

I waited.

There it was- the familiar tightening in the air. I could sense what was coming long before she spoke it.

“What do you want, Madame?” I asked calmly.

Her smile widened, arrogance gleaming in her eyes.

“President Dane has been asking about you since you left,” Madame Rima said, her smile slow and unsettling.

“President Dane is interested in you,” Miriam added with a snort.

“You should be grateful.”

Madame Rima straightened, slipping back into her composed, commanding posture the one I used to admire. The one that used to terrify me. Now, it only tired me.

“Roel Dane has helped your father during difficult times,” she said. “Knowles Corporation is not immune to hardship.”

“This is your chance to help Dad,” Miriam urged sweetly.

“After all the sacrifices he’s made for you, this small favor should be nothing.”

“A small favor?” I echoed, meeting Miriam’s eyes without flinching.

“Marrying a man old enough to be my father is a small favor?”

Madame Rima’s hand clamped around my arm as she leaned in, her voice sharp and controlled.

“We’ve been… concerned about your future. You should be thankful. A man of President Dane’s stature is more than you deserve.”

I looked down at her hand. Then back at her.

Chapter 41

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“I’ve only just set foot in Bay City, Madame,” I said calmly, forcibly yet discreetly prying her fingers from my arm.

Rima Knowles grimaced as I tightened my hold, but she made no sound–ever careful to preserve her composed façade in public.

“And already,” I continued evenly, “you’re arranging my marriage to a man twice my age.”

A scoff escaped me, soft but deliberate.

“Why don’t you marry him instead, Madame Rima?” I added lightly, a mocking smile curving my lips.

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