Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 49

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a mockingly soft whisper, the same polished cruelty she had perfected years ago–sweet enough for public ears, poisonous enough to destroy privately.

“You think trash like you gets to act superior now?” Mirriam hissed.

“No matter what you’ve become outside Savannah City, you’re still nobody here. Father despises you. Everyone does.”

“You are the reason the Pierce family cut ties with the Knowles.”

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Cassie froze.

“What?” The word slipped out before she could stop it, confusion cutting through her composure. Mirriam’s lips curved into a loathesome sneer. “The Pierces severed ties without explanation. And the only thing that ever offended Carina Pierce was you your shamelessness with Ashton.”

Cassie’s pulse thundered, speechless.

“Have you forgotten,” Mirriam continued coldly, “how you schemed your way into Ashton’s bed? Of how desperate you were back then?”

She stood so close now that Cassie could feel her breath, every word carefully measured to wound without witnesses.

The accusation burned–but it wasn’t the cruelty that shook Cassie. It was the implications beneath it.

Mirriam and Ashton weren’t married.

And Madame Carina Pierce–who had once guarded her family’s alliances like sacred law–had cut ties with the Knowles?

That didn’t make sense.

Cassie’s thoughts spiraled. She had always believed the Pierce–Knowles alliance was unbreakable. She had believed Ashton and Mirriam were untouchable–deeply in love, inseparable since high school. She had watched them with certainty, convinced nothing could ever come between them.

So what had happened?

Had her presence truly been enough to fracture two powerful families? Enough to shatter a relationship Ashton had once revered, a woman he had worshipped for most of his life?

Why would Ashton allow his grandmother to interfere? Why would he walk away that easily?

The realization left Cassie reeling, questions colliding in her mind faster than she could grasp them. Nothing aligned with what she thought she knew. Nothing fit.

Mirriam’s voice cut through the chaos.

“You ruined my life,” she said, venom dripping from every word. “You ruined my future. And I will never forgive you.”

Her eyes burned with promise as she leaned in one final time.

“If I ever get the chance to take something from you,” Mirriam whispered, “I will. Everything you have.”

Cassie didn’t respond.

She simply stood there, steady despite the storm raging inside her, realizing with chilling clarity

Chapter 48

that whatever had happened six years ago…its consequences were far from over.

tbc****

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Chapter 49

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Chapter 49

“Rima? Mirriam?”

The voice cut cleanly through the charged stillness of the lobby, sharp enough to shatter the fragile standoff.

Cassie stiffened.

She recognized that voice instantly–and her heart ached for reasons rooted deep in the past. Fora moment, it felt as though time folded in on itself, dragging her backward into memories she had long tried to bury.

Like Rima and Mirriam, she turned toward the source. Her breath caught painfully in her throat. Standing there was her father.

After six long years.

Red Knowles looked older now–not merely from the passing of time, but from the weight of it. Stress had carved deeper lines into his face, his shoulders held the unmistakable burden of a man struggling to keep a crumbling empire upright.

The once–imposing presence of the Knowles patriarch was still there, but it was tempered now by exhaustion and pressure–by a company teetering on the edge of collapse.

“Cassidy?” he muttered, recognition flickering across his face.

For half a second–just one- Cassie dared to hope.

But instead of a reunion, instead of even a pause, Red Knowles strode toward her with barely contained fury.

And then

Pak.

The sound rang through the lobby.

Cassie staggered backward, her world tilting violently as pain exploded across her cheek. Her hand flew up instinctively, fingers trembling as they cupped the spot where his palm had struck her. Her eyes widened, glassy with shock and heartbreak.

“Dad?” she whispered, the word breaking as it left her lips.

Red Knowles glared at her, his expression carved from rage and contempt.

“You have the audacity to show your face in front of me,” he spat. “Don’t call me Dad.”

His eyes were cold–razor–sharp–as they bore into her.

“I have no daughter,” he continued, his voice low and final, “other than Mirriam.”

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The words struck harder than the slap.

Cassie stood frozen, her chest tight, the sting on her cheek nothing compared to the ache spreading through her heart.

The lobby felt unbearably silent. Everyone was shocked of the scene unfolding before their very eyes.

“CEO Knowles, what do you think you’re doing?”

The sharp, furious voice cut cleanly through the space between them, forcing Red Knowles to tear his attention away from Cassie.

His expression shifted instantly–rage smoothed into practiced composure–as he turned toward the newcomer.

“CEO Wallace,” Red greeted, his tone suddenly cordial, almost genial. “I was just addressing an important concern.”

Zandrie stepped closer, his presence commanding, unmistakable. His gaze didn’t linger on Red for long. Instead, it locked onto Cassie.

Her face was pale, her eyes unfocused, one hand still pressed to her cheek.

Something dark flickered across Zandrie’s expression.

“By slapping someone?” he asked coldly.

The air seemed to drop several degrees.

He was already moving toward Cassie when she subtly lifted her hand–small, restrained, almost imperceptible. A silent plea.

Zandrie halted mid–step, jaw tightening as he forced himself to obey her unspoken request, though every muscle in his body screamed otherwise.

“Don’t mind her, CEO Wallace,” Mirriam interjected swiftly, gliding to Zandrie’s side before the moment could escalate further. Her smile bloomed effortlessly–polished, pleasant, perfected through years of careful practice.

“She’s just someone trying to make a scene.” Her tone was light, dismissive, calculated.

“We simply had to intervene,” Mirriam continued smoothly, casting Cassie a brief, scornful glance. “Before she caused any bigger trouble.”

Zandrie’s eyes flicked to Mirriam then–cool, assessing, unconvinced.

Cassie remained silent.

She stood there with quiet dignity, pain etched into her features, fully aware that Mirriam’s performance was not meant for her–but for the man whose opinion could tip the balance of power

in this room.

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And Mirriam knew it.

The lobby held its breath once more, tension coiling tight beneath the veneer of civility.

“What kind of trouble, Miss Knowles,” Zandrie asked evenly, “would justify such violence?” He showed no sign of letting the matter drop.

At his question, the three Knowles exchanged a brief but unmistakably nervous glance

“Well…” Mirriam stepped forward, her smile composed, almost apologetic.

“This is quite embarrassing to explain, since it concerns a family matter. We wouldn’t want you to misunderstand us, CEO Wallace.” Her tone was gentle reasonable.

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