Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

“Madame Rima, it’s nice seeing you again,” Cassie greeted graciously.

Her voice was calm, composed–but it was enough to draw everyone’s attention at the table.

Rima stiffened.

Cassie’s gaze lingered on her, catching the way the older woman’s complexion visibly paled upon seeing not just her–but the woman standing beside her. For a fleeting second, Rima’s eyes sharpened, the flash so quick it could have been dismissed as imagination. But Cassie saw it.

“Cassidy.”

After that brief pause, Rima spoke her name, her tone clipped. Her penetrating stare seized Cassie for a heartbeat before sliding deliberately toward the woman beside her.

“It’s been a while, Sylvia.”

Rima’s gaze hardened.

Sylvia straightened slightly, offering a polite, almost meek smile. “It has been a while, Madame. I’m glad to see you again.”

Rima’s eyes moved between the two women, unease flickering beneath her rigid composure. “I didn’t know you knew each other.”

“I heard about Daisy’s daughter,” Sylvia explained gently, turning toward Cassie. “So I went to see her.”

Cassie smiled fondly at Sylvia.

“Miss Sylvia is my mother’s friend. Meeting her felt like meeting my mother too.” Her voice softened–but her eyes briefly darted toward Rima, catching the dark look crossing her face.

“They served the Knowles household together. They were best friends. She was there when I was born.”

“I hope,” Rima cut in sharply, “you didn’t fill Cassidy’s head with nonsense, Sylvia.”

Cassie turned instantly. “What nonsense, Madame?” she asked sweetly.

“Is there something I should know?”

Rima’s gaze bore into Sylvia. “Sylvia and your mother were merely servants in the Knowles residence. People like them fabricate stories out of spite. No matter how kindly you treat servants, they’re still snakes–waiting for a chance to bite.”

The table went quiet.

“Well,” Cassie said mildly, studying Rima’s face, “Miss Sylvia did tell me something. And I don’t think it was fabricated.”

Chapter 38

She almost smiled when she saw it–the brief tightening of Rima’s jaw.

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“Only a fool would believe the words of a lowly maid,” Rima sneered, disgust curling her lips as she looked at Cassie.

“What can one expect from a maid’s daughter?”

Cassie didn’t flinch. Instead, she returned the look with a slow, ominous smirk.

“Well,” Cassie said lightly, her smile polite yet unreadable, “let’s hope it truly is nonsense, Madame.”

The words were delivered with careful restraint, but they landed with unmistakable weight.

For the first time, Rima had no immediate retort.

Her gaze sharpened, hardening into something dangerous, while her jaw clenched so tightly it robbed her of speech. The silence that followed was telling–thick and charged.

The guests seated around the table exchanged uneasy glances, the tension impossible to ignore. An awkward hush settled over them, heavy and uncomfortable.

Even nearby diners in the restaurant began casting curious looks in their direction, subtle at first, then increasingly blatant–drawn by the charged silence and the unspoken conflict crackling at the table.

“I didn’t expect you’d still be in the city,” Mirriam broke the tense silence, eyes brimming with disdain.

“My husband hasn’t finished his business in Bay City,” Cassie replied smoothly. “I can’t exactly leave him behind.”

“You don’t even serve a purpose,” Mirriam muttered under her breath. “I can’t understand why he hasn’t divorced you yet.”

Cassie heard every word. And she smiled.

“CEO Wallace has been enjoying Mirriam’s company lately,” Madame Rima interjected coolly.

“They understand each other. Two business–minded people–and with this collaboration-”

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