Chapter 364
Gemma’s POV
Lydia’s sense of entitlement is a bottomless well. She blocks my way after I have already pushed past them once.
Her hands are on her hips, as if her mere displeasure should command my obedience. “I am not ordering you,” I say, my voice flat and cold. “I am informing you. The legal process has begun. The court will determine the extent of the damage Kitty caused. If you dispute it, you are, of course, free to hire a lawyer.”
My words have put up a wall: I will not back down.
Kitty’s face darkens, her fear curdling into venom. “Gemma, are you trying to drive me to ruin?” she spits. “Is this all because you’re jealous? Jealous that I worked at Blackwell Industries, that I was near your husband? You’re so pathetic. No wonder Cassian wanted a divorce!”
The pettiness is almost impressive. A cold smile touches my lips. “Save that performance for the judge.”
I try to step around them, done with this circus, but Lydia lunges, her fingers clawing for my arm. I twist away, but
Ingheel catches on the uneven pavement at the edge he16:55 sidewalk.
I lose my balance, and a sudden, terrifying lurch sends me stumbling backward. My hands fly out instinctively.
But instantly, one of my hands drops protectively to my stomach.
Time slows down as I lean down, ready to collide with the concrete.
Then, an arm wraps around my waist from behind, arresting my fall. I’m pulled back against a firm chest, my heart hammering against my ribs.
On the other side, a blur of motion brings Cassian to my side, sprinting across the street. He’s a half–second too late. He skids to a halt, his face a mask of pure fury as he sees me steady and secure in William’s hold.
I look from William’s concerned face over my shoulder to Cassian’s livid one, surprise flickering through my shock. Did he sleep in his car? Has he been haunting this building all night?
William gently sets me upright, his focus immediately shifting to the two women.
“That was assault,” he states, his tone shifting into something sharp. “If she had been injured, you’d be facing criminal charges, not just civil.”
Lydia pales, her eyes darting between William and me. “Don’t you threaten me! She’s fine! Gemma! Tell them, you’re completely fine.”
She barks, trying to regain control, “I’m asking you one last time. Drop the lawsuit.”
It’s then that Cassian steps forward, his presence like a sudden drop in temperature. Kitty notices him first, all the color draining from her face. Lydia follows her gaze, and her bluster dissolves into flustered panic.
“Mr. Blackwell! What a… what a surprise!”
Kitty finds her voice, a desperate, trembling whine. “Mr. Blackwell, you have to believe me! I checked the project figures multiple times. I was set up! Someone is trying to frame me!” Her eyes, wide and pleading, dart meaningfully toward me.
Cassian doesn’t even look at her. His gaze is fixed on Lydia, cold and lethal. “If either of you approaches her again,” he says, each word carved from ice, “I will instruct Blackwell Industries’s legal team to pursue your daughter for the full sum owed, with immediate effect. Sparing absolutely no leniency.”
Kitty sways on her feet, her whole body beginning to tremble.
Millions… it’s a number that means losing everything: her mother’s house, any future, a life on the street.
The fight bleeds out of them both, replaced by a sick, helpless dread. Without another word, they turn and shuffle away, defeated.
Cassian turns toward me, his expression still stormy, but William speaks first.
“Are you alright?” William asks, his hand hovering near my elbow. “You should get checked. Even a minor fall can have consequences.”
I offer him a small, grateful smile. “I’m fine, really. Thank you. But what are you doing here?”
“I bought a property here,” he explains, gesturing vaguely toward the newer wing of the Urban Lane complex.

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