When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 188

Chapter One Hundred And Eighty–Eight: A New Hope.

Cassienne sat behind her desk, her eyes scanning the development reports that Peter Steel had just placed in front of her. The files were neatly stacked, but she didn’t touch them immediately. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly against the polished wood of her desk as she considered the situation.

Peter remained standing, waiting for her instructions.

The silence stretched for a moment before Cassienne finally spoke.

“Leave them.”

Peter blinked.

“Ma’am?”

Cassienne gestured to the stack of files.

“Keep the work for Miss Ackley.”

Peter looked confused for a second.

“But the team needs-”

Cassienne raised a hand, stopping him mid–sentence.

“When Miss Ackley resumes work tomorrow morning, she will report directly to me.”

Her voice was calm and controlled. But there was no room for argument in it.

Peter stared at her, momentarily stunned.

Cassienne had always been respected in the company, but since returning as Chief Technology Officer, something about her leadership had become sharper and more precise.

She didn’t need to shout or threaten unnecessarily. But when she spoke, people listened.

Peter slowly nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Inside, however, he couldn’t help feeling a strange sense of relief.

For months he had quietly carried extra responsibilities because of Tina’s absence from her duties. Tina rarely handled the projects assigned to her. Most days she simply spent her time in the CEO’s office, leaving the real work to the development teams.

But since Cassienne had returned…

Things had changed. Projects moved faster. Decisions were clearer. And for the first time in a long while, Peter didn’t feel like he was doing the work of three different departments.

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A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He respected strength. And Cassienne Tremont clearly had it.

“With respect, ma’am,” he said, inclining his head slightly, “I’ll inform the team.”

“Thank you, Mr. Steel.”

Peter gathered the files again, straightened them neatly, and turned toward the door.

As he reached it, he glanced back briefly.

Cassienne had already returned her attention to the computer screen, her fingers moving across the keyboard as if the conversation had never happened.

Peter shook his head slightly in quiet amusement. Then he left, the door closing softly behind him.

Cassienne continued working.

Lines of code and development timelines filled the monitor in front of her. For the next several minutes, the only sound in the office was the quiet clicking of keys.

Work had always been her refuge.

When the world around her became chaotic, work gave her something steady to hold onto.

She had just finished reviewing one proposal when a gentle knock sounded again.

“Come in,” she said without looking up.

The door opened.

Her secretary, Elena Brook, stepped inside carrying a small tablet.

“I have scheduled the meetings you requested,” Elena said.

Cassienne looked up.

“Already?”

“Yes.”

Elena approached the desk and handed her the tablet.

“I contacted the three organizations you shortlisted this morning.”

Cassienne glanced down at the screen.

The names appeared clearly.

A cybersecurity firm. A gaming analytics startup. And a hardware developer specializing in high- performance processors.

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“All three confirmed their availability for next week,” Elena continued.

“The cybersecurity firm on Tuesday at 10 a.m., the analytics team on Wednesday afternoon, and the hardware developers on Friday morning.”

Cassienne nodded.

“That works.”

Elena continued, flipping to the next page of her notes.

“And there’s one more thing.”

Cassienne leaned back slightly in her chair.

“Yes?”

“You have a medical checkup scheduled tomorrow afternoon.”

Cassienne paused. For a moment she had completely forgotten.

The hospital.

The baby.

Her hand instinctively moved to her abdomen again.

“Yes… that’s right.”

Elena spoke gently.

“The hospital sent a reminder earlier today.”

Cassienne nodded slowly.

“Thank you.”

As Elena finished speaking, Cassienne’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The hospital. To Dreston. She hadn’t seen him since the kiss. The memory still made her chest tighten.

Part of her wondered how he was doing now. Was he still confused? Was he still thinking about what had happened between them?

Before she could continue that thought, her phone vibrated on the desk. Cassienne glanced at the screen. The caller ID read Abigail Tremont.

Her heart skipped slightly. She looked up at Elena.

“That will be all for now.”

Elena nodded immediately.

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