When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty–Three: Dreston And I Are Getting Married Soon.

Merrick’s fingers flew across the keyboard, striking the keys with sharp precision. Lines of code flooded the monitor–numbers, symbols, and commands appearing and disappearing so quickly they blurred together. The hum of the computer filled the room and that was the only sound competing with the storm brewing inside him.

His jaw was tight.

Even behind the thin frame of his glasses, his fury was impossible to miss. The lenses reflected the glowing screen, but they couldn’t hide the darkness in his eyes. Whatever he was working on, it wasn’t calming him. If anything, it only fueled his frustration.

The door to his office opened without a knock.

Merrick didn’t look up. He didn’t need to for he already knew who had walked in.

Corren.

His phone had vibrated nonstop since morning–missed calls, messages he didn’t bother to read. Merrick had ignored every single one. He wasn’t ready to forgive. Not after what Corren had done last week.

Not after the mess he had created.

The door closed softly behind Corren. He walked in at an unhurried pace, hands shoved into his pockets. His shoes echoed faintly against the polished floor, but Merrick remained focused on the screen, fingers still moving like nothing else in the world mattered.

When Corren reached the desk, he stopped.

Silence stretched between them. It was heavy and suffocating.

“Look,” Corren finally said, his voice cautious, “I get that I made a mist-”

“Mistake?”

Merrick’s voice snapped through the room like a whip.

He looked up sharply now, his chair scraping slightly as he pushed it back. His eyes locked onto Corren’s, it was sharp and burning.

“You call what you did a mistake?” Merrick scoffed, the word dripping with disbelief. His anger rose, and it was uncontrollable. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

He shut the laptop with a hard click and stood, stepping away from the desk. His hands raked through his dark hair as he turned his back to Corren, facing the floor–to–ceiling windows that overlooked the city.

“What you did wasn’t a mistake, Corren,” Merrick said, his tone lowering, though the disappointment in it cut even deeper. “It was foolish.”

He paused.

“And childish.”

Corren opened his mouth to speak, but Merrick lifted a hand, silencing him without even looking back.

“What you did was reckless,” Merrick continued. “You should have known better.” His shoulders stiffened. ” Especially when dealing with women.”

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Chapter Saty–Thrane Dreiston And Are Getting Married Soon

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He turned around slowly, meeting Corren’s eyes again.

“You don’t play with people’s feelings. Not like that.”

The room fell silent once more.

Corren swallowed.

For the first time since he entered, he had nothing to say.

Corren closed his eyes slowly, shame washing over him like a heavy tide. For the first time since everything happened, he truly felt the weight of his actions.

Merrick was right.

He had been childish.

He should never have allowed that competition to take place in the first place. Not for pride. Not to prove a point. Not to satisfy the ego of a few arrogant women.

Corren had known–he had always known–that Cassienne would win. He had never doubted her capability, not even for a second. The entire stunt had been meant to humble Florence and the others, nothing more. 1

But he never imagined Cassienne would resign.

That part had blindsided him completely.

And now, because of his foolishness, the company had suffered a loss so massive it felt unreal.

He should have known better.

“Do you really think,” Merrick said coldly, breaking the silence, “that we would have convinced Gabriel Wyndham with the product we had?”

He let out a short, humorless chuckle. It held no amusement–only bitterness.

“Cassienne’s idea was the reason we landed that contract in the first place, Corren,” Merrick continued. “And just today, Gabriel cancelled it.”

Corren’s chest tightened.

“Two billion,” Merrick added flatly. “Gone.”

Corren dragged in a deep breath, his shoulders sagging under the weight of it.

“Cassienne said she spoke to him,” Corren murmured. “She tried to convince him not to cancel. But he still went ahead.” He swallowed. “Do you know why?”

Merrick didn’t respond.

“I do,” Corren said bitterly. “Because she left. And he believed the idea belonged to her from the start.” His voice dropped. “And hell… it did. It was always hers.”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration etched deep into his face, then began pacing the length of the office.

“You messed up badly,” Merrick said quietly. “You didn’t just ruin a project. You turned my friend against me.”

Corren froze.

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hapter Serty Thrine Creston And Are Getting Mamed Soon

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“She told me herself this morning,” Merrick continued. “She said she was disappointed in me. That she didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

The words hit harder than any accusation.

“I’m sorry,” Corren said finally, his voice low. “I really am. One way or another, we’ll fix this.”

Merrick sighed, the edge in his anger softening just a little.

“I guess it wasn’t entirely your fault,” he admitted. “I share the blame.” He shook his head. “If I had done my job properly as CTO, that stupid game would never have happened. I should have shut it down immediately. But I let you take control of a decision that should have been mine.”

He exhaled slowly.

“So yes, I hate myself for it too,” Merrick concluded. “I just hope she forgives me.”

Then, after a brief pause, he added quietly, “I’m happy for her. Truly. I just hope she doesn’t get her heart broken again.”

His eyes hardened.

“I don’t trust that jack with her.”

Corren smirked slightly. “Cassienne will be mine soon. Just watch.”

Merrick scoffed. “You wish.” He shook his head. “That woman loves only one man. I thought I told you that already.”

Corren stepped closer, standing directly in front of him, his expression unyielding.

“You might be right,” he said. “But I’ll still take my chances. This isn’t about work anymore, Merrick. I like her.”

Merrick turned away, unwilling to argue further. Deep down, he knew the truth–Cassienne could try to move on, she could deceive herself all she wanted, but there was one thing she had never been able to do. 1

Stop loving Dreston.

Later that day, after Cassienne had met with everyone who mattered, she settled into work. She reviewed the backlog of proposals that had previously been submitted to Tina for approval. Several of them stood out–ideas with real potential, ideas that could be developed into something exceptional.

On top of that, Gabriel Wyndham had scheduled a private meeting with her regarding the cybersecurity product.

That alone told her everything she needed to know.

Cassienne knew she had to inform Dreston.

She left her office and headed straight for Dreston’s office.

She knocked once and pushed the door open.

The moment she stepped inside, she stopped.

Tina was there.

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