When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 80

Chapter Eighty: You Have No Say In This Matter

Once upon a time, Joseph Tremont believed he had found a rare gem.

She was quiet, intelligent, and observant–nothing like the loud, ambitious young women who often surrounded powerful families like his.

Cassienne Rhodes had come into his life first as his son’s best friend, a girl who spent more time in their home than in her own. Back then, she was young, reserved, and almost painfully polite, the kind of girl who listened more than she spoke.

At the time, Cassienne was living with Joseph and Abigail. It was shortly after she graduated from college, a Computer Science major with a brilliant mind hidden behind her gentle demeanor. While others saw her as just Dreston’s close friend, Joseph saw something more interesting.

Something that is rare. Something he had once seen in her parents.

Cassienne’s parents were brilliant–true geniuses in the tech world. They had worked under Joseph in the early days of Auralink, back when the company was still struggling to define itself.

Their ideas, their innovations, and their relentless drive were among the foundations upon which Auralink was built. Even after Cassienne’s father died, his legacy remained woven into the company’s success.

It was that same spark Joseph recognized in Cassienne.

Auralink Systems had always been known for having the best talents in the tech world. When Joseph was still actively leading the company, he made it his personal mission to recruit only the brightest minds across the globe. Over the years, many of those talents had left–some had retired, some had passed on, and others had branched out to build their own empires.

Yet Cassienne reminded him of what Auralink once stood for.

That was why, when the idea first formed, it didn’t feel wrong to him.

Joseph and Abigail were the ones who proposed the contract marriage.

It wasn’t only about business or legacy–though those things mattered deeply to Joseph. It was also about the way Cassienne loved Dreston. She loved him quietly, and without conditions. That much was obvious to anyone who paid attention.

What shocked them both, however, was Dreston’s reaction.

He agreed.

They never expected him to accept so easily, especially knowing about his long–standing relationship with Tina Ackley–the woman they despised with a passion that bordered on hatred. Not only because Tina was bad for their son, but because she represented something far uglier.

It was an old betrayal. One Joseph never wanted to remember.

Tina reminded him of someone from his past–someone he had once trusted, someone whose betrayal had cost him more than business. That memory alone was enough to make Joseph refuse Tina’s place in his family.

Joseph had tried. God knows he had tried.

He had watched, interfered, and manipulated situations, all in hopes of seeing Dreston and Cassienne fall truly in love. He believed that time, proximity, and obligation would eventually bloom into something real.

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Instead, he got a divorce news from them. It almost ruined him. A divorce he never accepted.

To Joseph, papers meant nothing. Whether they were legally divorced or not, one thing remained unchanged in his mind–Cassienne was, and would always be, his daughter–in–law.

And after hearing her firm reply earlier, he finally understood something important.

She was still hurting.

Joseph was not a man of sweet words. He had never known how to comfort gently. His entire life had been built on force. Force of authority, force of decisions that left no room for debate.

And that was exactly how he planned to deal with Cassienne. He would never allow her to belong to another man.

Especially not Corren.

Joseph had seen the way Corren looked at her when he arrived earlier. He hated it. He had heard him say he missed her. The audacity of it still burned in his chest.

How dare he? How dare Corren Thornwyck admire a woman who belonged to his son?

Joseph decided he would deal with Corren later. Right now, Cassienne needed to be reminded of her place in this family.

“My dear,” Joseph said firmly, his voice cutting through the room, “you have no say in this matter. My words are final. You will marry Dreston. Tina will never stand in your way again. I will see to that.”

Cassienne’s mouth fell open in shock.

For a moment, she couldn’t even form a thought. Why was Joseph so obsessed with marrying her off to his son? Why was he speaking as if her life belonged to him?

Abigail, on the other hand, was furious at her husband.

Why would he bring this up now? In a hospital room, of all places? They had come to take care of Cassienne–to comfort her, not to burden her with pressure and control.

“If you’re tired of staying here,” Abigail snapped, “you can leave without me.”

Joseph raised a brow sharply. “Are you sending me away because I’m telling her the truth?” he barked.

Cassienne exhaled slowly, exhaustion settling into her bones. She didn’t want to get involved in their argument, yet here she was–trapped in the middle of it. Part of her wished Dreston would walk in at that very moment and rescue her from this chaos.

“Yes, I am sending you away,” Abigail shot back. “You are troubling my daughter. How can you walk in here and all you do is upset her?”

Joseph stood abruptly, pacing the room like someone who has been caged.

Oh God. Not again.

Cassienne knew this pattern too well. These two were stubborn, they are proud, and incapable of backing down. If she didn’t intervene now, the argument would only escalate further.

“Father, please,” Cassienne said gently, cutting through the tension. “Calm down. I will think about what you said. But please… Can you both stop fighting?”

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Her words worked like magic, because Joseph stopped pacing immediately and turned to her, his dark eyes searching her face, trying to determine if she was merely appeasing him. When he found no mockery there–only sincerity–he nodded and returned to his seat.

“You will?” Abigail asked softly.

Cassienne smiled and nodded, even though she knew she had just lied. She just had to.

“Look, my dear,” Abigail said quickly, “you don’t have to agree to anything you don’t want.” She glanced at Joseph, who was already glaring at her.

“Mother,” Cassienne said firmly, her expression serious now. “I understand everything. I said I’ll think about it. Please stop fighting with Father. He means well.”

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