Page 68 of One of Those Amnesia Stories

I was so beyond done with this party already.

I had already wished Mr. Garcia a happy birthday, handed over my gift, and talked to Mrs. Garcia. My social duties were complete. All I wanted now was to go home and take a nap.

A gloriously, obscenely long nap.

The past week had been hell. Work was a relentless storm, and on top of it, I’d been shadowed by a certain man who refused to be shaken.

After a solid week of petty, meticulously delivered revenge, I was done. Done with his face. Done with the very concept of this marriage. Watching him run himself ragged had its amusing moments, but the novelty had worn off.

I couldn’t waste another second on him.

I could be doing more productive things.

Like watching paint dry.

Now, I was just waiting for Felicity to show up. I’d say a quick hello, then go back to his house and finally break the news. After that, it would be just me, my bed, and a long, long nap.

All weekend.

I took a slow sip of my drink when I felt someone step up beside me.

“I see you’ve been avoiding me.”

I glanced to my side. Cassandra stood there, her expression tight. I then looked to my other side, scanning the empty space, before turning back to her.

“Are you talking to me?” I asked, pointing a finger at my chest.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m talking to you.”

“Ah,” I said, turning fully to face her. “You said something so utterly bizarre that I had to confirm it was actually directed at me.”

She drew a sharp breath, her composure cracking. “Alessia, enough is enough. You need to stop making Cassian miss work. It’s been weeks since the accident, and you look perfectly fine. Forcing him to neglect his responsibilities when the company needs him is just cruel.”

I tilted my head, my gaze turning analytical. “That’s an interesting assumption. Why do you think I’m making him do anything? Do you not think Cassian is capable of making his own decisions?”

She shook her head, a condescending smile playing on her lips. “Alessia, please. We both know Cassian wouldn’t miss work for anything, especially not now. You’re obviously using his guilt over your accident to manipulate him into staying with you.”

I gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Or—and brace yourself, because this might blow your mind—Cassian is a grown-ass adult who makes his own decisions, and he decided on his own to take time off?”

Her jaw tightened. I watched with detached amusement as her eyes darted around my face, her features twisting with barely suppressed anger. All the while, I took a calm, leisurely sip of my drink.

I really need to get this recipe.

Then, her expression cleared, a look of sudden, venomous realization dawning. “It’s… it’s not because of me, is it?” She didn’t wait for an answer, a brittle laugh escaping her. “Oh, my god. It is. And here I thought you were actually being mature about all this.” She shook her head in mock pity. “You’re making him miss work because of me? God, Alessia, that’s pathetic.”

I simply blinked, letting her words hang in the air.

She took my silence as an invitation to continue her deluded monologue. “I always knew you had a problem with me, but I never thought you’d stoop this low.” She leaned in, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “Cassian and I have been in each other’s lives forever. We have a history, a connection you can’t even comprehend. We will always be in each other’s lives, and there is nothing you can do to change that. I’m sorry you don’t share that bond with him, but that’s not my fault.”

She took a deliberate step forward, invading my space. “So you need to get over your childish insecurities and let us do our jobs. We have real work to do. We don’t have time for your little tantrums. Understood?”

A slow, incredulous smile spread across my lips. “Is that supposed to intimidate me? You’re adorable.” Then, I couldn’t contain it. A full, genuine laugh tore from my throat. “You have a connection,” I repeated, shaking my head as another wave of laughter hit me.

She took a step back, eyeing me with deep suspicion. “What is wrong with you?”

I let my laughter die, my expression cooling. “I don’t know what you want from me. You just gave a whole speech about your profound, unbreakable connection with Cassian. If that’s true, why are you talking to me? Go use your famous connection and get what you want from him. What do I have to do with it?”

“You’re guilt-tripping him because of your accident!”