Chapter 3
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Zara knocked on the door, her hand steady, her expression unreadable.
From inside, a voice rang out, casual and amused. “Come in.”
As she stepped inside, Cassidy slid off Landon’s lap with a lazy smirk. She let out a light chuckle, eyes gleaming with mischief.
“So, this is Zara? Cute name. Doesn’t really suit you, though.” Her voice was drenched in sarcasm, her gaze sweeping over Zara like she was nothing more. than a cheap imitation. “She kinda looks like me, but honestly? She looks like a
clown.”
For a split second, Zara hesitated, caught off guard by Cassidy’s sheer audacity. The chandelier overhead cast a warm glow on Cassidy’s flawless features, accentuating her striking presence.
With every move she made, she seemed to command attention. When she finally locked eyes with Zara, it wasn’t curiosity or interest. It was pure condescension.
Dressed in a sleek black pearl gown, Cassidy was a vision of elegance. Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, a silky frame to the smug satisfaction in her expression.
She tilted her head, her smirk deepening.
“That kid in your belly,” she mused, her voice sugary sweet, but dripping with bitterness, “do you think it’ll even turn out decent? You’ve never been able to keep a single one all these years, so why bother trying now?”
Her soft chuckle that followed was anything but kind.
“A hen that can’t lay eggs,” she added, stretching lazily in her seat, clearly relishing the tension she was stirring.
Landon’s jaw tightened at her words. His sharp gaze cut toward Cassidy as his temper flared. “Watch your mouth. She’s my girl.”
But Cassidy wasn’t the least bit intimidated. She rolled her eyes, tossing a bored glance his way before shifting her attention back to Zara. Her playful smirk never faltered, even as she delivered the next blow.
“So tell me, Landon,” she drawled, “since you left, why’d you come back?”
She sighed dramatically, then let out an amused chuckle. “Felt bad for you, that’s all. But I’m over it now. I’ll be leaving.”
22:00 Sat, 15 Mar
As she passed Zara, she reached out and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, her smile as arrogant as ever.
“Hey, side chick, if you know what’s good for you, you should just disappear.” Her words hung in the air like smoke, but she didn’t wait for a response from
Zara.
She turned on her heel, her radiance filling the room one last time before she disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind only the lingering scent of her perfume.
Flustered and still reeling, Landon barely had time to speak before his eyes. landed on Cassidy’s new companion–a man whose hand was now resting securely around her waist.
His gaze was anything but casual, lingering on Cassidy with possession and amusement. Landon’s hands curled into fists at his sides, his expression darkening.
Seeing Cassidy, confident and untouchable, set something off inside him. The anger that had been simmering beneath the surface finally boiled over.
“Fine! You’ve got guts! You really do!” he snapped, his voice low with fury. “If you’re that capable, then don’t ever let me see you again!”
Cassidy barely spared him a glance. Her smirk widened, her expression cool and dismissive as she intertwined her fingers with the man beside her.
Landon’s fury deepened, his chest rising and falling in sharp breaths, but he didn’t look back–not at Cassidy, not at Zara.
With one last glare, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the Emerald Lounge, leaving Zara standing alone in the middle of the room.
Zara’s lips pressed together in a tight line.
But in this world, if you didn’t fight back, you got trampled.
No one crossed a line without consequences.
Cassidy, draped in her designer gown, was a striking figure of power and cruelty. She picked up a glass of red wine, swirling it leisurely before raising it to her lips. Her eyes flickered with something wicked as she turned toward Zara.
Then, without hesitation, she tilted the glass forward.
The deep crimson liquid splashed over Zara’s white dress.
A slow, satisfied grin stretched across Cassidy’s face.
Chapter 3
Sat, 15 Mar
“Clown, get lost,” she sneered, voice laced with condescension. “If I ever see you with him again, I won’t let you off so easily.”
Laughter erupted around them, murmurs of amusement rippling through the room as onlookers delighted in Zara’s humiliation.
The whispers were like sharp daggers, cutting–mocking her for being the woman who couldn’t even hold onto her title as Landon’s girlfriend.
Zara stood still, feeling the warm liquid seep into the fabric of her dress. She could feel the weight of their stares, their amusement at her expense.
But she didn’t flinch.
Instead, with a slow, deliberate motion, she lifted her hand and slapped Cassidy across the face.
The sound echoed like a crack of thunder, cutting through the laughter, and silencing the room.
Cassidy’s face turned red with shock and fury. Before she could react, Zara’s voice sliced through the tension–calm, steady but deadly.
“You’d better keep your mouth shut,” she said coldly. “I don’t want that man anymore. If you love picking up trash, then take good care of it.”
Cassidy’s fingers trembled near her cheek, but Zara didn’t wait for her to
recover.
She turned on her heel and walked out, stepping into the freezing night air. The cold wrapped around her instantly, but it was nothing compared to the ice in
her heart.
She was done.
But the night wasn’t done with her.
all
As she made her way home, a Maserati sped past, splashing dirty water a over her.
Zara barely had time to react before the passenger window rolled down.. Cassidy was leaning lazily against the frame, that same smug smile playing on her lips.
“Side chick,” she called out, voice laced with amusement, “consider that your punishment for slapping me.”
Her eyes gleamed as she tilted her head, feigning curiosity. “Oh, and this car- do you recognize it?”
Zara blinked, wiping the water from her face as Cassidy continued, her tone.
dripping with satisfaction.
“I heard that on your birthday, he gave you a Maserati, right?” Cassidy let the words linger before delivering the final blow. “Well, let me break it to you. On your birthday, he wasn’t even there. He was in the U.S. with me.”
She let that sink in before her lips curved into a smirk. “As for this car? He bought two. Mine’s the top–spec model.”
She let out a slow breath, watching Zara with barely concealed mockery. “Yours? Just a sponsor’s hand–me–down.”
With a final, triumphant glance, Cassidy rolled the window up and sped off, her laughter lingering in the night like a cruel echo.
