"I think I've seen you somewhere before," Cassie said, moving to sit next to Iris at the bar. He was nursing a drink, trying to ignore the sting of rejection.

"Hey, can I get a drink like the one he's having?" she asked the bartender. Iris turned to look at her, their eyes meeting for a moment before he looked away again. Her heart was beating fast, and she wasn't sure why.

The bartender poured Cassie a drink, and she took a long sip. "Thanks," she said, turning to look at Iris again.

She has never broken eye contact first, but this guy... there's something different about him.

And then it hit her. "Wait... we met at Coy!" she exclaimed. He was the first guy she met, and he smirked at my hair!

Iris turned to look at her, an expression of disgust on his face. "I'm not interested," he said, his tone blunt. Cassie laughed. "It's not like that," she said. "I just wanted to say hi."

"You don't look like the type who'd be hanging out in a place like this," Cassie said, taking another sip. "You must have been through something to be drinking like this."

Iris looked at her, his words slurring slightly. "I'm not one of your regular customers, so get lost," he said, his tone harsh.

Cassie slammed her glass down on the table, anger bubbling up inside her. She'd heard that before, but it was different coming from him.

"You think you're so much better than everyone else, huh?" she said.

She would have ripped into him if it had been anyone else, but there was something about him that made her feel different.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "I'm not a slut, okay?" she said, her voice shaking. "And trying to be your friend doesn't make me one. So f*** off!"

She stood up and stormed out of the bar, needing some fresh air. She always came here to clear her head, and it had never failed her before. But today was different. She felt vulnerable, like her emotions were on display for everyone to see.

It was getting late, and the sky was dark, but the light from the bar shone brightly, illuminating the street.

She pulled a cigarette and a lighter from her pocket, placing the cigarette between her lips and lighting it. The smoke filled her lungs, and she exhaled slowly.

"He's pretty wasted. We got his car keys too," she heard two men talking as they walked past her. They laughed about how they had stolen from a rich man who was too drunk to even notice.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the men were talking about Iris. She felt a pang of anger at the thought of him being taken advantage of. But then she remembered how rudely he had spoken to her, and her sympathy waned.

Still, she knew she had to help him. She saw the men approaching his car, and her mind raced. What could she do? She wasn't a fighter, and she didn't have any weapons on her. All she had was her wits and her crazy attitude.

She knew she had to do something. She just wasn't sure what.

She put out her cigarette and stepped on it, then marched up to the men. She faked a stumble, bumping into the man who had been speaking. In the confusion, she skillfully slid her hand into his pocket and stole the keys.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the man yelled. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, flashing them a winning smile before turning and walking away.

She slipped back into the bar, knowing they'd soon discover the keys were gone and come looking for her. She needed a plan, and fast.

She made her way over to where Iris was slumped over the counter, his head hanging low. He was practically passed out.

She looped her arm around his waist and draped his arm over her shoulder, pulling him to his feet. His head wobbled, and she struggled to keep him from falling.

She half-dragged him out of the bar, trying to stay hidden from the men who were now searching for the keys. She could hear them yelling and threatening themselves, but she focused on getting Iris to safety.

They stumbled out into the cool night air. Iris mumbled something incoherently, and Cassie had to tighten her grip on him to keep him from falling.

She started walking towards the parking lot, hoping to find his car and get him out of there before the men came looking for them.

"You're so heavy," she grumbled, feeling the strain of carrying him. "I need to put you down."

She set him down on the curb, and he slumped over, his head in his hands.

She picked up his phone and, to her surprise, found it unlocked. She scrolled through his contacts until she found one labeled "Sister".

*****

"Cassie, where have you been?" Meryl asked, her voice filled with worry. Cassie collapsed onto the couch, exhausted.

"I literally saved a guy who was almost robbed," she said. "I took him to Coy since that was the only place I knew him from, and then his sister came and started acting like a total bitch."

As Cassie spoke, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd done the right thing. What if the guy didn't even realize she'd helped him? She was starting to doubt her actions.

"You're such a bleeding heart," Meryl laughed, but Cassie sat up quickly.

"Have you told Tyrson about Michelle yet?" she asked, and Meryl shook her head slowly.

"I didn't get a chance," she replied.

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "Really? Or did you just not make a move?"

Meryl bristled, her cheeks growing hot. "I'm trying, okay? I was going to tell him before I went into his office and saw him... with that woman."

The thought of the woman seducing Tyrson made her stomach ache.

"Look, Michelle needs her father. They're already so close, all you have to do is let them know they're related," Cassie insisted.

"Are you guys talking about my dad?" a young voice piped up, and they both turned to see Michelle standing there, looking between them curiously.

"Michelle!" Meryl exclaimed. She couldn't believe she had forgotten that Michelle was there and could have heard their entire conversation.

"Mom, do you still talk to Dad?" Michelle's voice broke, and tears filled her eyes.

Meryl felt a lump in her throat as she knelt down in front of Michelle. "Hey, hey, it's okay," she soothed, wiping the tears from her daughter's face.

"I'm here with you, okay?" she said, not sure how to explain the situation. She wasn't sure how much Michelle had heard, but she was afraid it was more than she realized.

"I don't want to be with you. I want my dad!" Michelle sobbed, pulling away from her mother and running to Cassie.

Meryl's heart broke at her daughter's words. Even though she was a child, she knew that she couldn't lie about her feelings.

Hadn't she done everything she could as a mother? What else was she missing? She had just been trying to help, and now Michelle was hurt and running away from her.

Cassie wrapped her arms around the little girl, comforting her as best she could.
Meryl stepped slowly into the room, her heart breaking as she thought about her daughter's words.

Michelle bit her lip, regretting what she had said. "I'm sorry," she said, looking up at Cassie. "You shouldn't be mean to your mom."

Cassie nodded, her expression serious. "You should apologize to her," she said. "You know she loves you, right?"

"I know," Michelle said quietly.

*****

THE NEXT MORNING....

The next morning, Meryl got out of bed and picked up her phone from the charging dock. It had died last night, so she hadn't checked it since then.

She got dressed for work, trying not to think about what had happened the night before. But when she saw Michelle, ready for school, her heart sank.

"Cassie will take you to school," Meryl said quietly, looking away from her daughter. She couldn't bear to see the hurt in her eyes.

If Michelle wanted her father, then Meryl would make sure she got him. She was determined to tell Tyrson about his daughter today, no matter what.

As she arrived at the office, she noticed everyone was looking at her strangely. She felt like a spectacle, as if everyone was staring at her while they whispered behind her back.

She forced herself to walk to her department and greet everyone, but no one greeted her back. Some even turned their noses up at her, as if she were beneath them.

She tried to put the strange looks and whispers out of her mind, but it was hard. What had she done to deserve this treatment?

"Miss Meryl," Selene said, walking over to her desk. "You're needed in the CEO's office."

Meryl looked at her, searching her face for answers. "What's going on?" she asked.

Selene gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure everything will be explained soon," she said.

Meryl tried to ignore the mutters and whispers as she walked down the hallway, but they seemed to get louder and louder with every step.

"She's so shameless!"

"How could she?"

"I always knew there was something off about her!"

"I knew ever since the CEO dismissed her project!"

Meryl's heart was pounding as she approached Tyrson's office. She had no idea what was going on, but she was dreading what she would find when she got there.

As she walked down the hall, she saw Iris standing outside one of the offices. Relief washed over her - at least there was someone who could tell her what was going on.

"Iris!" she called, but he didn't turn around. When he finally did, his face was cold and unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away from her.

Meryl felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Iris had never treated her like that before. What had she done? What had she done wrong?

She opened the door to the CEO's office, trying to compose herself before facing whatever was waiting for her.

Inside, she saw Felicia, Tyrson's mother, sitting in front of Tyrson's desk. The older woman looked furious, her face contorted in anger.

"Mother," Meryl said, her voice shaking slightly. It was hard to think of her as anything other than her mother-in-law, even after the divorce.

"Don't you dare call me that, you little fool!" Felicia hissed, stalking towards her. Before Meryl could move, Felicia's hand had connected with her face, hard.

Meryl cried out in pain as she felt her lip split open, the taste of blood in her mouth. She reached up to touch her face, shocked at the bright red mark that was already forming on her cheek.

"How dare you come back here!" Felicia ranted. "You think you can seduce my son just because he has money now? You're pathetic!"

Felicia's words hit Meryl hard. Maybe she was right. Maybe Meryl was being selfish, wanting to get back together with the father of her child. Maybe she was being shameful.

"I'll never let you near my son again," Felicia warned, her tone full of menace. "You can either work somewhere else, or I'll have you thrown out of this building and you'll never be allowed to set foot here again."

The tears Meryl had been holding back finally fell as she left the office, her heart sinking. She'd lost her job, and there was no way she could tell Tyrson about Meryl now.

She tried to wipe her eyes, but the tears kept coming. She felt lost and alone, like there was no one she could turn to. Her whole world was falling apart, and she didn't know what to do.

Little did Meryl know that it wasn't just Felicia who knew about her relationship with Tyrson, it was now public knowledge, and everyone was talking about it.

As she walked down the hall, she ran into Julia. The woman looked at her smugly, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she said, looking at Meryl's swollen eyes and disheveled appearance. "Oh my, did you get slapped? Are those tears I see?" she taunted.

Meryl stayed silent, not wanting to give Julia the satisfaction of a response. But then it hit her - Julia must have had something to do with this.

"Did you tell my mother about this?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

Julia laughed, her eyes glittering with malice. "You're so naive, Meryl," she said. "Wait - you haven't seen the news?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face. She took out her phone and opened up the news app, showing Meryl the headline: "

"SCANDALOUS AFFAIR EXPOSED - YOUNG CEO'S EX-WIFE RETURNS TO CLAIM HIS FORTUNE" the headline read. The article went on to detail how Meryl had seduced Tyrson even though he was engaged to another woman, and how she'd only returned now that he was wealthy and successful.

Meryl's eyes were wide, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "W...who did this?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Julia's smile was smug and self-satisfied.

"Why does it matter to you?" Julia asked, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're just a gold digger."

Meryl turned away, but Julia grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, her voice hard.

"I'm being accused of something I didn't do," Meryl started, but Julia cut her off with a sharp slap to the face.

"Julia!" It was Tyrson, his face dark with anger.