A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks to the immense support everyone's shown this book. There's only a five more chapters left to this story so I thought about slowing it down a bit but here's one to get you by the weekend. I won't be posting anything else soon as I will be swamped with things to do. In-laws are coming and to those who have them, you know how important that is. 

There's been plenty of speculation as to what's Seb's secrets are. I've heard some pretty wild, colorful ones. The secret will simply help Cassandra understand Seb better and it's something she'll help him through so he could come out of all of this a better man. But before we go there, let's go see what secrets Cassandra will learn about herself. 

Please vote and comment!

***

The week went by quickly.

Work was as demanding as ever, with a new rebranding project Tamara has assigned me to head. If anyone thought dating the boss was going to make my job easier, ha, they couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Because I was dating the boss, I felt like I had to work harder and prove my worth more than ever.

Since there wasn’t much that wasn’t obvious to everyone, thanks to the nearly daily tidbits about us on the internet after the gossip tabloid spilled the beans, people weren’t asking that many questions anymore.

I guess it’s only been a week and I’ve only mostly been around people at work. I was certain their restraint was partially due to the possibility that no one wanted to piss off Sebastian.

We were invited to attend a Halloween masquerade ball thrown by Jack Cartwright, an influential and wealthy businessman and philanthropist who had been using the ball each year as a fundraising event for a chosen charity. It was very highly publicized and always successful with the rich and famous making up the entire guest list. 

Sebastian participated each year. It was one of the several charity projects he’d become more deeply involved with in the last few years.

Ty and Emma were away for the week to Las Vegas so I turned to Lexie to help me find a suitable costume. It was my first public event with Sebastian and I wanted to make him proud. He told me to just order whatever I wanted but I insisted on making my own.

Lexie was attending with Marcus and Charlie was coming with a date too. She had me sleepover on Tuesday night at the twins’ spacious and stylish town house where we both worked on our costumes.

Sebastian made a surprise visit bringing some beer, snacks and Marcus, much to mine and Lexie’s amusement. The three of them, including Charlie, spent most of the night in the games room, first playing billiards before squatting in front of the TV and playing video games.

It was nearly four in the morning when we finished but instead of letting me stay, Sebastian insisted I take my costume home and sleep the rest of the day away at his place. We had taken the day off to prepare for the ball.

Lexie had just given her brother an amused, knowing look before helping me pack my costume and sending us off.

“Darling, I was—”

I looked up at Sebastian’s abruptly halted statement and found him staring at me through the mirror as he stood by the doorway behind me.

His green eyes darkened and his lips parted slightly in appreciation.

I smiled slowly before turning around to face him.

My ball gown was a deep blue-green satin creation with a strapless, heart-shaped neckline and a full skirt that was half-covered with several dozen shimmering faux peacock feathers that gathered more heavily at the hem.

My hair was gathered into a low bun, accessorized by a small, intricate fascinator made of glitter covered wires and a few pieces of iridescent plumes. The only jewelry I wore was the emerald necklace. My face wore very light make up, my eyelids swept with a shimmery soft gold shade and my cheeks dusted with a bit of bronzer to highlight the symmetry of my cheekbones.

“Do you like it?” I asked shyly, smoothing down the front of the skirt that wasn’t covered in feathers. “This was an old gown Lexie had. We had to make some adjustments to it but I think it fits me well.”
Sebastian took a few steps forward until I had to look up to meet his eyes.

“You’re breathtaking,” he murmured before lowering his head to kiss me softly on the lips.

I smiled against his lips before pulling back to look at him. “Thank you. And what exactly are you dressed as?”

He was dressed in an elegantly tailored black trousers and tailcoat with a white waistcoat over a white silk shirt and an old-fashioned white cravat. The chain of the gold pocket watch I gave him was also shown off as part of the outfit. He was clean shaven, his hair swept back except for an unruly lock that fell across his forehead. Whatever he was, he was devastating.

He smiled and held up a black satin covered half mask while he strapped it in place.

“I’m a slightly modernized English gentleman,” he answered with an unmistakable British drawl that highlighted his accent. “Off to a masquerade ball with an ethereally beautiful lady.”

I grinned as he offered his arm and picked up my own silver gray half mask.

The ball was held at Thaxley Hall which was practically a vast ballroom with a high domed ceiling, large, arched windows that nearly filled the walls, ornate chandeliers and old-fashioned but elegant furnishings that spoke of nothing but grandeur and wealth. 

I grew uneasy as Sebastian and I entered the front lobby where a long red carpet drew the path to the French doors that opened into the ballroom. There were formally dressed greeters at the start of the red carpet who handed us programs and some other sheets in a pretty gold sleeved card—I assumed it was for the guests who were expected to write big, fat cheques for donation to the cause—women in crisis, this year. 

“Relax, baby,” Sebastian murmured into my ear when I clutched his arm as we walked down along the red carpet where the press was waiting to snap pictures of us from the other side of the velvet ropes.

The press wasn’t specifically allowed to interview the guests but should they throw a question out and the guest decides to answer, they were not going to be kicked out for it—this was what Sebastian told me.

He stood to face them, his arm wrapped around my waist as I summoned all the confidence I could find in me despite the fact that I could barely see anyone’s faces past the blinding flashes of the cameras.

“Mr. Vice, what do you think of this year’s cause?” one reporter asked, thrusting a microphone in our direction. 

“It’s certainly a worthy one,” he answered affably, gracing the crowd of reporters a rare broad smile. “We should all do our best to ensure the welfare of not just women, but anyone who is in need. I can always count on Jack Cartwright to bring to light something that is worth the pledge.”

“How long have you known Ms. Collins?”

“Ms. C, who are you wearing?”

“Is it true that you’re secretly engaged?”

“Some say you were dating car racer Marcus Aldridge? Is this an upgrade, Ms. Collins?”

“What’s so special about her, Mr. Vice?”

I winced at the sudden stream of questions that had Sebastian stiffen and step in front of me as if to shield me.

“If you know better, you won’t cross the line,” was Sebastian’s low, gruff warning just as a couple of guards started to make their way towards the reporters. He knew my concern about stepping out with him into what I kept calling his world and he swore to me repeatedly that he was going to make sure I would do just fine.

Taking a deep breath, I squeezed Sebastian’s arm as I stepped out from behind him and smiled at the reporters who happily snapped away with their cameras.

“Thank you all for your interest but our presence here tonight is to help a very worthy cause,” I spoke slowly but firmly. “We count on you to do your part and ensure that this annual ball maintains its prestige and success so that it may continue to attract benefactors whose generosity could be put to good use.”

I turned to Sebastian who was staring at me with a fascinated smile on his face and slipped my arm through his before glancing back to the press and gracing them another smile. “Enjoy your evening. Please excuse us as we endeavor to do the same.”

As Sebastian and I continued down the red carpet towards the doors, he leaned over and pressed a kiss on my temple. 

“And here I thought I’d need to protect you on your first time out in a highly public event with me,” he murmured with a husky laughter. “But all you did was flash them your lethal smile and put them in their place with a few polite yet firm words.”

“I always attempt to be civil first,” I murmured back to him, grinning. “Wars could be won without bloodshed.”

His arm tightened around me. “Which is another reason you’re perfect for me. You know, Cassandra Collins, you’re not just going to make it in my world. You’re going to blow it away.”

I couldn’t help a foolishly happy smile which put a spring in my step as we walked into the grand ballroom. 

It felt like I walked into a fantasy world with the sea of men and women in the most creative, outrageous and lavishly beautiful costumes of all kinds. It was technically a masquerade but most people were identifiable.

Many people stopped us to meet me and chat with Sebastian—anyone from a fellow businessman/woman to a politician to  some type of celebrity. The women were very grandly attired and I didn’t miss the usual assessing look I got from anyone who wondered how I managed to snag myself  a catch like Sebastian Vice.

A pair of tall men headed our way, broadly grinning at Sebastian while one of them clapped him on the shoulder in greeting.

One had a sharp crew cut and an angular face and he was dressed as a pirate with one eye covered in an eye patch and a wicked grin on his face. The other was dressed as a Greek god swathed in white flowing robes, his light, reddish-brown hair tucked under a thin band of gold leaves that wrapped around his head. He seemed wise and all-knowing too, his smile warm and open.

“Good to see you, Seb,” the pirate greeted in the nickname that according to Sebastian, only people close to him ever used. “And here I thought old Jack was going to bore me to tears again this year.”

The Greek god elbowed his friend on the rib. “Watch it, Oliver. Dad almost didn’t invite you here tonight after last year’s fiasco.”

Sebastian surprised me by chuckling. “I will never look at the fountain the same way again after that.”

The Greek god glanced and smiled at me in greeting. “Hello, how are you?”

I couldn’t help but smile back just as the pirate named Oliver turned his attention to me and overtly appraised me with satisfaction. “Damn, Seb. Who have you got here?”

“Behave, Oliver,” Sebastian chided without heat as he pulled me close to him. “This is Cassandra Collins. Sweet, these two are unfortunately my friends—Oliver Yates and Stellan Cartwright.”

“Cassandra?” Oliver repeated as he shook my hand right after Stellan. “The Cassandra? The one you were yakking about that one time you got really drunk at a new year’s eve party a couple years ago?”

I blushed in embarrassment but Sebastian just laughed to my amazement.

I knew Sebastian didn’t have very many friends but I’ve never met the selected few he had before tonight. I suspected these were the same men I’ve seen with him in photos before—the infamous Cobalt Bay Billionaires minus one.

“He only said great things about you, don’t worry,” Stellan assured me with an amused smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you, though. We got really curious. Cassandra is a very special name.”

“Too bad, Max isn’t here tonight,” Oliver said. “He would’ve liked to meet you. He’s always ribbing Seb about this girl he only ever talks about when he couldn’t escape us fast enough and get drunk.”

“Well, you know what they say,” I said with a grin. “A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.”

The three men laughed and a sense of satisfaction settled over me.

Despite his complexities, here was proof that Sebastian could be just like a regular guy. How he was friends with them wasn’t going to be a simple story but the fact that he was reassured me that he hadn’t been completely on his own all these years.

“We should get together when we can all find time, Seb,” Stellan said. “We’ll just have to pin down Max in town long enough to drag him to dinner or something.”

Oliver snorted. “Oh, he’s in town. Just not in his usual jaunts. You’ll see.”

“Let me know when,” Sebastian answered. “Make sure to bring Vivienne. I’m sure she and Cassandra will get along famously. She’ll want to come anyway.”

“And she always gets her way,” Oliver muttered with a shake of his head. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll organize something. Make sure to join us, Cassandra.”

I smiled. “I’d love to. It was great to meet you both tonight.”

“It’s her first public night out with me so she’s got plenty other people to meet,” Sebastian said, squeezing me against him a little. “We’ll find you two later.”

They waved us goodbye before heading off across the room.

“You never specifically mentioned them before,” I told Sebastian as we continued on with our rounds. “You seemed to be all good friends.”

“I spent most of my summers here in Cobalt Bay with them and Max, whom you’ll meet some other time,” he said with a small smile as if reminiscing memories. “The three of them all went to the same school but Stellan took me into the group when we first met at his third birthday party one summer. I didn’t see them much after I moved around a bit after my mother died but when we did see each other, they always treated me as if we were still all good friends. They’re all busy running their own businesses now that we hardly get together anymore but I could always count on them showing up if I ever needed some company.”

“I’m very glad to meet them,” I told him with a soft smile. “They seemed important to you.”

He shrugged. “They’re my friend when it matters, even after I kept my distance from them for a bit. They never asked questions or pressured me into anything. It’s great for someone like me who likes to keep to himself a lot. I knew they were going to be here tonight so I thought it would be a good chance for them to meet you. Oliver was at that fourth of July party I threw four years ago but I didn’t introduce you in case he wanted you for himself.”

I snorted at the idea.

“Are you really all members of the infamous Cobalt Bay Billionaires?” I asked with a teasing laugh. “Apparently, you four are the most eligible bachelors of the city, if not the country. Probably because you’re all rich, powerful, young and handsome to boot.”

Sebastian groaned. “Oh, God. Someone coined that term a long time ago on some gossip piece and the name stuck. It’s silly and shallow if you ask me.”

“As long as you’re stamped not available out of the four of you, I’m good with that.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned down to murmur in my ear. “I’m branded with that, darling. You’ve ruined me for other women.”

I raised on myself on my toes to press a quick kiss on his lips, grateful for every little thing about him that he was learning to entrust me with.

Sebastian deepened the kiss slightly before pulling away with a low groan and gesturing around the crowd that we seemed to have forgotten. “We better keep going or I’ll end up taking you here in the middle of the ballroom.”

I spotted Lexie and Marcus at a distance—Lexie dressed as a sexy genie garbed in a billowy violet costume and Marcus as, well, a car racer, the lazy bum. Lexie had grumbled about that.

Sebastian and I were just heading over to them when a man in a very convincing white astronaut costume sans the bubble head, stepped forward and greeted us warmly.

“Vice, here you are! Good to have you tonight!”

Sebastian smiled at the man who, despite being much older, appeared to be still quite distinguished and handsome. 

“Jack, thank you for inviting us. It looks like it’s another success for you, old man.”

Jack Cartwright chuckled and patted Sebastian’s shoulder just as we were both removing our masks like many other guests had.

From the affable grin on Sebastian’s face, it looked like the two got along really well which was surprising considering how often he held other people at arm’s length. But tonight was full of surprises. Based on the name, this would be the same man Oliver and Stellan mentioned earlier. With the same last name, Jack was Stellan’s father.

“Well, if young folks like you keep coming every year, it keeps things interesting,” he said warmly before turning to smile at me. “Why don’t you introduce me to your beautiful guest, Vice.”

Sebastian put a hand on my back and gestured to Jack. “Cassandra, this is our host for tonight and a friend of mine—Jack Cartwright. Jack, this is Cassandra Collins, my girlfriend.”

I beamed at the man and held a hand out to him. “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Cartwright. Thank you for inviting us.”

He blinked for a second, his dark brown eyes flickering with some strange emotion before he glanced down at my extended hand and shook it briefly.

I glanced at Sebastian who seemed to have noticed the slight change in the man’s demeanor.

Looking back up at our host, he now seemed to be peering at me, his eyes narrowed as if thinking deeply.

“Have we met before, Ms. Collins?” he asked, oblivious to the surprised stare Sebastian had directed him. “Cassandra, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s Cassandra and no, I don’t believe we’ve met before, Mr. Cartwright,” I answered politely. “I did live in Cobalt Bay until I was ten but I haven’t really been back for good until this year.”

“Oh, please call me Jack. Tell me, do you have family here?” he pressed and Sebastian stiffened beside me but I stayed him with a firm grip on his hand. 

The man was becoming a bit too inquisitive for my liking but he was our host and seemed like a good man that I would like for us to come out of this without any harsh exchange of words.

“No, not any longer,” I said, my voice dropping a bit at the thought of my mother. “My mother passed away when I was ten. Her family took me in after that.”

A glimmer of—sorrow?—crossed the man’s face.

“It must be your mother then that I knew,” Jack said softly with a nod as if to confirm his own suspicion. “You look like her, maybe.”

I laughed. “Oh, no. Her dimples were the only thing I inherited. She always told me I look like my father. Unfortunately, I, uh, never knew him.”

The man’s eyes grew more troubled as he rubbed his chin. “She told you that, didn’t she? You don’t remember him at all?”

I blinked. I wasn’t even certain why I was responding to the man’s audacity but I couldn’t seem to stop. “I, uh...”

Sebastian put an arm around my shoulders. “Jack, just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean I’m going to let you interrogate Cassandra more than I would the paps outside. Let her enjoy your party. It’s her first masq—”

“Was your mother Gabriella Ralston?” Jack blurted out.

My eyes widened. “Yes, Ralston was her maiden name. How did you know—”

The expression on the man’s face startled me.

“Is your middle name Francesca?” he demanded urgently.

Absently, I murmured a yes as I backed up a step.

His eyes flashed with pain and disbelief, his chin trembled with emotion. “My, God! Cassandra... you’re Gabriella’s... My...”

“Jack, what the hell are you rambling about?” Sebastian demanded.

Jack glanced at him as if he’d just noticed Sebastian there. “Vice... She’s Cassandra... She’s...”

Sebastian scowled in impatience. “Yes, I know she’s Cassandra but what—”

“She’s my daughter!”

The loud gasp must’ve come from me but it quickly got carried away by the noise of the music and chatter.

For a second, the ballroom around me faded as the very ground I was standing on spun in a dizzying circle.

There was something very wrong, very altered, about this reality—and I’ve only had a couple of glasses of champagne.

My knees gave out slightly and I stumbled back but Sebastian quickly caught me and steadied me on my feet.

“Jesus, Jack,” Sebastian muttered, securing me by the waist and guiding me away slowly. “Couldn’t you have waited for a more appropriate time or venue to drop a bomb like that? She could’ve fainted in the middle of the dance floor.”

“Sebastian,” I croaked, clutching his arm as I warily glanced up and saw the face of the man who was largely responsible for why I felt like I’ve been plucked out of my body and dropped somewhere very unfamiliar. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Jack was saying as he led us down a dim hallway. “I was stunned myself. I... Here, let’s get her in here. She can sit down and have a glass of water or something.”

It was a sitting room of some sort, comfortable and nicely furnished, with a small, high window. 

My heart rattled in my chest as I kept my grip on Sebastian’s arm, unwilling to leave his protection from... from my father.

Oh, God.

“Cassandra, listen,” Jack started saying as he crouched down beside me, reaching out to touch my hand.

Flinching, I gasped and snatched my hand away.

His face creased with frustration and pain but I kept my distance.

“I can explain everything,” he said slowly, raking a hand through his hair—a dark auburn the shade of rich brandy just like mine, except for the gray that peppered around his temples.

He looked up at me with pleading eyes—large, dark brown eyes that matched mine except for the lines around the edges.

His nose had the same slight tilt at the end that gave it a bit of an upturned look my mother was forever patting when I was little, his face was the same heart shape as mine.

Oh, God.

J.C. for Jack Cartwright.

The mementos weren’t from my adoptive father but my biological one. They must be. The pieces were too expensive to have belonged to my paupered adoptive father.

I reached into Sebastian’s coat and unclipped the pocket watch. He gave me a wary look but didn’t ask or protest.

I clutched the watch in my hand and held it in my lap.

“My father had a gold pocket watch,” I managed in a small, shaky voice. “What is engraved on the cover of it?”

He blinked and glanced at the watch I wrapped in my hand. “The one I gave your mother was one with a ship sailing out to sea on it. It was to symbolize the Cartwright family business—I own luxury liners.”

I closed my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before loosening my hold on the pocket watch and holding it out for him to see. “Would it be this one?”

His eyes widened as he peered at the watch without touching it though he looked like he longed to.

“I gave it to her a week after we’ve been together,” he said in a near whisper. “I told her I would take her out one day on one of the ships and we’ll travel the world together, little that she’s seen of it. It was special to me. It was from my father. I loved your mother very much but it was the most I could give her then.”

“Well, since you were obviously already married, you couldn’t really give her what she wanted, could you?” I said hotly before I could stop myself.

I winced and rubbed the spot between my brows. “I’m sorry. I... I realize now that this watch is yours but I’ve given it to Sebastian as a present, thinking it was from my father—the man who’d married my mother in her sorry state and gave us his name.”

His lips pressed together in a tight line, grimacing at the sharp edge of my comment. “Please keep it. It is from your father—the one you hate for abandoning you all these years. I’m not saying I’m without fault, Cassandra, but I would like a chance to tell you what happened so that maybe you’ll understand me somehow.”

Biting my lip, I turned away and pressed my cheek to Sebastian’s cheek. “I can’t do this—not right now. I... I never expected to ever meet you and I was perfectly content with that. I don’t need to be enlightened. It won’t change anything.”

Jack sprung up on his feet and paced restlessly. “But I looked for you—all twenty-two years of your life! I—”

“Jack, if I may,” Sebastian interjected softly, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back as he held me against him. “The news alone that you’re her father is a pretty big shock for Cassandra. If she decides she wants to hear your side, she will let you know. I suggest giving her time and space for now. She’s not ready.”

“I will never be ready,” I grumbled although my hands twisted together clumsily. 

“It’s alright, my love,” Sebastian murmured to my ear before turning back to Jack. “What do you say, Jack? You said you’ve waited twenty-two years. A little bit more time shouldn’t be too much to ask. At least you’ve met her now. You know she’s well taken care of and happy.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Jack stiffen and glare down at Sebastian. “Is she? Because I know you, young man. I know how ruthless you are with the ladies.”

It was an absurd exchange I almost laughed but the torrent of confusion and mixed emotions slammed into me again.

Sebastian half-growled. “Do you seriously want to have this conversation with me, Jack? Question everything about me as much as you like but never about my love and loyalty to your daughter. I will not warn you a second time.”

Jack just grunted back in response before pausing to look at me.

I avoided his eyes. 

“One day, I’ll tell you everything that happened, Cassandra, and hope that you’ll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for my mistakes. You’ve always been my daughter since the moment you were born and I would give anything to make things right with you. When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”

Footsteps faded out of the room and only when I knew he was gone did I crumple against Sebastian.

Saying nothing, he tightened his arms around me and let me lean against him for several moments as I tried to quiet my rioting emotions.

My father.

I meant it when I said that I’d never thought I’d ever meet him—that not once did I even wonder what it would be like if we ran into each other. In my mind, he was a distant speck in my past—one I didn’t care to dwell on because all my mother ever told me of him was how he’d hurt her. She’d only ever spoken of it a few times but then my mother always avoided talking about my real father. I figured it was because she was still angry with him but if she were, why did she keep some of his things and marry a man with the same initials?

As for James Collins, was he even real or did my mother just dream him up to give me a better version of a father?

I had his name on my birth certificate because they’d been married before I was born. I never asked to see a marriage certificate.

Did my mother keep things from me—or was everything she told me about my real father true? That he was nothing but a charming liar?

I suddenly wished my aunt and uncle were still alive—maybe they could give me answers. We never spoke about my parentage so I wasn’t even sure that they would know anything. My mother didn’t move to Bluefield until she was certain she hadn’t got much time to live. 

“Would you like to head home?” Sebastian asked gently.

I lifted my head and smiled weakly. “And miss an incredible masquerade ball? A little discovery like who my real father is, who also happens to be throwing this ball, isn’t going to spoil my fun.”

He smiled a little but his green eyes bore into mine with understanding and concern. “I’ll throw you a masquerade ball grander than this if you like. You don’t have to endure this tonight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, my mood lightening in spite of my self.

Trust Sebastian to solve my problems in his signature style.

“I’ll manage, don’t worry,” I reassured him, reaching up to rub his jaw affectionately. “As long as he keeps his distance, I won’t be bothered.”

Sebastian arched an unconvinced brow at me. “You’re not the best of liars, sweet.”

“You’re probably right but what I lack in skill I make up for with determination,” I retorted fiercely. “He’s been so far removed from my life that having him around really means very little to me. He was a nameless sperm donor who had callously used my mother and now he has a name and a face. That doesn’t change what he did or what his impact is on my life.”

“No one could sympathize with you better than I could about the curse of a father one loathes,” Sebastian said quietly, his gaze drifting past me for a moment, his forehead creasing slightly. “Because of that, I’ll be the first to tell you that no matter how hard you try to be indifferent to the idea, the fact is that he is an unchangeable part of your life. You can ignore and fight it all you want but it will never go away.”

My eyes squeezed shut in frustration. “I can’t let his appearance in my life mean anything, Sebastian. I have no need for a man who abandoned me and my mother and who’s probably only looking on to me in an attempt at redemption that I can’t give.”

“And you don’t have to. Not right now anyway,” he assured me gently, leaning down to press a kiss on my forehead. “But it’s not just him, you know? Stellan and Vivienne are your half-siblings.”

I gasped as the truth of his words sank in. 

First a father and now siblings?

I was an only child my entire life. The idea of having a brother and a sister seemed alien to me.

“So, should we stay or go home?” Sebastian prompted, studying my face.

I bit my lip as I deliberated. “We stay. I have no intention of letting anything ruin this night.”

Sebastian nodded and got up on his feet, taking my hand and helping me up.

He grazed the back of his hand along the curve of my cheek. “You don’t even have tears for him.”

I squared my shoulders. “He deserves none. Let’s go.”

I don’t know how I pulled it off but I managed to get through the evening without breaking down or bolting out. Jack kept a polite distance as the dinner and program rolled on. From afar, I secretly observed him, unable to refute the fact that there was a lot about him that was like me. 

It fascinated me that this man had swept my mother off her feet—it wasn’t difficult to imagine since even in his older years he could easily be a dashing debonair with his charisma and big personality. It fascinated me more to wonder how this man was half-responsible for why I was on this earth.

All of a sudden, in twenty two years, a burning curiosity was rapidly catching fire inside of me—questions about him, about my mother and their accursed affair.

I inwardly groaned at the realization that despite my resolve not to let him change my life, it seems like he already has in one night.

We left the ball promptly within the first hour after the formal program ended.

On our way out, I heard him calling my name.

Sebastian was determined to keep going towards the coat check but I grasped his arm as I halted.

There was no reason why we couldn’t be all civilized about this.

“Cassandra, wait,” Jack was saying as we turned around to face him.

Most of the guests were still inside that the lobby was empty enough to offer some privacy.

“What?” I asked curtly. 

His expression was still anxious and wary—as if he were expecting an attack from me any second from now.

I took a deep breath and tried to relax my taut nerves. “Yes, Mr. Cartwright?”

“I’m in no position to ask you anything but please call me Jack at the very least,” he asked softly as he reached handed me a folded note. “I’ve written down all my information—phone numbers, my office and home addresses, emails—anything that could be of use should you wish to contact me.”

I was tempted to retort that Sebastian could’ve provided me all that even though it will never become necessary but the man seemed almost desperate I couldn’t be cruel. 

I took the note and slipped it into my clutch without looking at it. “The ball was a success. Thank you for inviting us.”

He looked like he wanted to say more but he just nodded. 

For a man who had charmed the entire crowd tonight, he was flustered as if he didn’t know what to do.

“Take it easy, old man,” Sebastian said gently, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “She’s in good hands.”

“I’m available whenever you decide to talk, Cassandra,” he said earnestly. “And if you’re ever in need of anything, don’t hesitate to come to me. Whatever you think of me, I’m your father and I will protect you and care for you like one.”

I surprised myself by saying, “Thank you, Jack.”

A faint smile hovered on his face, his warm brown eyes glistening. 

I couldn’t help an almost reluctant curve of my own lips as I nodded and turned to leave with Sebastian.

During the drive home, I sat in silence, thinking about the altered state of my life.

Understanding my turmoil, Sebastian simply held my hand, his finger absently circling my palm just to remind me he was there.

While we were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I turned to him just as he stepped out of the shower.

“Do you ever think about what it will be like to be a father someday?” I asked out of the blue, leaning against the marble counter in my silk nightgown. “Knowing what you know about your father and what you know about mine?”

He paused, his green eyes narrowing slightly before they lowered to my waist. “Are you...”

I laughed. “No, it’s not what you think. I just wondered...”

My humor disappeared and I bit my lower lip. “It’s just that we both had wonderful mothers but our fathers—let’s just say they wouldn’t win any best father awards. How does that shape us to become parents?”

A small smile turned up on Sebastian’s mouth as he came up to me and settled his hands on my waist.

“Four years ago, the idea of a family frightened me,” he said softly, rubbing a hand behind his neck before moving to the scar under his collar bone. “I was very much like my father and would’ve made the same mistakes he did. That was why when I started wanting more with you, I tried to push you away. I didn’t want to inflict myself on you but I lost the battle and did it anyway. When you left, I thought I’d proven my fears—I wasn’t capable of anything else but hurting you. But because I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it, I had to try to be better because that was the only way I was going to let myself have you.”

He drew in a deep breath, his forehead wrinkling in thought. “I’m not really sure if I’ve made any progress but I feel that as long as you’re with me, I can probably do it. So despite the failures of my father, I will do my utmost best to be a good husband to you and a good father to our children. If there’s one thing I’m certain of when it comes to fatherhood, it’s that the last thing I want to do is put my own children through the hell I’ve gone through.”

I smiled and slipped my arms around his bare waist, my lips pressing against his chest. 

He was right.

I’ve once told him the same thing—our parents’ sins weren’t our own even if we somehow ended up paying for them.

***

Friday morning, I woke up with a phone call from Emma screaming happily in my ear that Ty had proposed to her on Halloween.

Bleary-eyed and still half-dazed, I managed to grin and gush my congratulations out to her and Ty. 

They were returning on the weekend but we would miss them as we were flying out to Sebastian’s secret weekend destination early this afternoon after half a day at work.

“That sounded like good news,” Sebastian remarked wryly as he walked into the room carrying two mugs of steaming coffee He’d been startled awake by Emma’s phone call too and had gone to the kitchen while I chatted with my best friend. “Either that or Emma was strangling a cat.”

I grinned just as I ended the call and tossed my cellphone on the bed. “Definitely good news. Ty just proposed to her on Halloween. She’s over the moon. I’m amazed that she managed to hold off a day before telling me.”

I eagerly took the mug he handed me and took a long sip. “They must’ve been busy... celebrating.”

“Hmm.”

Looking up at his wordless comment, I found him sitting back in a low-slung chaise near the foot of the bed, his bare legs crossed at the ankles, his bare, magnificent muscular torso on display. 

“What?” I asked, curious about his thoughtfully narrowed gaze. “Are you not happy for them?”

“Of course, I’m pleased for them,” he answered casually. “They’re happy and in love. It’s inevitable.”

I paused in sipping my coffee, my eyes lowering as I wondered if Sebastian was leading up the conversation somewhere I wasn’t sure yet I wanted us to go to.

“Some people have it simple,” I murmured as I pulled up my knees and wrapped an arm over my legs. 

“Ours is pretty simple,” he said and I looked up wondering if he was being sarcastic but his expression was serious and thoughtful. 

“We’re a far cry from simple,” I said dryly. 

Sebastian lowered his mug on the coffee table next to him and walked back to the bed, settling in beside me. “Our bottom line is simple—we can’t be without each other. The rest of it are just minor details.”

I smiled and set down my own coffee mug on the nightstand. “Minor, huh?”

He laughed softly as he leaned over me, his hands slipping under my tank top to wrap around my waist.

Scooting back, I let him crouch over me, his mouth teasingly exploring mine as he pushed up my tank top to expose my breasts which he promptly mauled with his tongue before his hands glided down to pull my pajamas down to my knees.

Wiggling my legs, I freed myself from my pajamas and laughed as Sebastian held me by the waist before flipping me over on my stomach, his lips grazing the curve of my butt.

I gasped out as his fingers delved between my legs where I was moist and aching, my hips rising as I hunched down on my elbows and spread my legs slightly apart.

“You’re always ready for me, sweet,” Sebastian murmured as he hovered over me, kissing the slope of my neck as his fingers pulled out only to be quickly replaced by the full, quick thrust of his cock. “And I always want you.”

My fingers gripped the sheets as I let my head roll back, my eyes squeezing close as my body rocked to the rhythm of Sebastian’s slow but deep pounding. 

The fevered pleasure he wrought on my body intensified as he changed his angle and surged deeper into me, the slick friction igniting me further.

My orgasm came out of nowhere. 

Sebastian’s name ripped from my lips as I trembled and buckled down the bed, struggling to keep my hips raised as he raced to his own release which he roared out a few seconds later.

Gasping for breath, we both collapsed on the bed, his arms wrapping around me as he pulled me close.

“I take back what I said about the rest being minor details,” he panted softly at my ear, his hand sliding up to cup my breast. “There’s nothing minor about anything related to us. There can’t possibly be anything minor about the best thing in my life.”

I smiled and turned within his embrace so I could look at him. 

“I love you, Sebastian,” I murmured as I touched the side of his face, my fingertips lightly grazing the curve of his ear. “And no, there’s nothing minor about you and me at all.”

His green eyes shimmered in the golden light of the morning sun that had been slowly filling the room. 

He turned his face to kiss my palm before cradling my hips closer to him.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Cassandra,” he said in a warm, husky voice. “I’m sure you know that.”

“I do,” I answered softly, lowering my eyes and tucking my head under his chin.

The look on his face told me all that I needed to know—the question he wanted to ask—but I wasn’t certain this was the right time. 

There was nothing I could want more than a life with Sebastian—and we will have it.

I was determined to give him the happy family he deserved but the only way for that to happen was to lay the ghosts down once and for all so they would no longer haunt him.

***

So, what did you think about Cassandra's discovery? I think what she learned in this chapter will help her as a person later in the story. And how about Seb's friends?

Please vote and comment! And I'm already warning you that next post may not be till well within next week which is why I left you with this to mull over. Go enjoy the weekend! Go out and have some fun because this story will get heavy before it gets better. =)

XOXO! -Ninya