Chapter 219: Mr. Cassius Messed Up!
Cali instantly knew something was off.
She snapped back to reality, eyes locking onto Gemma.
“You look kinda pale, Gemma. You okay?”
Gemma waved a hand dismissively.
“Cali, I…”
She remembered what Robin had said–keep it quiet. The words stuck in her throat.
“You probably already know… Drogo’s here.”
Cali, in fact, had no clue.
She’d been running around with clients, hitting up events, then locking herself in the studio for two days, determined to drop a bombshell with her year–end designs.
She hadn’t kept up with anything else.
She immediately moved closer, scanning Gemma with concern.
“He didn’t touch you, did he?”
“That little bastard was never any good.”
“If the village chief hadn’t come by that day, he would’ve choked you to death.”
Gemma shook her head. “I’m fine. He didn’t lay a hand on me.”
Cali’s jaw clenched.
“So, he still thinks he can pull that crap? What, does he think we’re still in that godforsaken village?”
Just thinking about their past made her seethe.
If she could, she’d burn that place to the ground.
Gemma grabbed her hand.
“It’s okay. It’s just… seeing Drogo again has been messing with my head. I keep having nightmares.”
“Cali, be careful too. Don’t let them get their eyes on you.”
Cali blinked.
She paused, processing.
“You mean… Drogo’s not the only one?”
Gemma nodded. “That day, HE was hiding in the back, but I saw him.”
Cali’s face went ghost–white.
“Humphrey Wayne? My brother?”
“Yeah.”
“He just won’t quit, huh?”
Gemma pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back.
“He’s smart. Even though you changed your name, he might still find you.”
“If it gets bad, just lay low for a while.”
“If he can’t find you, he’ll eventually give up.”
This was N.L. City—
Crazy expensive to live in.
Even if Humphrey had money, he couldn’t keep up with the cost.
People from their old village were lazy.
There was no way he’d get a job to support himself.
And even if he did, with no education or experience, he’d be stuck doing temp work.
Which was actually a good thing–if he had a job, he wouldn’t have time to harass Cali.
Cali took several deep breaths.
“I’ve done some interviews before. I’m worried he might’ve seen them, figured out who I am. The only reason he hasn’t found me is that this neighborhood is hard to get into, and the security’s tight.”
Then, something clicked. Fear gripped her as she sank onto the couch.
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Chapter 219: Mr. Cassius Messed Up!
“Gemma, we ran so far. Why are we still being found?”
“I don’t want to go back. My life’s finally moving forward. I can’t go back!”
In that village, no one cared how much a woman earned.
To them, a woman had one purpose–having kids.
Gemma hugged her tighter.
“I’ll figure something out. I swear, we’re ending this nightmare.”
Cali cried for a bit, then slowly pulled herself together.
And that’s when it hit her.
“Gemma, you could’ve just emailed me about this. You have my encryption software—it wouldn’t have been traced.”
“So why did you risk coming back?”
“Did something happen?”
Gemma admired her sharpness.
But it also made her heart ache.
“It’s nothing. I just have a work trip coming up, and I was worried about you. I wanted to see you myself.”
Cali exhaled in relief. “Jeez, you scared me for a second.”
“But you be careful too. You’re kinda famous now. There are a lot of eyes on you.”
Gemma hugged her again.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll be careful.”
The next day.
Gemma took an extended leave.
The Integrated Medicine Department wasn’t fully operational yet, and the director had brought in a few senior specialists to oversee things, so it
wasn’t too hard to get time off.
The real key?
Cassius had already given the director a heads–up.
So, she had to get the time off.
When Gemma saw Cassius waiting outside the hospital, she was stunned.
“You’re coming too?”
Didn’t Robin say this was supposed to be a secret?
Why was Cassius here?!
She’d nearly had a heart attack trying to keep this from him when she went back to the estate last night!
Robin flashed a grin, his white teeth gleaming.
“I invited Cass. He’s our expert.”
Gemma, “???”
“Ms. Kelestine, you might not know this, but Cass is quite skilled in forensic analysis.”
Gemma, “…”
He called him Cass.
So, they were close, huh?
She glanced at Robin, then at Cassius.
Her eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Cassius spoke up, his voice calm.
“I was the one who invited him to help you. You were right.”
Gemma, “!!!”
Was this guy a mind reader?!
The gratitude she had been feeling? Instantly gone.
Robin drove.
Gemma and Cassius sat in the back.
Cassius spoke in a low voice. “Rob and I grew up together.”
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Chapter 219; Mr. Cassius Messed Up!
Gemma leaned in slightly.
“You two seem pretty different, though.”
Cassius nodded. “Maybe that’s why we’re friends. We balance each other out.”
“Cassius, next time, can you give me a heads–up? I looked like an idiot in front of Officer Robin.”
“He wouldn’t dare think that,”
“Oh? Mr. Mind Reader, you can control what he thinks now?”
Gemma stole a glance at Robin.
He seemed fully focused on driving, oblivious to their conversation.
Cassius spoke casually.
“When it comes to someone I care, he wouldn’t dare be careless.”
Gemma, “II”
Her soul felt like it had just been hit by something.
Her heart trembled.
“Everyone says you’re not interested in women, but honestly? You don’t seem like someone who’s never been in a relationship.”
Cassius’s fingers twitched slightly.
Had he been that obvious?
He thought he’d been subtle.
So, she noticed?
Looks like he needed to stop borrowing Noah’s romance novels for bedtime stories.
And when he got back, he’d have to return the ones stashed in his room.
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
He turned to the window, watching the sky-
A deep, endless blue, not a cloud in sight.
Gemma’s soft voice drifted to his ears.
“It’s just a feeling. Every time you talk, it sounds like… you’ve rehearsed it.”
Cassius, “???”
“I mean…”
Gemma paused, trying to phrase it better.
“It’s like you’ve been sitting on these lines, tweaking them little by little, waiting for the perfect moment to say them.”
“You don’t sound like someone who’s never dated. You sound like a pro.”
“The kind who’s been through countless dates but never gets attached.”
Robin, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly burst out laughing,
“Pfft-”
Mr. Cassius, busted.
A rare sight indeed.
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