Chapter 5 - The Glass Wall
The air in the foyer turned instantly to ice.
I stared at the paper folder sitting on the stair runner. The white pages had spilled out slightly, revealing legal seals, trust clause headings, and highlighted birth-line provisions.
Before I could speak, the front doors burst open.
Cassian stepped inside, drenched from the rain, flanked by Gideon and three armed bodyguards. The moment he saw Julianna standing near the stairs, his eyes turned into burning coals.
“Get her out of my house,” Cassian ordered, his voice dropping into a register so dark and dangerous that even the security guards hesitated for a split second.
Gideon stepped forward, grabbing Julianna’s arm with zero gentleness.
“Touch me and my father will strip your security licenses!” Julianna shrieked, struggling against Gideon’s grip as she was dragged toward the door. “She knows, Cassian! I told her! She knows she’s just an incubator for your trust fund!”
The heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off her voice instantly.
Silence fell over the grand hall.
Cassian turned his head slowly, looking up the staircase at me. His face was pale, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
“Clara,” he said, taking one step up the stairs. “Let me explain.”
“Is it true?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper, my hands clutching my belly. “The trust clause. Is it real?”
Cassian stopped on the fifth step. He didn't lie. He never lied to me.
“Yes,” he admitted quietly. “My grandfather’s will stipulates that control of Rowe Global Shipping requires a direct biological heir before my thirty-fifth birthday.”
A cold, sickening wave of nausea washed over me. All the sweet morning breakfasts, the soft cashmere clothes, the gentle hand resting over my baby’s kicks—it all felt like a calculated corporate strategy.
“So that rooftop hotel meeting six months ago...” I whispered, tears spilling over my lashes. “You knew who I was?”
“No!” Cassian shouted, his composure shattering completely as he took three stairs at a time, stopping right in front of me. “No, Clara! I swear to you on my life, I had no idea who you were that night! I didn't even know your last name until Gideon found your janitorial application two weeks ago!”
“Then why didn't you tell me about the trust?!” I sobbed, stepping back, away from his outstretched hands.
May you like
“Because I knew you would react exactly like this!” Cassian cried out, his eyes raw with panic. “I knew you would think I treated you like an object! I didn't care about the trust, Clara! If I lost the company to the Vance family, I didn't care! I only wanted you and our baby!”
“I need to be alone,” I choked out, turning away from him and running down the hall toward my suite, locking the heavy oak door behind me.
