Page 114 of Falling for the Boss's Son

They’d be arrested anyway. Even if they made her disappear.

Cassie didn’t want to think about that. How would they make her disappear? What would her family do? Jesse?

She figured her only hope was to appeal to Crystal and try to get to the bottom of this whole thing. Sandy seemed hell-bent on getting rid of her. Crystal, on the other hand, seemed genuinely distraught. “Crystal, there must be a way to work this out. Does Blake know you’re his daughter?”

It was a risk bringing Blake up again, but it was one she was willing to take.

Sandy answered, “Of course he knows.”

A moment later, Crystal responded, “I don’t know.”

Sandy put her hands on her hips as she looked at Crystal. “How could the man not know he fathered a child? Your mom talked about him all the time. It’s why my dad and your mom broke up. She was still hung up on Blake Masters.” She said his name with disdain.

“Have you talked to him?” Cassie asked Crystal, ignoring Sandy.

“No.” She looked down at the floor. “I tried once, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He’s very intimidating.”

While Cassie wasn’t intimidated by her boss, she could understand why some people were. He could be an imposing figure, especially when he was upset about something.

Then, because she needed to know, she asked, “Are you the one who left the notes on my desk? The one that said you knew what I did and the one today saying I was wrong?”

“I left the one today,” Crystal said. “I don’t?—”

“The other one was from me. It’s because of you that Crystal was left homeless. All because you found that stupid accounting discrepancy.”

“I was doing my job.”

Sandy didn’t seem to hear her. That, or she was ignoring her. “It was so small. Why couldn’t you leave it alone?”

“That’s not how it works.”

“How does it work, then, huh?” Sandy stormed over to Cassie again. “Blake’s other kids get everything their hearts desire, while Crystal here has to scrape by. Why shouldn’t she have a piece of the Masters empire? It’s the least she deserves.”

Cassie continued to focus on Crystal. “Why didn’t your mom get child support or a settlement or something?”

“I think?—”

There was a noise that drew all their attention at once. They all looked in that direction.

“Someone’s coming,” Sandy whispered.

Cassie didn’t stop to think. She screamed as loud as she could.

CHAPTER 28

A woman’s voice pierced through the industrial overhead lighting, bouncing off the metal and obscuring the direction of the sound. Fear settled in his gut as he took off toward where they’d found the bedding and clothes.

Given the blood on the stair railing, Jesse figured Cassie was hurt. His heart was pounding in his ears as he rushed by pipes and machines, Craig keeping pace with him. The other man didn’t question where he was going.

As they drew closer, he heard voices, but they were moving away. He was about to adjust his direction when he saw her. Cassie was on the floor. She was sitting, her back against a pipe.

She didn’t notice him at first. Her head was turned in the opposite direction.

“Cassie?”

She turned, her eyes wild, her face red and a little swollen on the left side. At the sight of him, she let out a sound he couldn’t quite describe. It was somewhere between a sigh and a whimper. “Jesse.”

He rushed to her side. It was then he noticed her hands were behind her back. He cupped her face in his hands. “Are you okay?”

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