86

ASA'S POV

"Can we stop beating around the bush for a second? One of us is going to have to explain this to Cassandra, and I want to at least be able to help her understand something. Anything," I remark, swiping my thumb across my lower lip in frustration. If she just found this out and had a panic attack over it, then she will most definitely have questions when she wakes up. "Why did you keep this from her? It's not like her and Blake had a good relationship. It wouldn't have changed anything."

My eyes flicker over Zac's face, watching his Adam's apple bob as he swallows in what looks like unease.

"Because it would have tarnished how she saw our mother. You don't know what it was like after our mom passed. Cassandra was a mess. We all were. But the one thing that kept her going was that she idolized our mom, and I...I couldn't do that. I couldn't be the one to tell her that our mom cheated on my dad, and that Cassandra didn't even get a chance to know him," Zac admits weakly, and I practically freeze at his choice of words.

Zac was trying to protect her? I don't know why that seems so out of the ordinary, but as an older brother, I don't know if I can say that I wouldn't have done the same thing if it was my own sister, Andrea, we were talking about right now.

"I...okay. But when did you find out?" I decide to ask my questions cautiously. I'm nervous suddenly, because I don't know if I can be the one to tell these things to Cassandra, because Zac is right. This likely broke her heart already, and knowing that Zac was trying to protect her would only make her feel even worse for the way in which she reacted.

"That night that Camara called you? That's the night that I finally opened up those diaries that my mom left behind. It's all in there. Everything."

"And Blake? He knew too?" I think that's the hardest thing to wrap my head around. Did Blake know this entire time that Cassandra wasn't his biological daughter? It's mind boggling to even think that, but I guess I can see it. She looks nothing like Blake, whereas Zac is the spitting image of him, but then again, that doesn't really mean anything either.

"He found out after our mom passed. I guess he read the diaries before I did? Honestly, we never talked about it like that, but when I confronted him to confirm if it was true or not is when he admitted to knowing, and that's also when he decided to push Cassandra out," I watch intently as Zac runs his hands over his face in frustration. "I was okay with Blake being the bad guy. I was okay with accepting the CEO role that Blake kept pushing on me if that meant that he wouldn't cut Cassandra out of his life completely, but he still did, slowly. Never directly, but in ways that were painful to watch. I never wanted any of this, but I also never wanted her to know about our mom."

I let out a shaky breath, leaning my arms on my thighs again and folding my hands together once more. Everything he says checks out. That night that Camara called me and Zac was drunk. Check. Blake treating Cassandra the way that he did and her not understanding where it came from. Check. But there's still so much more that is unanswered.

Why is Camara involved in any of this? That makes no sense to me. But it's as if Zac can read my mind, because not even seconds after I look back up at him, he's answering me.

"You know how they say that you keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? That was this. I'm not some guy who was interested in fucking around with my little sister's best friend, but Camara knew, and this was the only way to keep her mouth shut."

"But that didn't work, did it?" I mutter under my breath. Cassandra deserved to know, even if Zac didn't deserve to be the one who had to tell her. But Camara? That's low of her to say anything to Cassandra. At least in the way she did. It surely shouldn't have happened how it did, because Cassandra had a full on panic attack.

Zac looks at me with a look that I can't read. It's as if he wants to say something, but is terrified of saying the words to me. I cock a brow at him, glancing towards the clock that's on the wall behind him. Where the hell is the nurse? She said she would be out in a few minutes, and it's been more than a few fucking minutes.

My patience is wearing thin, between this conversation with Zac and waiting to see Cassandra. I'm losing my goddamn mind. As much as I want to hate Zac, I can't, and as much as I want to run down the hall and through those double doors to see my wife, I also can't do that without likely getting myself arrested.

"Camara didn't tell her, Asa," Zac says. "It was Ethan that told her."

Ethan.

My heart practically sinks into my stomach and I'm at a total loss for words. I don't even think I'm properly processing what he just said. Did he just say Ethan? Maybe I'm hearing things?

"Ethan?" I choke out. I'm never like this. I never get flustered, except when I'm with Cassandra, but that's a good, love dovey, heart in my ass type of flustered. But right now, I'm in a panicked flustered and I'm the most cool, calm, and collected guy I've ever met.

"Yeah," Zac strikes me with his sharp gaze and I swallow hard, closing my eyes. "He was at the office today, and I guess he decided that today was a good fucking time to tell her. I honestly have no clue what happened really. As I said, by the time Cassandra stormed into my office, she was already freaking the fuck out."

"Ethan was at the office!? What the hell? How did he even get in?" I raise my voice this time, nearly wanting to jump out of my seat with how angry I am. We have security set in place for a reason. Only employees and verified guests can enter the premises at all times, and Ethan sure as hell doesn't work at Rhodes Enterprises.

I watch as Zac's facial expression ticks in annoyance, and it makes me want to strangle him for taking his time to respond to my question.

"It was my fault. I had some things to discuss with a project we are moving forward with in Australia, and he happens to work with the partnering firm. I didn't think he would be a threat, or it wouldn't have happened."

In the next two seconds, my entire body feels like it's on fire. I'm so pissed that Ethan was even allowed into the building, even though I don't have a reason to be apart from the fact that he's Cassandra ex-boyfriend. But I'm even more angry because Zac knows that Ethan isn't good news. Zac is the same fucking guy that warned me about their past and about all the shitty things Ethan had put her through.

But Zac seems to be lucky, because either the nurse who had come up to us earlier has noticed the tension between us and my impending anger with how my fists are balled next to me, ready to strangle my wife's brother, or maybe she just happened to be ready to come regardless.

"Mr. Rivers? I can take you back now. She's still asleep, so if maybe you can come back for now, and you two can see her after she's awake," she tells us calmly, interrupting at just the perfect moment and keeping me from ramming my fist right into Zac's pretty little face.

I'm still fuming, but as soon as the nurse is standing besides me saying that I can see Cassandra, I'm also jumping to my feet.

"Okay, thank you," I tell her as calmly as I can in that moment, taking a deep breath as she smiles at us. I feel Lauren squeeze my arm before I leave, and I glance her way, seeing the reassuring look that she's trying to give me. Lauren seems to know that I'm angry at Zac, possibly even at her, but cares enough to make this only about Cassandra. I nod at her, gulping a bit as I move to follow the nurse back to see Cassandra.