CASSANDRA
A week later, Cassandra is getting ready for a job interview while Emilio is back in Italy for work. He calls every night to check in, but she misses him something fierce.
Just two days ago, she got a call about an interview for a personal assistant position. She half–expected Emilio to try and talk her out of it, but he hasn’t, and she’s grateful. She’s already been to two other interviews, but hasn’t heard back from either company.
She pulls her hair up into a chignon and steps into her heels. Grabbing her purse, she heads out the door. Three hours later, she’s offered the job. It starts Monday morning, and she’s buzzing with excitement,
She dials Emily’s number and asks if she’d like to meet for lunch. She needs to share her good news with someone.
When they meet up, Cassandra says, “Emily, thanks for coming.
A wailer comes over to take their orders.
“Honestly.” Emily says, “I didn’t think I’d hear from you again.”
““Why“s that?”
“You’re the boss’s wife. I figured he wouldn’t want you hanging out with his employees.”
Cassandra laughs. “That’s silly. Just because Emilio is your boss doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. He’s my husband, but he doesn’t get to decide who I can and can’t be friends with.”
“You’re really something, Cass.” Their drinks arrive. “So, are you gonna tell me why you called? You sounded all worked up on the phone.
“I got a new job and I wanted to share the news with someone.”
“That’s awesome, but why do you want to work when your husband can give you everything? Most women in your position wouldn’t even consider getting a job.”
“I’m not most women. Just because I have a rich husband doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. I had a job before we met, and honestly, the high life gets boring after a while.”
Emily shakes her head, looking stunned. “What did your husband say?”
“He wasn’t thrilled, but I saw that coming.”
“Do what makes you happy, Cass–that’s all that matters. Everything g else is secondary… So, when do you start?”
“Monday”
Thope Emilio will be back by then, she thinks.
“That’s fantastic,” Emily says. “We should celebrate. How about we go out tonight?”
“I’d love to, but I don’t have anyone to watch Alex.”
“Your son? No problem–my sister can babysit. She’s in high school, but she’s super responsible and won’t charge you anything.”
“Emily…”
“Only if you want to go out, but everyone needs a break sometimes.”
Cassandra sighs. “Okay, a few hours out won’t hurt.”
“Don’t sound so guilty. It’s not like we’re planning a crime spree.”
She changes the subject. “So, how’s work?”
“Same old, same old. Boring. I’m surprised the boss is so chill, especially with the bank being investigated.”
Cassandra chokes on her drink. “Investigated? For what?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? I thought Mr. Rodriguez would’ve told you.”
Emilio never talks about work with her. “He didn’t.”
“Well, one of our clients was up to no good, but the company caught it early. Now Rodriguez International is being investigated, and everyone at work is on edge. Even Mr. Smith is grumpy and making me work my ass off. Everything–client info, data, you name it- gets triple–checked before it’s approved. Hopefully things will go back to normal soon.
“When did all this start?” Cassandra asks.
“A couple weeks ago, maybe two and a half.”
All this time, Cassandra has been wrapped up in her own world while Emilio has been dealing with work. He must be under a ton of stress. The bank is his life.
It’s not just Emilio’s livelihood, he built it from the ground up and worked his ass off to make it what it is today. No wonder he’s been distant; no wonder he’s been working late. Of course he would work all hours to clear the bank of any wrongdoing. To protect it.
“I haven’t seen anything in the news,” Cassandra says.
“The investigation is being kept quiet–not even our clients know. We don’t want to cause a panic. The records show that the bank hasn’t done anything illegal, but we’ve beefed up security anyway. Plus, Mr. Smith and Mr. Rodriguez are in constant contact.”
She can imagine. “Hopefully it’ll all blow over soon. Emilio has worked too hard to let anyone mess with his bank.”
“That’s what everyone at work believes; we all trust Mr. Rodriguez completely, I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“Do you know who the client is?
“No, we were told that’s confidential. Jake knows since he’s one of the accountants, but he’s not allowed to say anything. I wouldn’t want to put him in a tough spot.”
“If you don’t know, then it must be serious,” Cassandra says. “And they’re probably not done investigating.”
“That’s what I thought.” Emily agrees. “But enough about work–what time should we meet up?”
“How about seven? Give me your
me your address, and we’ll go from there.”
Emily gives it to her, saying, “I’ll be waiting.”
Once lunch is over and they’ve said their goodbyes, Cassandra swings by to pick up Alex from daycare before heading home. A bit later, she’s just stepping out of the shower when her phone starts to ring. It’s Emilio on the other end.
“Cassie, I won’t be able to make it home tomorrow,” he says, his voice heavy with regret. “Things are a bit more tangled up than I anticipated.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Three to four days–I can’t be certain.”
Cassandra sinks down onto the bed. “We miss you,” she confesses.
“I know. I miss you guys too. I’ll do my best to wrap things up as quickly as possible,” he assures her. “Give Alex a kiss for me, and I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. Bye.”
It’s clear that the situation with the bank is more serious than anyone had imagined. Cassandra sends up a silent prayer that everything will work out.
They haven’t been intinute since Emilio left, and while she misses him desperately, she’s relieved that she doesn’t have to come up a reason for why they need to use protection. Next week, she’ll take a pregnancy test, and she can only hope that it will be negative.
Do you really? A tiny part of her secretly hopes for a positive result.
with
Cassandra lets out a sigh. If she is pregnant, Emilio probably won’t forgive her, especially if he discovers his true identity and realizes she kept it from him. Why did Emilio have to share such a monumental secret with her?
Cassandra gets dressed and spends the rest of her day with Alex. He’s been a bit cranky lately, and she suspects he’s missing his father. Emilio has become an integral part of their daily routine, and his absence is felt by both of them.
EMILIANO
Just a week ago, Emiliano had to jet off to Italy to soothe some of his investors, assuring them that the fraud scandal was just a blip on the radar. He’s still unsure of when he’ll be able to return home. He’s missing his wife and son something fierce.
Truth be told, Cassie and Alex have become a part of him. He’s grown accustomed to coming home after a grueling day at work to find them playing in the living room. He can’t imagine his life without them now.
God, he misses Cassie’s radiant smile, her gentle voice, every inch of her. Cold showers have become his nightly ritual since he left.
Emiliano can’t help but wonder how she’ll react when she discovers he’s the reason her job interviews have been going south. He hates. himself for it, but he can’t bear the thought of his wife working. He also doesn’t trust anyone else around her.
He’s not sure when or why he became so protective of her, but he made a vow on their wedding day to protect her with his life, and he intends to keep it.
Emiliano pulls out his phone and dials Cassie, but it just rings and rings. He tries four times, but each time he’s met with her voicemail. Worried something might be wrong with her or Alex, he calls José.
“I’ve been trying to reach Mrs. Rodriguez, but she’s not picking up. Do you know where she is?“”
“Mrs. Rodriguez went out, sir.”
“Out? Where to?”
“With a friend, sir. That’s all she told me
“It’s late, damn it!” He shouts into the phone. “Who is this friend?”
“She didn’t say.“”
“And where is Alex?‘ he demands
“She took him with her.”
Frustration surges through Emiliano. Where could they be? What could they be doing? Why isn’t she answering her phone?
“The moment she gets back, tell her to call me right away.”
Emiliano ends the call. How is he supposed to focus on work when he has no idea where his wife and son are?
