Chapter 3 - What Lily Had Been HidingAfter Cassandra was taken away, the party ended.
The guests left quietly.
The headlines began before midnight.
But I didn't care.
I took Lily home.
She was silent the entire drive.
When we entered her bedroom, she finally spoke.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Are you mad at me?”
My heart broke.
I knelt.
“Never.”
“I thought you were.”
“Why?”
“Because Cassandra said you would believe her instead of me.”
I closed my eyes.
“How long did she say that?”
“Every time I cried.”
I held her.
“You should have told me.”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“Lots of times.”
I remembered.
Every time she had started talking and stopped.
Every time she had asked whether Cassandra would be angry.
Every time she had hidden behind me.
I had missed it.
Lily continued.
“She said if I told you, you'd send me away.”
I hugged her tighter.
“I would never do that.”
“She said you loved her more.”
I felt tears in my eyes.
“I was wrong.”
Lily looked at me.
“I thought she was nice.”
“So did I.”
“Why did she change?”
“I don't know.”
Lily looked down.
“Maybe because Mommy isn't here.”
I froze.
“What?”
“She said Mommy died because she was weak.”
My blood went cold.
“She said Mommy couldn't protect me.”
I held Lily's face.
“Your mother loved you more than anything.”
“I know.”
“She didn't die because she was weak.”
Lily nodded.
Then she asked,
“Is Cassandra going away forever?”
“I don't know.”
“Will she come back?”
“Not into this house.”
Lily relaxed.
That was enough for tonight.
But the next morning, my attorney called.
“There's something you need to know.”
“What?”
“Cassandra has hired counsel.”
“I expected that.”
“She claims the footage is misleading.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Of course.”
“She also claims you manipulated Lily.”
My jaw tightened.
“What?”
“She says you're using your daughter to destroy her.”
I looked at Lily sleeping peacefully.
“Can she prove that?”
“No.”
“Then let her talk.”
The attorney paused.
“There's another problem.”
“What?”
“Cassandra wasn't only after your marriage.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“She accessed your corporate accounts.”
My blood ran cold.
“What?”
“She had copies of internal documents.”
“How?”
“She was collecting information.”
My attorney sent me a list.
Transactions.
Emails.
Confidential reports.
Investment documents.
Cassandra had been inside my company for months.
This wasn't only abuse.
It was calculated.
She had been planning something.
I called my security team.
“Find everything she accessed.”
Hours later, they came back.
The answer was horrifying.
Cassandra had downloaded information related to a major acquisition.
A deal worth nearly two billion dollars.
She had also accessed my personal estate planning documents.
And Lily's inheritance structure.
I stared at the report.
She hadn't just wanted to become my wife.
She wanted control.
Then I noticed one file.
My late wife's life insurance records.
Cassandra had accessed them too.
I felt sick.
“Why?”
My security chief didn't answer.
I looked at the screen.
The date of access was three months before Cassandra and I became engaged.
She had been investigating my wealth before she even entered my home.
May you like
The perfect woman had never been accidental.
She had been chosen.
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