I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 89: This Is War...

Chapter 89: This Is War...

(Casey’s POV)

___________

Now, that I was all alone, for the first time since the last two nights when Jace turned up on my doorstep, the quiet settled around me like a silk sheet—deceptively light, but weighted with everything I had to face today. For the first time since I started living in the house, it felt big and lonely.

With Jace and Ethan out chasing Maven, my battlefield was different, but no less daunting. The house felt eerily still, the echo of their departure still vibrating in the air. I stood in the living room, my bare feet on the cold tile floor, and let out a long, centering breath.

Time to move.

I turned on the speaker and let soft jazz trickle through the air. Music always helped. I padded toward the kitchen, grabbing a glass of orange juice and a protein bar, eating as I moved. My to-do list ran through my mind like a mental scroll unraveling far too fast. Lawsuit, check. Florists with a vendetta? Check. Board members getting antsy? Check. A best friend who was lying to me and who I was also lying to? Check. My own emotional chaos that I was pretending wasn’t there? Triple check.

I moved to the bedroom, pulling open my closet doors. My eyes scanned over outfits—what does one wear when preparing for war? This wasn’t my first time dealing with such lawsuits, but every time, I always found it hard. I was always nervous because there was always this fear that someone would one day beat me at court and run my company to the ground. That shit was scary as fuck.

I settled on a sleek black pencil skirt and a white blouse with delicate pearl buttons. A little armor disguised as elegance. As I dressed, my thoughts drifted back to last night. Jace’s touch, his voice in the dark. His need to protect me. God, how did I get so tangled up in him? Ever since the first time we spent together, that was a question I had been trying to find an answer to. But so far, I have been failing woefully.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. A reminder; "Meeting with legal team – 9:30 AM." Great. That gave me about 45 minutes to finish prepping. I was running out of time. I sat down at my vanity and started brushing through my hair. Every stroke brought a bit more clarity. I didn’t just need to win this lawsuit—I needed to bury it. I needed to show everyone that my company wasn’t a playground for drama queens who couldn’t handle not being the center of a camera lens.

As I applied makeup—light foundation, a swipe of mascara, nude lips—I visualized the room I’d be walking into. An angry florist with a few lawyers. Lawyers who smelled blood in the water and simply wanted the money my company would have to cough out if the suit ended up in their favor. My own team, looking at me to lead. I couldn’t afford a single misstep. Not when everything I’d worked so hard for was on the line.

I walked into my home office, laptop in hand, and powered it up. Emails flooded my screen like a second tidal wave. I skimmed through them, heart thudding faster as I read the subject line of one in particular that had been sent in by Liam: "Update on Lawsuit – Urgent." I clicked it open and scanned it. More claims. More exaggerations. More twisted narratives designed to paint me as the villain.

Fine. Let them.

They didn’t know who they were dealing with.

I opened another tab and pulled up the presentation I had been building—my weapon of choice. Every graph, every photo, every email trail—documented and laid out to crush any argument they had. If they wanted a fight, I was more than ready.

Somewhere between aligning bullet points and checking evidence logs, my mind flashed to Kira. I hadn’t seen her since the dinner debacle. She’d been distant, cold, like a flower curling in on itself. And I missed her. But I knew I couldn’t just show up empty-handed. I needed clarity, and something in me whispered that today might be the day to find it.

But first—this lawsuit.

I stood from the desk, slipped into my heels, and took one final glance around the house. Every corner was quiet now, but it pulsed with everything left unsaid. Everything I still needed to do. Everything I still needed to fix.

As I grabbed my keys and walked toward the door, I muttered to myself, "Let’s go save a company... and maybe, just maybe, a heart or two along the way."

I hurried out of the house, locking the door behind me. Then, I got into the car and keyed the ignition. I was ready for the day!

My hands gripped the steering wheel as I zoomed down the street, my mind whirling at a hundred miles an hour. The sun was low, casting a golden haze over everything in its path, but it did nothing to settle the storm of thoughts swirling inside my head. Today was going to be it—the day everything either collapsed or came together. I could feel it in my bones. But damn, I was going to make it happen. I had to.

I didn’t even wait for the phone to ring more than once before I pressed the call button. Liam answered on the second ring, his voice a calm balm against the chaos in my mind.

"Liam," I said, trying to keep my tone steady, even though my nerves were dancing on the edge of panic. "I need you to make sure the lawyers are already at the office when I get there. Have them in the conference room, waiting for me. And no delays. I can’t afford any more wasted time today."

"Got it," he said, his voice smooth and efficient. "Anything else you need?"

"Yeah," I muttered, my foot pressing harder on the gas pedal as the car surged forward. "Make sure the team has all the updated docs ready for me. I want everything laid out perfectly. No last-minute scrambling, okay?"

"I’ll get on it," Liam said, his tone never faltering. I could hear the sound of him typing away on his end. I was sure he was already ticking off tasks in his mind. "Anything else, boss?"

I chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I need you to track down the latest numbers from the florists. The ones who are giving us the most trouble. We need to be prepared for their bullshit today. Also, go through everyone we’re working with on this wedding, and let’s try to figure out how many of them would give us grief. Pay special attention to those who we had to dump at the last minute for one reason or the other. So, in case of future lawsuits, we’ll shoot down that bird before it even takes off."

"You got it," he replied quickly. "Anything else I can do to make sure you’re ready when you arrive?"

I let out a sharp breath, my grip tightening around the wheel as I made a turn too quickly, the tires screeching slightly on the asphalt. "No, that’s it for now. Just make sure I can walk in there, handle this like a pro, and leave with everything in my favor. I can’t afford to have anything go sideways today."

As I merged onto the main highway, I couldn’t help but feel a strange thrill coursing through me. My mind kept spinning with all the possible outcomes, but deep down, I knew I was ready for whatever came my way. This was it. Maven was out there. He had been taunting us for too long. Today, I was going to put an end to the whole damn mess, and I wasn’t going to be anything less than ruthless about it.

The sound of Liam’s voice broke through my thoughts. "You still sound tense. You sure you’re ready for today?"

I almost smiled. "Tense doesn’t even begin to cover it. But I’ve never been more ready in my life. I’m not just walking into that office today to settle this—I’m walking in to dominate it. And that’s it. We’ll be done with this bullshit and focus on planning the fucking wedding!"

Liam chuckled, the sound was rich and reassuring. "That’s what I like to hear. You’ve got this."

I let out a breath, my fingers drumming on the steering wheel as the car sped down the highway. "I hope so. This isn’t just about me anymore, Liam. It’s about everything I’ve worked for. Everything I’ve built. It’s all on the line. I don’t just have to win; I have to win big. Otherwise, these bitch walks away unscathed, and every other person would think we’re fair game. That’s something I’ll never be able to live with."

I could hear the sincerity in Liam’s voice as he responded, his words laced with determination. "And you will win. You’ve got the brains, the strategy, and the guts to see this through. Whatever happens, you’re not walking away empty-handed."

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips, though the tension still held me tight. "You sure know how to keep me going, don’t you?"

"Just doing my job," he quipped, a playful edge to his voice. "But seriously, you’ve got this. If there’s anyone who can put this woman in her place, it’s you. And you’ll make a spectacle of it while you’re at it."

I nodded, even though Liam couldn’t see it. "Yeah, I know. It’s just... the unknowns. There’s always something that could go wrong, you know? I’m trying to prepare for every contingency, but there’s still that nagging feeling in the back of my mind."

"Feeling is normal," Liam said, his tone steady. "But let me tell you something: the best leaders thrive in chaos. You don’t just survive it—you make it your own. This day is yours to shape. And no one’s going to take that from you."

I let out a soft sigh, trying to push back the jitters as I glanced at the clock. Time was running short. I could almost see the office in the distance, the place where everything was about to unfold. "Thanks, Liam. I needed that. Just... keep your phone on. I may need you to pull some strings, depending on how things go."

"Always," he replied. "I’ve got your back. Every step of the way."

I took a deep breath, letting the words settle in. I wasn’t alone in this fight. I had people in my corner, and that meant everything. "Alright. I’m pulling up to the office in a few. Let’s make this happen."

"You got it," Liam said, the finality in his voice making it clear that this conversation was over for now. "Go show them who’s boss."

As I parked the car, I couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of adrenaline and clarity. The nerves were still there, but they were a part of me now, pushing me forward. Today, nothing was going to stand in my way.