The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife
Chapter 40: Zeke Call

Chapter 40: Zeke Call

They sat across from each other in one of the dealership’s glass-walled offices. Cassidy sat quietly beside Denis, composed as ever. Opposite them sat Kendra, arms folded and visibly irritated. Her lawyer, Mr. Grant, looked more nervous than prepared.

Claire waited outside with Carol. Thankfully, she was too young to understand any of this.

Denis began, calm and direct. "So, your client intends to press charges against mine for assault?"

Mr. Grant cleared his throat. "Yes. That’s what my client has requested."

Kendra jumped in before he could say more.

"She slapped me! She’s going to jail. I won’t settle. Unless she gets on her knees and begs."

Denis turned his head slightly, expression unreadable.

"Understood. But before you file, we’ll be filing our own claims: verbal defamation, false accusation, slander of a minor, and emotional distress inflicted on both mother and child."

Kendra scoffed. "What, because I spoke the truth? Come on, just look at her."

Mr. Grant shifted in his seat, swallowing hard. He knew this wasn’t going to end well.

Cassidy said nothing. Her gaze was icy, but steady.

Denis continued, his tone sharper.

"You called a three-year-old child illegitimate. Multiple times. In public. In this state, that qualifies for a civil suit and a restraining order. Shall I continue?"

Mr. Grant swallowed hard, clearly rattled. He turned toward Denis and asked, "May I have a moment to speak with my client in private?"

Denis nodded once. "Take your time."

Out in the hallway, his voice lowered. "You need to drop this. All of it. And apologize."

Kendra exploded. "What? You’re actually suggesting I apologize? She hit me!"

Mr. Grant exhaled through his nose.

"Do you even know who Denis Evans is? He doesn’t lose. If this escalates, you could lose everything, including custody. Do you want that?"

Kendra muttered a string of curses under her breath, but followed him back into the room. Her face was stiff with humiliation.

"I’m dropping the charges. I’ll apologize and cover the car damage. Fine. Happy?"

Cassidy looked at her coolly.

"Then go ahead. Apologize."

Kendra lowered her head, jaw tight. "I’m sorry."

Cassidy didn’t flinch. "Sorry for what?"

Kendra’s voice wavered. "I’m sorry for accusing you and your daughter unfairly. For saying things I shouldn’t have. And for blaming Claire when she did nothing wrong."

Cassidy gave a soft, humorless laugh. She could tell this wasn’t guilt, it was surrender.

She turned to Denis. "If we took this to court, what kind of compensation are we looking at?"

Denis answered without missing a beat.

"Minimum? Three hundred thousand dollars. If it escalates, could reach over a million, depending on how far we take it."

Cassidy faced Kendra again. "You heard that?"

Kendra’s eyes filled with panic. She hadn’t expected that number. Her shoulders sagged. Her lip trembled. "I’m really sorry. Please... I didn’t mean to..."

"Three hundred thousand. That’s all I want. Teach your son some manners. And next time, don’t judge people by how they look. You clearly have no idea who you’re messing with. Fix your attitude... before life does it for you."

Kendra nodded quickly. "I will. I swear, I will."

Cassidy scoffed softly, then stood. "Good."

Without another word, she walked out of the room. Denis followed silently behind her.

Mr. Grant sat back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. Today... was not his day.

Outside, she spotted Claire sitting on a bench, happily munching on a choco-chip cookie, a small milk carton beside her.

Cass crouched down. "Did you wait long, sweetheart?"

Claire shook her head, crumbs on her cheek. "Not really. The lady gave me a cookie and milk for free!"

Cass smiled gently and stroked her daughter’s hair.

A moment later, Kendra appeared with her son in tow. They walked over slowly, both looking uncomfortable. Kendra nudged her son forward.

He looked up at Claire. "I’m sorry," he mumbled.

Claire blinked, then smiled. "It’s okay. Just... don’t run so fast next time, okay?"

The boy nodded, eyes down. Kendra murmured a stiff apology and led him away without another word.

Cass turned to Carol. "Please have the cars delivered to the address I gave earlier."

Carol nodded. "Of course, Ms. Cassidy. Also, as you requested, I’ve already spoken to the customers who were recording earlier. They’ve agreed not to post anything online."

Cass gave her a faint smile. "Thank you... for everything."

She stepped outside, the sunlight warming her face. Denis was still there, hands in his pockets, watching her quietly.

She turned to him. "Thank you... for today."

Denis gave a small shrug. "Just doing my job."

Cass glanced at Claire. "Say thank you to the nice man, honey."

Claire looked up with a grin. "Thank you, Uncle!"

Denis chuckled. "What’s your name, brave girl?"

"Claire!" she chirped.

"Claire," he repeated with a smile. "You’re smart and strong. That’s rare."

Claire tilted her head. "You too, Uncle."

That made Denis laugh.

"Do you have somewhere else to go after this? If it’s not out of the way, I don’t mind giving you two a ride."

Cassidy gave a small smile, polite but firm. "That’s kind of you, but we’ll just take a cab."

Denis didn’t push. He simply nodded. "Of course." Then he looked at Claire and smiled warmly. "It was really nice meeting you, Claire."

Claire beamed up at him. "You too, Uncle..."

Denis gave Cassidy one last look and a slight bow of his head before heading to his car.

Inside, as he settled into the driver’s seat, he leaned back and exhaled slowly. His mind, however, was still at the dealership with her.

There was something quietly captivating about Cassidy. The way she carried herself. The calm beneath pressure. The fire in her eyes when it came to her daughter.

He chuckled to himself, running a hand through his hair.

Tall. Beautiful. Composed. Sharp. A little cold. Exactly his type.

He didn’t know if she was married, divorced, or something in between but one thing was clear:

Cassidy wasn’t someone a man could easily forget.

***

Not long after, Cass and Claire got into a taxi. Thankfully, she had already asked the staff earlier to send their shopping bags directly to her apartment.

As the car pulled away from the dealership, Cassidy pulled out her phone and called Georgia.

"Hey," she said softly. "Thanks for sending Denis. He was incredible."

On the other end, Georgia’s voice came warm and curious. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

Cass leaned back against the seat, glancing at Claire who was happily munching on the last bit of her cookie.

"It was just a minor thing," she said calmly. "Nothing to worry about."

But her voice held just enough weight to make Georgia pause.

"Cass..."

"Really," Cass cut in gently. "Handled. You don’t need to worry."

As the cab cruised down the street, Georgia’s voice suddenly perked up on the phone.

"So... what did you think of Denis?"

Cassidy paused for half a second. She knew exactly where this was going. "He’s good," she said, keeping her tone neutral. "Professional. Handled everything really well."

Georgia let out a satisfied hum. "He’s not just good. Denis is one of the top young attorneys in the city right now. Brilliant, respected, and he’s been working with our family for years."

Cass didn’t respond.

Georgia, of course, took that as an invitation to continue. "And let’s not pretend he’s not good-looking. The man’s tall, fit, smart, polite. Oh, and did I mention? He’s single. No girlfriend. Never married."

Cass raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Georgia sighed dramatically on the other end. "Come on, Cass. What did you really think of him?"

Cass chuckled. "Honestly? I wasn’t thinking anything. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to flirt with my lawyer."

Georgia wasn’t ready to drop it. "I just thought Denis would be your type."

Cass leaned her head back against the seat. "I don’t really have a type."

"Oh, come on," Georgia pressed, half-teasing. "Tall, sharp, confident? That’s totally your vibe."

Cass rolled her eyes, even though Georgia couldn’t see her. "I’m not looking, G. Seriously."

"Well," Georgia huffed playfully, "if it’s not Denis, I’ve got a whole list of other men I could introduce you to. All decent."

Cassidy chuckled quietly. "Thanks, but no. I’m not thinking about things like that."

Georgia groaned. "You’re so boring sometimes."

That made Cassidy laugh. She looked over at Claire, who was now dozing off, cookie crumbs on her cheek, and smiled softly.

"Maybe boring is good," she said.

Then Georgia dropped the bomb.

"By the way... Zeke called me earlier."

Cass sat up straighter. "What?" Her voice sharpened. "Why would he call you?"

Georgia hesitated just a beat. "He knows you’re in the city. And... he asked if you’d come to Elise’s birthday party this weekend." She paused, then added, "But wait—how did he even find out you’re back?"

Cass let out a soft sigh. "It’s a long story."

"He said Elise misses you," Georgia added gently. "And... if you’re free, he’d really like you to be there."

Cass stared out the window, her chest suddenly tight.

She hadn’t heard Zeke’s name in months. And now... this?

"Cass?" Georgia said softly.

"I heard you," she replied.

***