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Chapter 184
Chapter 184
“No. I am not leaving this room until I get that dress,” Cassandra said, crossing her arms.
Her manager, Gena, who had been leaning against the wall checking her phone, sighed and stepped forward.
“Cass, come on. It’s not worth the trouble,” Gena said. “You’re making a scene, and it’s not going to help.”
Cassandra didn’t budge.
They were now back in Cassandra’s dressing room. The black dress was gone. Cassandra had been forced to leave the fitting room earlier when Cindy threatened to call security and “let the media cover a tantrum in real time.” Gena didn’t want the press involved, so she dragged Cassandra out before things escalated.
Cassandra paced in front of the mirror, arms still crossed.
“I’m not wearing anything else,” she muttered.
Gena dropped her bag on the couch and sat down. “Cass, you’re exhausting today.”
“I’m serious. That dress was mine.”
Gena leaned forward. “That dress was never yours. And Cindy wasn’t bluffing. Do you think she won’t let this explode online? She’d love the PR. You’re not the only one who knows how to use media.”
Again, Cassandra didn’t respond.
Gena stood up again. “Look. The white one is still here. You know–the silk with the hand–stitched pearl overlay? Deep V- neck, sheer sleeves, low back. It fits you better than the black one ever would. You’ll look taller, and your skin will pop under the lights. Plus, the slit in the black one made your knees look weird last time.”
Cassandra turned sharply. “I told Lawrence I’d wear black. I promised him.”
Gena stared. “Then call him. Let him handle it. Lawrence has pull with Cindy. If this really matters, he’ll step in.”
Cassandra mumbled something but pulled out her phone again. She dialed Lawrence’s number. Just as she expected, it connected after one ring.
“Lawrence,” she said quickly. “We have a problem.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond.
“I’m at the venue and that woman Cindy gave the black dress to someone else. Some woman named Isabella. I don’t know who she is, but she was laughing–like actually enjoying this. I’m telling you, they were both looking down on me.”
Gena rolled her eyes behind her.
“I tried to be polite,” Cassandra kept going. “I even offered money. A promotion. And Cindy just shut me down. She treated me like I was nobody. Like I’m just an actress who doesn’t matter.”
“I mean… would you allow them to treat me like this?” She paused and pressed her lips together, waiting for his reply. Then added, “That woman just insulted me. Are you going to let her get away with this?”
“Cass,” a deep voice responded. “I’m still in the middle of a meeting. Just wear what you want to wear. Let’s talk about this later.”
“What?” Before Cassandra could say more, the latter had already ended the call. Almost immediately, Cassandra’s face turned hot. She looked at Gena, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Did–Did that just happen?”
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Chapter 184
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. The two quickly looked at the woman who walked in.
“Miss,” the woman said. She was one of Cassandra’s PAs, named Cleo. “I found out something about that woman in the dressing room.”
Cleo quickly handed Cassandra the tablet.
“She’s called Isabella Rossi, and apparently, she has some ties to the Rossi Group. But I checked the names of the executives of the Rossi Group, and she’s not one of them. Also, she’s currently working for another company–Weiss Inc. And get this… Miss Pamella Johnson’s fiance is her direct head!”
“Pamella?” Cassandra frowned. Of course, she knew Pamella. They used to go to school together in a private boarding school in New York. She was a friend of Cassandra and one of the people who helped her score a gig when she started acting,
Cassandra scrolled through the tablet, her finger pausing when she reached a highlighted line. “Isabella Rossi,” she read aloud. “Affiliated with Weiss Inc…. previously linked to Calen Weiss…And heiress?”
She kept reading. A rumor about Isabella being Calen’s ex–girlfriend popped up. Another article speculated about workplace dynamics, hinting at an office relationship gone sour.
Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. She tapped the side of the tablet and glanced at Cleo,
“She’s not even listed on Rossi Group’s executive board. No formal title. If she’s really an heiress, why is she working in someone else’s company?”
Gena shrugged. “Some of them like to ‘build experience,‘ remember?”
Cassandra didn’t respond. Her mind was already moving. She had met a lot of people like this in the industry. People who had the same last names as those well–known individuals and would immediately claim some sort of connection. If Isabella really did have something with Calen before, the pieces clicked together.
“An office romance,” she muttered. “She tried to seduce Calen Weiss. Got dumped for Pamella.”
Cleo shifted. “Should I call Miss Pamella and let her know what happened?”
Cassandra looked up. “You haven’t yet?”
“I already did,” Cleo replied with a guilty look on her face. “I called her to confirm the information. She said Miss Rossi isn’t affiliated with Mr. Weiss anymore and is about to leave Weiss Inc. Miss Pamella said you could do whatever you want.”
Cassandra smiled as she set the tablet on the table. She’d heard about Pamella’s engagement just a few days ago, and now Pamella tells her that Isabella Rossi is no longer associated with Weiss Inc.?
“Good. That’s all I needed to know.”
Cassandra leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. Her fingers tapped against the side of the tablet.
“So that’s why she left,” she said. “The engagement”
Gena raised an eyebrow. “You think Calen asked her to leave?”
“She probably had no choice,” Cassandra replied. “Pamella gets engaged, and suddenly the ex–girlfriend is packing up her desk? It’s obvious. They had a thing, it ended, and now she’s out.”
She grabbed a bottle of water from the side table and took a sip.
“She must’ve found another backer,” Cassandra continued. “Probably someone else rich. Maybe some heir with a trust fund and no idea what he’s getting into. That would explain why she’s even here. Dressed by Cindy. Attending events she has no real standing to be at.”
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Chapter 184
Cleo tilted her head. “You think she’s trying to move up through the usual method?”
Cassandra shrugged. “What else could it be? No title. No position. No actual credentials with Rossi Group. And yet she’s suddenly showing up to a high–profile launch party in a couture dress meant for me?”
She stood up and walked over to the mirror. She stared at her reflection.
“She’s trying to seduce someone again. Maybe Calen Weiss didn’t work out, so now she’s moving on to another heir. That’s what this is. That’s why she’s here.”
Now, she couldn’t help but wonder who was the one behind this woman.
Cleo and Gena didn’t speak. Cassandra looked at both of them through the mirror.
“Well, she’s not going to pull that off tonight,” she said. “Not while I’m here.”
