Chapter Eight

The Version She Never Studied

Isla POV

Cassian walked away without another word, his footsteps fading down the hallway. I turned to Vivienne fast, heart still racing from the way he had grabbed my wrist. “What is going on? You have to explain right now.”

She wouldn’t even look at me. Her eyes slid right past mine as she turned and left the room, leaving me standing there like I didn’t exist. She had dragged me into this mess, and now she was abandoning me to deal with it alone. That hurt more than I expected.

On my way back to my room, I caught sight of Elias near the staircase. One hand gripped the railing, his face tight with confusion like he was fighting to make sense of what he’d just seen. After a long moment, he turned and disappeared into his room, closing the door quietly behind him.

I shut myself inside my room and leaned against the door. My mind wouldn’t stop replaying every second. The way Cassian caught my wrist. The pain in his voice when he asked why I was ignoring him. The history he clearly thought we shared. None of it was in Vivienne’s file. Nothing about a brother who looked at me like I had broken his heart.

I touched the thin gold necklace around my neck, fingers tracing the warm metal. Who was Cassian to Celeste? Why did Vivienne leave him out completely? Elias barely remembered him, but Cassian remembered everything. That made him the most dangerous person in this house.

Sleep wouldn’t come. I paced the room for hours. Every creak in the hallway made my heart jump. Naomi’s face kept flashing in my mind. She was alive because of this deal. I couldn’t mess it up. Not now.

——————————————————————

By the time breakfast was served, I had barely slept. I found Lila in the hallway carrying fresh towels and tried to sound casual. “Lila, can I ask you something? Who is Cassian exactly? No one mentioned him before last night.”

Lila stiffened like I had slapped her. The smile dropped from her face completely. She lowered her voice to almost nothing. “It’s best not to ask questions about Mr. Cassian. Please. Just… leave it.”

She hurried away before I could say another word. The short conversation told me enough. This wasn’t a normal family secret. People were afraid to even say his name.

Vivienne had deliberately kept part of Celeste’s life from me. And now I was stuck here with no idea how to handle it.

That afternoon, I found Elias sitting by the window in his room, quieter than usual. I sat beside him and touched his arm. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t understand it,” he said suddenly. “I barely remember my brother. But the moment I saw him… I hated him.” He let out a frustrated laugh. “How can I hate someone when I don’t even remember why?”

I kept my voice gentle. “Your memories will come back when they’re ready. Don’t push yourself. It’s okay to feel confused right now.”

He nodded, but then his expression changed. He studied my face carefully. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“The way Cassian looked at you last night…” He hesitated. “It didn’t feel like he was looking at my fiancée.”

I said nothing.

“He looked at you like…” Elias searched for the words. “Like he’d lost something important.”

The air in the room went still. I forced myself to stay calm. “Elias, I…”

He leaned forward slightly. “Is there something you’re not telling me about you and Cassian?”

The question hung between us. For one terrifying second, I thought the whole lie was about to collapse. My mind went blank. I opened my mouth, searching for words, when a knock sounded at the door.

The doctor walked in with his chart. “Time for your afternoon check, Mr. Hargrove.”

I stood up fast. “I’ll come back later. Rest well.”

I slipped out before Elias could say anything else, but his question followed me all the way down the hall.

——————————————————————

One of the household staff found me later in the living room. “Mrs. Hargrove wishes to see you. Not in the office. The conservatory.”

I followed the instructions. The conservatory was tucked away in a quiet corner of the estate, filled with plants and soft evening light. Vivienne was already waiting beside the glass walls.

She didn’t greet me. “From today onward, we won’t be meeting in my office.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Because circumstances have changed.”

I waited, then asked the question burning inside me all day. “Who is Cassian?”

Vivienne looked at me, her expression completely blank. “Someone you don’t need to concern yourself with.”

“You left him out of Celeste’s file. Why?”

“I gave you everything relevant to your assignment.”

“So there are things you didn’t tell me.”

Vivienne stepped closer. “Avoid Cassian. If he speaks to you, be polite. If he asks questions, answer carefully. And if you value your cover, stay away from him.”

She turned to leave, then stopped. “Don’t lose sight of why you’re here, Ms. Virelli.”

Without another word, she walked out, leaving me standing alone in the empty conservatory.

I stood there for a long moment, the plants crowding around me in the fading light. My hands shook as I touched the necklace again. For the first time since I arrived at the estate, the weight of it hit me hard.

I wasn’t simply pretending to be Celeste anymore.

I was pretending to be a version of Celeste I didn’t even know existed.

And Cassian was the one person who could prove it.