Chapter Two: Wrapped around her little finger

After Zara came downstairs, Cassandra asked if she had any plans for the weekend. Remembering her quiet, uneventful life, Zara simply replied, “No.” Gregory soon went out, leaving the two women alone. That was when Cassandra invited Zara to join her on a trip to the shopping mall to look for gowns and accessories for the upcoming Lancaster Ball.

They left the house in a sleek Cadillac and headed to a designer’s studio. Inside, various dress samples were displayed. Cassandra, known for her sense of fashion, immediately caught the designer’s attention. He brought out a rare vintage fabric crafted in China decades ago. The moment Cassandra saw it, her eyes lit up. She eagerly told the designer that she wanted a dress made from that fabric.

When it was Zara’s turn, the designer presented her with a striking gown. It was a straight, pink dress made with frosted Swarovski diamonds. The gown featured a deep V-neckline that revealed a daring amount of cleavage, with a plunging cut that extended down toward her lower stomach. The glittering pink crystals shimmered across the fabric, making it both elegant and bold.

Once they had chosen their gowns, the designer also showed them jewellery, shoes, and other accessories to complete their looks. After finishing up, Cassandra and Zara left for a luxurious spa, where they indulged in a skincare treatment. While they relaxed, Cassandra continued chatting with the designer about the details of their upcoming looks.

After they were done, Cassandra took Zara out to a five-star restaurant. The choice itself was unusual because Cassandra had never invited Zara out like this before. All the way there, Zara couldn’t help but feel suspicious. It wasn’t Cassandra’s style to spend the day with her, let alone accompany her to pick out dresses.

At one point, Zara—being as straightforward as she was—asked her mother about it. Cassandra brushed it off with a light laugh, saying only, “Isn’t that what mothers and daughters do?” Zara didn’t press the matter further, though a part of her still wondered why.

By late afternoon, around three or four o’clock, Zara returned home. Everyone was there—Damien, Lucas, and Ethan. Their father, however, was away in the New Netherlands, visiting a family member. The sitting room buzzed with energy, the brothers discussing their special designers and future projects.

Just then, Zara’s phone rang. It was her assistant, Zoe.

“Hello?” Zara answered.

“Miss, we have a problem,” Zoe’s voice was sharp, urgent.

Zara frowned. “What is it?”

“The shipment—the swimsuits meant to arrive tomorrow—they’ve been delayed because of the weather conditions.”

Zara sat back, her brows knitting together. This was supposed to be a major highlight of the upcoming fashion show. “That’s going to affect everything,” she muttered.

But Zoe was quick to reassure her. “No, Miss. It won’t affect the show. We can work around it.”

Zara exhaled, a little tension easing from her shoulders. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do on my end. Keep me updated.” Zara sighed . Zara took a shower after a long day and texted Zoe to book a nail appointment, She still felt suspicious as to why Cassandra invited her for shopping. The Lancaster Ball is on Thursday. Hence, she has a lot of time since she's on weekend

Ethan POV

After a long night of celebrating my brothers success, we decided to pin some hooes down. Damien being a regular customer, we had access to the finnest girls .Lucas, the peverted cow, took two blonde girls . I, on the other hand, didn't want to, but I remembered the stress I had been through back at home and at work I just wanted to burn some steam I called Damien a couple of times but it looked as if bro was in his on world . I followed his gaze and realised he had his eyes on a girl dancing and twirling her body, gaining the attention of not only Damien but other guys also. I tapped him, letting him know that I'm leaving he just nodded and still looked at the lady DAMN ,girl had my man wrapped around a fingers

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