Chapter Two
If there was ever a person on Earth that Cassidy never wanted to see again, Oli White fills that void. Ever since their last encounter two years ago, she has wanted nothing to do with him. No calls. No texts. Nothing. And now, here he is standing right in front of her, and all she can do is stare at him.
"How-how have you been?" the man stutters, as she uses the napkin to soak up some of the champagne from her dress.
"Well, besides getting drenched, just great." Cassidy grits out, letting out a loud sigh of frustration. Wishing to leave the conversation, she glances around to find one of Joey's staff members.
Quickly locating Arthur, Cassidy begins shifting close to the butler. Before she can move too far, a wrist grabs onto her arm, holding her in place. Sporting a glare, Cassidy turns back around to face Oli.
"What?" she questions, prying her arm from his grasp. An apologetic expression appears on Oli's face, as he pulls away slightly.
"I just want to talk." he mutters, trying to appeal to her sense of empathy.
"What more needs to be said?" Cassidy wonders, narrowing her eyes in anger. "We dated, I caught you kissing another girl, and we went our separate ways. The end."
"We both know there's more to that story." Oli states, giving her a knowing look.
"At this point, it doesn't matter anymore." she mumbles, clearing her throat. "I'll see you at dinner."
Before Oli can utter another word, Cassidy leaves and grabs Arthur's attention. The butler quietly directs her to the closest bathroom, where she unsuccessfully attempts to rid her dress of alcohol. Thankfully, due to the dark color of her dress, the stain is slightly camouflaged to the naked eye. Hearing a dong ring from outside, Cassidy quickly scrubs her dress once more. Exiting the bathroom, she rushes over to the dining room to begin eating.
Quickly locating an empty seat next to Joey, she sits down and glances around at the other guests. Recognizing most of them from their channels, Cassidy sends each a polite smile. Turning her head to face the guest next to her, she realizes that it's Oli. Ignoring the man, she glances back over at the host.
"So, Joey, you own this house now? How did that happen?" Cassidy questions, trying to make small talk.
"It just happened." Joey answers, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "It just fell into my lap."
"Thanks for inviting us, by the way." Oli mutters, causing Cassidy to clench her hands under the table. Sitting across from her, Justine sends her younger sister a knowing smirk. Rolling her eyes, Cassidy kicks her in the calf with her boot.
All of a sudden, the other guests realize that two people are missing from the table: Eva and Shane. Feeling Oli's eyes on her, Cassidy cuts into her food and begins eating.
"Sittin' here with the food. Having fun with Joey. I wish he would give me some of that money." Glozell sings, causing everyone around the table to laugh.
"I just got the house, okay, I don't get money." the host remarks, taking a small sip of water.
"You could put it on the market." Matt suggests, taking a bite of his steak.
"That Sarah chick is a little scary though, that maid." the jazz singer remarks, before making a few weird facial expressions. Continuing to focus on her food, Cassidy finishes her steak and moves onto the sides.
"We should place some bets to see where we think these two are, first of all." Justine comments, gesturing toward the two empty seats at the table.
"Yeah, it's been a long time." Glozell mutters, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "They can't be in the toilet. You can't drop deuces that long."
From the corner of her eye, Cassidy spots a mixture of anger and disappointment on Joey's face. Clearing his throat slightly, the host redirects the conversation to another guest at the table.
"So, is this impressive to you? My estate?" Joey asks Sierra, who briefly glances around the room.
"Oh...it's cute." the heiress responds back, as Cassidy rolls her eyes in annoyance. While a few guests murmur at the other end of the table, the Movie Star continues eating her dinner.
Briefly zoning out of the conversation, she snaps out of her daze upon hearing the guests shouting. Turning toward the doorway, Cassidy spots Shane and Eva slowly sneaking into the room. As the two quickly take their seats, the other occupants of the room begin demanding to know about their whereabouts.
"Do not change the subject, please." Joey states, pointing between the two. "We wanna know where you guys were."
"I was in the bathroom." Eva explains, earning looks of disbelief in return. Even Cassidy has to admit that it was a horrible lie.
"For that long?" the host questions, not believing her.
"Is this real food? Can we eat it?" Shane wonders, trying to shift the conversation onto the dinner.
"Why are you changing the subject?" Joey asks, glancing between the two of them. "I wanna know where you guys were."
"As much as I love a good make-out, I was literally pooping." Eva admits, earning more looks of disbelief. Glancing over at Shane, Cassidy sees all of the blood rush from his head, causing his face to become overtly pale.
"And what about you?" the host questions, shifting his attention over to the renegade. Before he can respond, Arthur races into the dining room and hands a telegram to the man. Joey and the other guests send Shane intrigued looks.
"Ok, now you have to open it and read it to us!" Lele exclaims, waving her hands around overdramatically.
"Are y'all jealous?" Shane wonders, sporting a smug look on his face. As he reads the letter, his smirk begins falling from his face, and a nervous expression takes its place.
Suddenly, Sarah reenters the room with a covered tray. While everyone's attention is focused on the maid, the renegade begins to violently cough. After a few seconds, blood starts gushing from his mouth with every breath. Cassidy jolts up from her seat in a panic and rushes over to help the man. Joey was definitely right. This is going to be a night none of them will forget.

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