The next day, Brooke found out that she was going shopping with Thane, right before she was meant to see Ethan later in the day.
"I already have the clothes he got me, why do I need any more?" Brooke whined while getting her hair and makeup done by Hannah.
Hannah replied, "The young master is a generous person, you should accept his kindness."
"I know his generous, I just don't want to abuse his kindness."
But Hannah disputed that thought, "Don't worry," She said picking up a hairbrush, "The young master isn't the kind of person to do this for just anyone." Hannah assured her, while leading Brooke's gaze to her reflection.
Brooke's jaw almost hit the ground. She couldn't believe that the pretty woman in the mirror was her.
"Ma'am you're so pretty, you could pass for a model or an actress if you tried." Hannah beamed in excitement.
Brooke forced herself to laugh. "A nice joke you made there. How could someone like me ever become an actress?" She pointed her gaze to the wheelchair she sat on.
It just wasn't possible.
Before Hannah could say anymore, Gilbert interrupted them, announcing that it was time to leave. Hannah wheeled Brooke to the awaiting car outside and helped her into it.
Moments later, Thane arrived dressed to leave the mansion. For the most of the time she had seen him, he was dressed in casual clothing, which had their own sort of allure.
But now that he put effort into his outfit, Brooke couldn't keep her eyes off him.
'Women must love him.' she thought, averting her gaze as he got into the backseat next to her.
Holding that thought, another one popped up in her head.
'Did Mr Grayson have a girlfriend?' Sure he asked her to marry him for revenge sake, but did he actually have a woman he loved?
Somehow, the thought of Mr Grayson having another woman he loved and doted on made Brooke feel discomfort.
"Is anything wrong?" Thane leaned in and asked in a soft tone.
Brooke straightened her shoulders and shook her head, "N-No! Nothing's wrong!"
Thane made a face. He could see that her cheeks were flushed, but she still denied she wasn't okay. He returned to his normal posture, giving her room to clear her head.
********
Cassie was in a panicked frenzy.
Ethan had gone off to work without discussing the ban he placed on her from going to see the Grayson heir. She paced around her room thinking of what to do, when her father came inside.
"Daddy!" Cassie cried into his arms, "What do I do? Ethan won't let me leave the house."
"Shh, it's okay." Luther said, patting her head. "Don't cry and ruin your pretty face-"
Cassie broke out of his embrace, "Mr Grayson is a big shot! If I bag the deal as an ambassador for his company, just imagine how big it'll be for me."
Luther smiled, "Then why not go?"
His daughter blinked twice, "What do you mean, father?"
Luther reclined against her dresser, next to the make-up she used to reapply her 'scars'. "I overheard Ethan on the phone, he'll be pulling an all nighter at the office. It's your chance to meet Mr Grayson."
Cassie gasped, "But Ethan said not to!"
Her father hissed, "What's Ethan Halton to the Grayson heir? Let me explain to you my dear daughter, someone like Ethan could work his entire life and still not measure up to the Grayson heir. It's all about playing the right cards."
Cassie hugged her sides, "But what if Ethan finds out?"
"He won't ever. And even if he does, I'll handle him. You, just focus on getting us that deal." Luther advised, "The driver's downstairs, go get something nice to wear."
Cassie's eyes brightened with excitement, "Thank you daddy!" She squealed, rushing to hug him.
She immediately gathered her things and got ready to leave in no less than ten minutes. Since she was meeting one of the richest men in the country, she decided to go to a high end clothing store she had only ever visited once.
And that was when she announced her pregnancy to Ethan and he gave her splurging money.
Stepping down from her car, the first thing that took Cassie by surprise, was the luxurious car parked next to hers.
"My gosh! That car is a limited edition!" She gushed, "There are only eight in the country." She recalled what she read in a magazine during her last filming.
Cassie immediately wanted to take a glimpse at this person. She hurriedly made her way to the entrance, but the staff held her.
"I'm sorry, but you may not enter." A petite blonde haired woman told her. Cassie remembered her from her last visit, she was the assistant manager and a huge fan of Cassie's.
Cassie took off her shades to flaunt, just in case the woman had missed it was her. "Oh, why can't I? I'm a paying customer aren't I?"
"Our apologies, but the guests inside want to shop alone. Once they're done, the store will be open for everyone else." Said the assistant manager.
"Everyone else?" Cassie balled her fist, surely this woman was unaware that she was talking to the actress of the year.
She tried looking behind the woman to steal a peak at who was inside, but the woman wouldn't let her. "Don't worry miss, the guests inside will be done shortly, you can wait inside your car or go and come back later."
"Come on." She tucked her shades into her shirt. She tossed the woman a smile and took to convincing her, "I have somewhere I have to be now, you said you were a fan of mine the last time I was here right?. I'll just be inside for a bit..."
But the assistant manager was not swayed, "My apologies, Miss Cassie, but even you can't come inside, the guests rented the entire store to shop in private. You'll just have to wait."
Cassie scoffed, how dare this woman ask her to wait like everyone else? Just who were these guests? That they could rent such a high end store entirely to themselves?!
And why did she already feel this looming hatred towards them?