Page 20 of Neptune

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CASSIE

I can't believe that I'm doing this.

In the afternoon, while I wait for my car in the driveway of the house, it arrives with Mike sitting in the front passenger seat, beside the driver. That's the package I get.

I get into the car and greet my bodyguard cheerfully—it's been a long time since I saw a familiar face. "Hi, Mike."

"Hey," he says as the car pulls out. "How's it going? How's your new life?"

I need a moment to answer that question—it's a tough one. I can't say that I love every bit of it, but it's not as bad as I initially thought.

"Is there someone I need to knock out?" another question comes out from Mike's mouth, a hint of irritation in his voice.

I laugh a little. "Surprisingly, not yet."

Mike doesn't respond to my answer—he sounds disappointed. Perhaps, he's waiting for me to instruct him to kick Luke's ass.

"How's your new apartment?" I ask.

"I live with my mama here," he says, surprising me. "It feels good to be back in my hometown. The house can't be more lively, 'cause I just got a new nephew. Everyone is excited."

Right. I forgot that Mike was born in New York. I'm happy that he can be closer with his family now that we've moved here. We spend the rest of the ride talking about his family.

Once we arrive at Jamie Cohen's studio, I become more restless. Is Jude really here ?

Oscar told me to show the world that Jude and I have no hard feelings toward each other—I remember saying it once when I was on Ella's show.

But now that Jude is here too, I start to question if I can admit that.

It's not easy to forgive and forget your ex-lover who cheated on you.

We were together for two years—that's an achievement for people like us in Hollywood, especially when both of us are superstars who encounter temptations everywhere we go.

Despite our hectic schedules of tours, performances and practice, we still managed to survive those two years.

I can't say that Jude isn't someone important in my life—he is. I've also learned a lot of things from him, since he’s been in the music industry longer than I have.

Our relationship—everything that we'd built with love, patience and loyalty—crumbled in an instant when I caught him cheating with his backup dancer.

Don't ask me how I broke up with him—it was overly dramatic, with me yelling at him, slamming doors and tears streaming down my face.

I step into Jamie's studio with Mike trailing behind me, my hands sweaty because I'm nervous to meet Jude. My eyes travel around the place, which screams Jamie—the studio looks lively and fun, just like his personality.

"Cassie!" a cheerful voice startles me. Jamie totters toward me with a big grin on his face.

He looks chubby as always, his black hair fashionably styled in a slicked-back.

He gives me a hug. "Thanks for coming. You look fabulous as always."

A burst of small laughter leaves my mouth as I hug him back. "It's always been my pleasure, Jamie."

He pulls away, his eyes glinting with excitement. "This is the most anticipated car ride ever. It's gonna be fun. You've read the script I sent you, haven't you? "

I nod. Right . There won't be any problem with this. The script is fine. We're just going to have a fun car ride while Jamie drives us around New York.

"Jude is already here too," Jamie says, making my heart skip a beat. Jamie looks around. "Where's that guy?"

A familiar figure approaches us, and I feel my stomach drop.

"There he is," Jamie exclaims.

Yes, there he is. Jude Scott is walking right in our direction, with his signature messy blond hair that makes girls all around the world dream of running their fingers through it.

He wears a simple outfit, just a pair of ripped jeans and a white t-shirt, that looks ridiculously good on him, his tattooed arms exposed.

However, all those things still can't be compared to his intense gaze that I once thought was only for me. His beautiful grey eyes never fail to captivate me every time I look into them.

Jesus. I can't believe what I'm thinking in my mind. Shouldn't I curse everything about him? These thoughts shouldn't be coming from an ex-girlfriend who claimed that she'd moved on, and who is now someone's wife.

Speaking of that, I still haven't told Luke that I'm meeting Jude. By now, he must have heard from his house security guards that I'm working in a talk show studio.

But he doesn't know that Jude is also here.

Jude doesn't utter a single word as we finally come face to face, his intense gaze still not leaving me. Like usual, it feels like it’s ripping my chest open and snatching my heart out.

Jamie snaps his head toward me and then Jude, noticing the heavy atmosphere surrounding us. He clears his throat.

"Well, I'm sure that you guys want to catch up with each other. I know that you two met at Cassie's wedding, but there wasn't much time to hang out, with all the hectic procession back then," Jamie chirps, clearly having the wrong idea that Jude and I are ready to become best friends .

Still, neither Jude nor I respond to his words.

"So, Cassie, Jude initiated this brilliant idea, and I totally agreed with him," Jamie says, startling me. "As you know, this fun car ride will break the ice between both of your fans. I'm glad that I can help in getting rid of the conflicts between them."

Wait. What ? So, Jude is the one who came up with this idea?

Jamie is still watching us with interest.

"I guess that I'll have to leave you two for a while..." he falters, realizing the tension between us. "I'm gonna go check the car."

I watch as Jamie walks away, and as soon as he does, Jude opens his mouth.

"It's Luke now, huh?" he asks, still gazing at me, and I feel the temperature of the room increase.

I give him a half-smile. "You figured."

A small smirk creeps onto Jude's lips. "To be honest, I didn't expect a wedding invitation from him."

I want to scoff. What can I say? I didn't expect that either. Now, I hate my crazy husband even more.

I smile again.

"To be honest, I didn't expect that you would come." There's a sarcasm in my tone. "With your new companion."

Oh no, why did I just blurt that out? I don't want him to have the impression that I'm jealous. Just as I expected, amusement crosses Jude's expression.

"You mean, Irina?" He chuckles lightly. "She's just a friend."

I laugh a little. "You don't have to explain that. I'm not jealous."

Jude eyes me, still with the same amusement. "I never said that you are."

My cheeks heat up. I think that I just dug my own grave. Jude bursts into laughter, while here I am, starting to turn red like a tomato.

"Goddammit, Cassie," he says, still trying to compose himself from all the laughter. "I missed you." His voice softens at the last three words .

My heart sinks. It's frustrating because I shouldn't feel anything from hearing that sentence. I don't feel anything, do I?

"I see that you two are having a wonderful reunion," another voice startles us.

For me, it's another familiar voice. Suddenly, dread fills my insides. It can't be...

I snap my head, only to find my husband, Luke fucking Klein, pulling me to his side. His jaw tightens, his piercing eyes set on Jude.

I'm shocked to the core. Why is Luke suddenly here ?

Luke is in his office attire, giving me the idea that he just rushed here from work. For God's sake. Isn't a billionaire like him supposed to be super busy?

Why on earth did he come all the way here just to barge into a matter that I can handle alone?

Jude is taken aback, retreating. But he can't hide the annoyance skating on his face after Luke interrupted our conversation.

"Yeah, we're just catching up with each other, right, Cassie?" He flashes me a charming smile. "I was just going to ask her about her new chapter of life, and whether she's happy with it or not." The tone in which he says it lets us know that it's supposed to be sarcasm—no one would miss it.

Luke smiles, but it turns out to be scarier than I thought.

"I can assure you that you don't have to worry about that. I'm taking good care of my wife ," he emphasizes the last two words, and my head spins. "Right, darlin'?" Luke pecks me on the lips, pulling me closer to him.

And I'm petrified.

What did he say? Darlin '? Did someone just hit his head with a stone?

Jude's lips form into a thin line, the irritated look on his face unmistakable. To my surprise, he turns on his heels and walks off.

My heart races inside my chest while my mind tries to find a way to escape Luke’s anger. I can feel Luke clenching his jaw as he presses a hard kiss on my temple, making it clear to everyone in the studio that I belong to him.

And the next words coming out of his mouth make me hold my breath.

"I see that you prefer Jamie Cohen to lose his job."