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It didn't take long, the headlines came fast, relentless, unforgiving.
"Billionaire CEO in Broken Engagement Scandal"
"Who Is the Woman Behind Caleb Garcia's Decision?"
"Secretary or Something More?"
Cassy stopped reading after the third one because it wasn't just noise anymore, it was personal.
"Miss Williams…" Adrian's voice was quieter than usual, careful.
Cassy looked up. "…I'm fine."
He didn't believe her but he didn't push because everyone in the office felt it now. The looks, the whispers, the subtle shifts in tone, nothing obvious but enough.
Inside his office, Caleb didn't bother pretending. "They're crossing a line," he said sharply, tossing a tablet onto his desk.
Adrian crossed his arms slightly. "That's what the media does."
Caleb's jaw tightened. "…Not like this." Because this wasn't just about him anymore, it was about her and that changed everything.
"Do you want me to release a statement?" Adrian asked.
Silence. Caleb glanced toward the glass wall, toward her desk. Cassy.
"…Not yet," he said, because whatever they said next mattered and for once he wasn't making that decision alone.
Across the office, Cassy felt it, that pressure, that weight, that invisible spotlight. She stood up suddenly. "I need a break," she said softly. No one stopped her because no one knew how to.
Outside, the air felt different, louder even without cameras, she felt watched.
"Miss Williams!" She froze, that voice, a reporter.
"How does it feel to be involved in a high-profile controversy?"
"Did you know about the engagement?"
"Are you the reason it ended?"
Questions fired one after another, Cassy's chest tightened. "I'm not answering that," she said calmly but her voice wasn't as steady as before.
"Is your relationship with Mr. Garcia professional or personal?"
That question hit differently because now she didn't know how to answer it simply. "Please step back," she said. But they didn't because they never do.
"Cassy." Everything stopped, that voice. Caleb. He stepped between her and the reporters, immediate, protective. "That's enough," he said coldly.
The cameras shifted, now focused on him again.
"Mr. Garcia, is she the reason—"
"Yes."
Cassy's eyes widened slightly, not again. "Stop," she whispered.
But he didn't. "Direct your questions to me," he continued. His tone wasn't just controlled, it was sharp, final.
The reporters hesitated just slightly but that was enough. Security stepped in and just like that the moment broke.
Silence returned.
Cassy turned to him. "You're making it worse," she said softly.
Caleb met her gaze. "…I'm stopping it."
She shook her head. "No," she said. A pause. "You're feeding it."
Silence.
Because again she wasn't wrong.
Caleb exhaled slowly. "…Then what do you want me to do?" he asked.
Cassy hesitated because that question wasn't simple but her answer was. "Trust me," she said quietly.
That word trust after everything, after what broke, she still said it.
Caleb looked at her, long, careful then nodded once. "…Alright." And for the first time he stepped back, not away but with her and maybe that was the only way they were going to survive this.