Cassandra sat with Ashley in the cafe that morning. Truth be told, Cassandra was grateful she agreed to the role of Elsa in Mrs. Gwenivelle Sharma's ballet production. By now, she had learned that it was Director Sharma.
Gwenivelle was the director of the Silver Moon Arts Centre. The establishment was just new and finished. Alpha Ashton had appointed Gwenivelle as Director of the center immediately after it was ready.
The ballet was not the only thing Director Sharma was showcasing that night. Cassandra saw the orchestra also getting ready for the big night. There were parts for vocalists too. The music for the ballet was going to be performed live, just like the dance.
The opening night was just two weeks away.
Throwing herself into the rigorous rehearsal routine of Ashley for two months now, Cassandra almost forgot the problems in her life. She had banned herself from social media. Outside Blue Falls, the only other person she related with was Maia. She poured all her attention and energy into the production. It was an honor to have received this part, she did not want to disappoint Director Sharma in any way. Since she joined the production late, she worked twice harder than the other dancers. Accompanied by Ashley, she did not take breaks when others did. But today was different. Director Sharma banned them from everything ballet, forcing them to take a healthy break. So here they were.
The waiter brought their juices and cakes to their table. Max, as his name tag said, slipped a little paper beside Cassandra's apple juice and winked at her, “In case you need me to serve you in some other kind of way." Cassandra smiled back sweetly. When he left, she rolled her eyes.
Ashley laughed, “Wow, he's a bold one." She glanced at the counter. “He's still staring at you, Cassie."
Cassandra shrugged and looked out the window. That's when she saw him. He was coming out of a black jeep parked in front of the café.Johann Strong. Her heart skipped a beat. What's he doing here?
“You know, guys cannot approach me even if I put myself out there," Ashley said, unaware of Cassandra's uneasiness. “They don't even spare me a glance. The dread of my father and my brothers dissuades guys from considering me. My father has two men standing guard for me, and Ashton has three. We don't see them because they are shadow guards. But let a guy walk up to me now; in the next few seconds, you will see one of them, then count to thirty, and Ashton will be here."
Cassandra brought herself back to the conversation by reminding herself of what Johann did to her. She wouldn't spare him a thought. “Oh really? The Alpha himself?"
“Yeah. Multiple times, he and my elder sister, Ariel fought about this. My sister is like the female version of Julian." Ashley whispered the last part.
“Ashley?" Cassie laughed.
“Don't tell them I said so." She smiled mischievously. “The only difference between them is that she is still a virgin and Julian isn't. And that's because Ashton always showed up."
Cassandra laughed, too, as she tried to imagine the frustration of Ariel and the overprotection of Ashton.
“So has she been successful since she's been studying abroad?"
Ashley chuckled. “No. Her twin, Aries knew he could not show up consistently like Ashton. So here's what he did, he looked for a scapegoat in their first week there. The scapegoat happened to be the most popular guy in the university there. He tried to bully Aries but my brother beat the hell out of him in public, thus earning the fear of everyone. Then he announced that he would do likewise to any guy he saw around his sister. The news spread around and even beyond the school with her picture, thanks to his new influence."
“Ouch. What did the Alpha say when he heard it?"
“Biggie said he understood Aries perfectly, but felt that Ariel could have used a less violent approach."
