Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 17

Chapter Seventeen: An Urgent Call.

Two days had passed since Cassienne ran out of Dreston’s mansion like a thief. Two full days.

And in those two days, Dreston had not called her. He had not sent a message, or shown up at her door.

Surprisingly, Cassienne was glad.

At least this way, she could finally breathe. The silence would help her heal faster. If he stayed away, she wouldn’t be tempted to look back. She wouldn’t start hoping again.

She sat alone in her quiet kitchen, perched on a tall stool by the counter.

This was her reality now. Single and Alone like a free bird, with a peaceful mind.

Peace was something she had not known in five long years. Five years of living in a marriage that looked perfect from the outside but was empty on the inside.

She lifted her cup of coffee and took a slow sip. The warmth spread through her chest, but her mind drifted

back to what happened two days ago in Dreston’s bedroom.

Her breath hitched slightly.

She had never been in that room before. Not once. Even as his wife, she had never shared a bed with him. Yet he had taken her to his bedroom. They even slept on his bed together..

Why?

She frowned slightly as she stared into her cup.

She remembered seeing Tina at the club with him. Tina had been right there, standing close to him. Did he leave Tina behind just to bring her home instead?

That thought made her heart beat faster.

Her lips curved into a shy, almost embarrassed smile as another memory surfaced–the moment she stood naked in front of him.

She could still see his face clearly.

He hadn’t looked away. Not even once. His eyes stayed on her body, moving slowly, deeply, as if he was seeing her for the first time. Especially her breasts. He hadn’t hidden his reaction well enough.

Cassienne bit her lower lip.

She remembered the bulge in his pants. She saw it clearly.

Even though he tried to hide it, she noticed everything and for once, he was the one embarrassed.

That memory warmed her in a strange way.

They had never shared a room before. Was that the reason he never touched her? Was it because he had never seen her this way? Because he had never truly looked at her as a woman?

Her thoughts spiraled.

Chapter Seventeen: An Urgent Call

But then, just as quickly, another memory crashed into her mind–cold and sharp.

Her mind drifted to Dreston’s office. She remembered the hatred in his eyes when he looked at her.

The disgust on his face. The way he sent her away in front of his staff, like she was nothing.

Her smile faded instantly.

Her hands tightened around the mug as anger burned in her chest. She remembered how gently he had held Tina that day. Like she was made of glass. Like she was precious.

She remembered Tina straddling him on his office desk, how their lips moved together. And how their bodies pressed close.

She remembered the words he said to her even before then. He said that the only thing she could get out of their marriage was just money and nothing else.

Yet, he has given Tina the right to carry his child.

Tears slipped down Cassienne’s cheeks before she could stop them. She quickly wiped them away, refusing to let herself cry anymore.

“No,” she whispered to herself. No more weakness, and no more pain.

She would not go back. Not this time. She was done being humiliated. She was done being the second choice. Done being invisible.

This time, she would not change her mind.

She stood up, washed her mug, dried it, and placed it back neatly in the cupboard. Then she walked into her bedroom with firm steps.

It was time to work.

Cassienne sat at her desk and opened her laptop. The familiar screen lit up, and for the first time in days, her focus sharpened.

She had always been a software developer. Even while working at Auralink Systems, she had built her own projects quietly, late at night, when no one was watching.

Now that she was no longer tied to that company, it was time to bring her work to life.

She opened the development folder she had protected carefully for over a year. The software still didn’t have a name, but that could wait. What mattered now was activating the core system and preparing it for market testing.

She typed in her login credentials and waited.

Her fingers moved quickly and confidently over the keyboard, lines of code reflecting in her eyes. She launched the build environment and initiated the activation process.

Suddenly, a bright, colorful interface flashed on her screen.

Chapter Seventeen: An Urgent Call

But instead of smiling, Cassienne frowned.

That screen should not have appeared.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Someone else had access.

Her system logs updated automatically, and she scanned them carefully. There had been a recent access attempt from a different network. Not her home IP. Not her personal device.

Her breathing slowed.

No one was supposed to know about this software.

She had started developing it last year, right after the former Director of Engineering left Auralink. That man had hated her for reasons she never understood. He blocked her ideas, rejected her proposals, and made sure she stayed in the same position no matter how hard she worked.

It was because of him she never got promoted.

She remembered the day three new employees were promoted ahead of her. She remembered the disappointment on Dreston’s face that evening. He looked surprised. Almost upset.

But that didn’t matter now.

Someone had access to her work, and that was dangerous.

Cassienne leaned back in her chair, her mind racing.

Then it hit her.

She hadn’t revoked her credentials from Auralink’s development servers.

When she left, she had been too emotional, too hurt, too distracted to remember.

“Damn it,” she whispered.

She stood up abruptly, then sat back down just as fast.

Before anything worse could happen, she had to act fast.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she logged into the cloud repository where the backup version of her software was stored. She accessed the security panel and initiated a credential revocation process.

First, she disabled all active tokens connected to Auralink’s network.

Then she rotated the encryption keys.

Finally, she locked the build environment using a private authentication protocol only she knew–a custom sequence she had created long ago for emergencies like this.

Within minutes, the system shut down completely.

Access denied.

Chapter Seventeen An Urgent Call

She watched the confirmation message appear on the screen and let out a long sigh of relief.

It was safe now. No one could open it now without her permission.

She closed her laptop and stood up.

After a quick shower, she opened her wardrobe. She reached for a dress, then changed her mind and picked jeans and an oversized sweater instead. Something simple, comfortable and something to make her feel

strong.

As she finished dressing, her phone rang. Her heart jumped when she saw the caller ID.

Dreston.

Her fingers hesitated for half a second before she answered.

“Yes?” she breathed.

“Come to my office now.”

The call ended immediately. Cassienne stared at the screen.

No explanation. No greeting. Just a command. Her heart thudded loudly.

Is this it? she wondered.

Is he finally ready to divorce me?

She picked up her bag, squared her shoulders, and walked out.

Whatever awaited her at that office…

She was ready this time.

Chapter Eighteen The Final Heartbreak

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.