Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 42

Chapter Forty–Two: I Hope That You’re That Man.

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The other two teams who were still seated at the table began to feel uneasy. The air around them had grown heavy, filled with words that should never have been spoken so openly.

They exchanged quick, uncomfortable glances, silently agreeing that this was not a situation they wanted to be part of. With polite smiles, they stood up one after the other, muttered brief excuses, and walked away toward the dance floor. Soon, their laughter blended with the music, leaving the table behind.

Once they were gone, the space around the table felt too quiet.

Merrick turned sharply toward Daisy, his expression tight with frustration.

“Daisy, stop talking nonsense,” he said firmly. “You’re drunk.

Daisy shook her head stubbornly, her short hair swaying as she moved. Her eyes were bright, and there was a boldness in her posture that came from too much alcohol and too much honesty.

“No, Merrick,” she replied confidently. “I am tipsy, yes. But drunk? No. I know what I’m saying.” She lifted her chin. “I only told the truth.”

Merrick let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead, clearly regretting every drink she had taken.

Before he could speak again, Cassienne finally found her voice.

“Daisy, please stop,” she said quietly.

Her face was burning. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she could feel her heart pounding fast in her chest. She avoided looking at Corren, afraid of what she might see in his eyes. The words Daisy had spoken felt too exposed and too personal, like her private thoughts had been dragged into the open without permission.

But Daisy was far from done.

“Why are you acting shy?” Daisy continued, leaning forward with a playful smile. “We are all adults here. There is nothing wrong with wanting something. Just say it clearly.”

She waved her hand carelessly.

“It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be an arrangement. A contract. No feelings involved. Like those web- novels we read. Simple and clean.”

Merrick suddenly burst out laughing. He tried to stop himself, but the situation was too absurd. To his surprise, Corren laughed too, though he was quieter, more controlled.

Corren knew Daisy had drunk more than she should have. Her words were loose, careless, and bold. Yet, deep down, he knew something else.

What Daisy said was not completely wrong.

Cassienne and Daisy must have talked about this before. This was not something Daisy had invented in her drunken state.

As Corren watched Cassienne, one thing became clear to him.

Cassienne had been lonely in her marriage.

Not just lonely–emotionally abandoned.

Chapter Forty–Two Hopo That You’re That Mon

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He had noticed it in the way she carried herself. In this way she avoided physical closeness. In the way she grew nervous over simple things others took for granted.

If his guess was right, he would swear she was still untouched.

Even though she tried hard to hide it, her shyness gave her away. Her careful words. Her tense posture. The way her eyes always lowered when conversations turned personal.

She was heartbroken.

She did not want to give her heart to another man.

But she wanted closeness–Warmth–She wanted human presence beside her in the quiet. Just as Daisy had said.

“I think we should talk about work,” Cassienne said quickly, her voice tight as she tried to regain control of the situation.

“Not tonight,” Merrick replied with a smile that softened his earlier frustration. “Tonight is for celebration.”

He stood up and reached for her hand gently.

“Come,” he said. “Let’s dance.”

Cassienne smiled faintly, though the tension inside her had not faded. She glanced at Daisy, who was now leaning back against the sofa, clearly unsteady..

“I don’t want to leave her like this,” Cassienne said. “She’s had too much to drink.”

“Corren is here,” Merrick replied, turning his head slightly toward him. “He’ll take care of her.”

Córren met Cassienne’s eyes and nodded calmly. “I will.”

Cassienne hesitated for a brief moment, then gave him a soft, grateful smile before standing up and walking away with Merrick toward the dance floor.

Soon, the table felt even emptier.

Only Corren and Daisy remained.

Corren watched Daisy for a moment before leaning forward slightly.

“Daisy,” he said quietly, lowering his voice, “I need you to tell me everything about Cassienne.”

Daisy giggled, clearly amused. She shifted her position and sat across from him properly, resting her elbow on the table.

“Oh?” she said lazily. “You’re interested.”

Corren did not deny it.

Daisy nodded to herself and continued.

“Alright. The first thing you should know is this,” she said slowly. “Cassienne only loves one man. Dreston. Her ex -husband.”

She paused, then added, “I don’t think she can love another man.”

Corren’s jaw tightened.

Chapter Verty Twm Hope that our That Mon

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He did not like hearing that.

He wanted Cassienne.

Not just her body, but her attention. Her trust. Her heart.

Everything.

Yet he already knew Daisy was telling the truth. Merrick had hinted at it before. Cassienne’s heart was still tied to her past, no matter how much she tried to move forward.

Still, Corren believed something firmly.

Love can change.

“Cassienne is a good woman,” Daisy continued, her voice softer now. “She deserves someone who will respect her. Someone who will adore her. I hope you are that man.”

Corren said nothing.

His chest felt tight.

He had no right to want her. His own heart was still healing. Not long ago, the woman he planned to marry had betrayed him by sleeping with his friend. The pain from that betrayal still lingered, raw and unresolved.

Someone like him should stay far away from complicated women.

Yet here he was, wanting Cassienne more than he wanted peace.

Daisy’s voice slowly faded. Her eyes fluttered shut, and a soft snore escaped her lips. Her head rested against the arm of the sofa as sleep claimed her completely.

Corren watched her quietly for a moment before standing up.

His gaze drifted across the dance floor.

Cassienne was laughing.

She looked alive. Free. Beautiful as she moved gently with the music. Merrick danced with her, smiling brightly, clearly enjoying the moment.

If Corren didn’t know better, he would have thought Merrick had feelings for her.

Something twisted painfully in his chest.

Far away from the celebration, Dreston sat silently in the backseat of his car.

Tina sat beside him, her arms crossed tightly, anger written all over her face. But Dreston did not look at her. His thoughts were consumed by one person.

Cassienne.

The scene replayed again and again in his mind.

Tina bumping into Cassienne on purpose,

The look on Cassienne’s face as she lost her balance.

His body moving before his mind could catch up.

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Chapter Forty–Two 1 Hope That Youre That Mon

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His hands catching her.

That moment was the closest he had ever been to her.

And for the first time, his heart reacted.

Not out of pity. Not out of responsibility either. But of something else.

Something he couldn’t explain.

“What was that feeling?” he wondered silently.

“Why?”

Tina’s voice broke the silence. It was barely above a whisper.

“Why did you humiliate me like that?” she asked. “In front of everyone?”

Dreston frowned and finally turned to look at her.

“You caused a scene,” he replied coldly. “I tried to stop things from getting worse. And now you’re blaming me?”

Tina’s eyes widened. She clearly did not expect that response.

“I still haven’t forgiven you,” Dreston continued. “You almost destroyed the company. You stole Cassienne’s work and claimed it was yours. Do you know what could have happened if we didn’t find out on time?”

Tina froze.

Tears filled her eyes, but they lacked sincerity.

“You don’t need to compete with Cassienne,” Dreston said firmly. “You know how much I care about you.‘

He paused, then looked straight at her.

“But you’re acting differently now,” he added quietly. “Why does it feel like Cassienne looks like the version of you? The you I knew when we were kids?”

younger

Tina opened her mouth.

But no words came out.

Why was he suddenly digging into the past?

And why was Cassienne now the center of everything?

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