CHAPTER 137: SOMEONE HAS HER HEART

Cassidy was caught off guard, his voice was surprisingly good.

After he finished singing, clearly a bit embarrassed, Zeke asked with a small smile, "Be honest, how bad was it?"

Cassidy chuckled softly. "Actually... it was really nice. You have a beautiful voice."

Zeke blinked, surprised by the compliment. "You’re not just saying that to stop me from being embarrassed, are you?"

"I mean it. I honestly didn’t expect that at all," Cass said sincerely with a small smile.

He let out a breath of relief, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m glad you liked it."

"What are you doing?" Cassidy asked when she noticed Zeke seemed focused on something in front of him.

"Checking my emails."

"You’re really something," she muttered. "Even at home, your mind’s still on work."

Zeke just smiled.

"You said you were about to sleep. Why haven’t you fallen asleep yet?" he asked, not looking at his phone, still focused on replying to emails.

The sound of his laptop keys clacking was loud and clear in Cassidy’s ear.

"I don’t know. After talking to you, I’m not sleepy anymore. This is your fault."

Zeke chuckled softly, stopped typing, and looked at Cass with one brow raised, his eyes glinting with playful interest. "Oh, so I’m the one to blame now?"

"Yes," Cassidy replied, shifting under her blanket with a faint smile. "You’re distracting."

Zeke’s lips curved slightly as he picked up his phone from the table and held it closer to his face, wanting to see Cassidy more clearly. His gaze softened. "Is that a good kind of distracting, or a bad one?"

"Both," Cassidy answered without missing a beat, her voice light with teasing.

Zeke smirked and said, his tone playful, "Tell me the bad one."

"The bad one? You’re keeping me up when I was supposed to be sleeping." She let out a quiet sigh, clearly blaming him with no regret.

"The good one?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity, a hint of a smile still playing on his lips.

"The good one... I like looking at your serious, cold, and handsome face," Cass said, teasing him.

A bright smile spread across Zeke’s face, his eyes lingering on hers with a soft, loving gaze.

He was suddenly reminded of a time when he’d caught Andrew talking to his girlfriend, Karen, back when they were still dating. Andrew had been smiling like a kid who just got a treat.

Zeke had wondered back then, what the hell were they talking about that made him look like that?

Now Zeke finally understood what Andrew must’ve felt back then. His chest felt light, almost giddy just from hearing Cass flirt like that.

"I didn’t know you were this good at sweet-talking," he said, looking a little surprised.

In his mind, Cassidy had always seemed like the quiet type—someone who didn’t talk much.

"Huh? I wasn’t sweet-talking. I was just being honest," Cass replied with a grin.

Zeke lay back on his bed, letting out a soft sigh as he settled in. "Now, go to sleep," he said to Cass, his voice soft and a little tired.

"Mm. Sweet dreams," she replied, her tone warm and a little sleepy.

"I hope I show up in your dreams," Zeke added with a hint of a smile. His eyes still on her face through the screen, lingering a moment longer.

Cassidy let out a soft laugh, her cheeks slightly flushed, before ending the call.

***

Cassidy woke up feeling light. She wasn’t sure why, but her body felt refreshed as if something had changed. Maybe it was the happiness bubbling in her chest, the way her heart felt full and bright.

The exhaustion she’d been carrying every morning lately? Gone. No heaviness. No lingering fatigue.

Humming a pop song under her breath, Cass stretched her arms, walked over to the large glass window, and pulled open the curtains. Then she made her bed, smoothed out the covers, and stepped out of the room with a little bounce in her step.

Cassidy walked over to Claire’s room. She opened the door quietly and stepped inside. Her daughter was still fast asleep. Cassidy leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving the room, letting Claire sleep a little longer.

"Morning, Clara," Cass said as she spotted Clara in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water.

"Good morning, Cassidy," Clara replied, eyeing her closely. There was something in Cassidy’s voice, light, almost cheerful. "You look really happy this morning," she said, curiosity getting the best of her.

Cassidy pressed both palms to her cheeks, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.

Clara let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. From your voice and that glowing face of yours, I can tell you’re in a good mood," she said with a knowing smile. "Tell me, Cass—what’s got you this happy?"

Cassidy looked a little shy. She felt embarrassed to admit that her happiness came from being in love. So instead, she just said, "Something good happened to me, Clara."

Clara got the hint and didn’t push further. With a warm smile, she said, "I hope from now on, only good things happen to you and Claire."

"Thanks, Clara, for your kind words. I really hope good things are coming, not just for me and Claire, but for you too." Cassidy appreciated her deeply. Clara already felt like family to her.

The two of them shared a smile. Clara knew being a single parent wasn’t easy, but Cassidy had handled it well. She never complained while raising Claire, and now Claire had grown into a wonderful girl.

Clara also knew that even though Cass rarely opened up, she always looked like someone carrying a lot on her mind. So when Clara saw her smiling freely like that, it made her happy too. She hoped Cassidy’s happiness would last, not just for today, but for a long time ahead.

Suddenly, Cass’s phone rang from inside her room. Her face, already glowing, lit up even more when she heard the ringtone.

Clara smiled softly at the sight. Now she understood why Cass was acting like this. Someone had clearly found a way into her heart. The only thing Clara didn’t know was who that someone was, Ezekiel or Xavier. But judging from the past few days, she had a feeling it was Zeke. And honestly, she preferred Zeke over Xavier.

Not that Xavier wasn’t a good guy. It’s just... Clara felt like Xavier didn’t care for Cassidy as much as Zeke did.

Clara had seen it in Zeke’s eyes. His gaze wasn’t just fixed on Claire, it was always on Cass too. And it was the kind of look that was so intense, Clara could tell how Zeke felt even without him saying a word. Cassidy, on the other hand, seemed to be the only one who didn’t realize it.

***