CHAPTER 158: PLANS AND PASSION

Cassidy immediately pulled her back forward, then, still staring at Zeke through the mirror, she said seriously, "Go take a shower. Now."

Zeke chuckled at her reaction, her face flushed, eyes hazy with a mix of embarrassment and desire. He knew Cassidy still felt shy whenever the conversation turned to intimate matters.

Trying to respect her feelings, Zeke wrapped his arms around Cassidy’s shoulders, hugging her gently. "Okay, baby... I’ll do it with my hands alone," he whispered into her ear, his voice low and seductive, "But... if you change your mind or want to help me, I’d be very happy."

He leaned down and planted soft kisses along her neck, making Cassidy shiver as warmth spread through her body.

"Stop it. And go shower," Cassidy ordered, trying to keep control over her own desire.

Zeke chuckled, amused by her struggle. "Alright, I’ll shower. But my offer still stands," he teased before strolling toward the bathroom, leaving her both flustered and secretly tempted.

Zeke stepped into the bathroom, still aroused from wanting Cassidy. The cold shower wasn’t enough to cool him down.

He cursed under his breath, then gave in to his frustration. With his own hand, he relieved himself, pretending it was Cassidy’s hand on him.

But when Zeke was lost in his own desire, Cassidy suddenly came in without him noticing.

Under the running shower, Zeke stood with his hand stroking his shaft, completely unaware of her presence. Cassidy watches him, shocked at first but then realizing he’s jerking off while thinking about her.

"Yeah, baby. You feel good," Zeke muttered, imagining himself deep inside Cassidy.

She knew Zeke would imagine her, but seeing it right in front of her eyes, hearing the sounds he makes, it turns her on even more.

Her thighs press together, heat building fast between her legs.

She slowly undressed and stepped closer. Zeke doesn’t notice, he’s too lost in pleasuring himself. Just when he’s about to cum, Cassidy suddenly grabs him, wrapping her hand firmly around his hard length.

His body jerks, a deep groan breaking out as he releases hard, spilling against the wall and over Cassidy’s hand.

"Baby, turns out you couldn’t resist either," Zeke teased, tilting his head to look at Cassidy behind him.

"Yeah, watching you jerk off while thinking about me made me turned on too," Cassidy whispered in his ear, her voice low and sexy.

She pressed her body against Zeke’s back and began stroking his hard length again. This time, only her hand without his. It made Zeke groan with pleasure.

Their moans and gasps filled the bathroom, mixing with heavy breaths as they gave in to desire. They didn’t leave the bathroom until almost two hours later.

After getting dressed, Zeke checked on Claire to see if she was awake or still asleep. She was still asleep, probably tired from playing at Georgia’s house with Freya and Jonah.

Zeke then headed to his study. Once inside, he locked the door before taking a seat at his desk. He pulled out his phone and called Blake.

Blake picked up almost immediately.

"How’s the investigation on Abigail going?" Zeke asked in a low voice, careful not to let Cassidy overhear.

"As you suspected, sir. Mrs. Perez’s activities over the past year have been suspicious. She often meets with unidentified people and hires people with a bad record."

Zeke’s serious face hardened, his eyes turning dangerous.

Blake knew that even though his boss remained silent, he was listening closely. "After our investigation, we found that Mrs. Perez is known for her arrogant behavior and for mistreating people at will. She’s never been jailed because Mr. Perez and her parents always back her up."

"So, is she the one behind all of this?" Zeke asks, narrowing his eyes as he tries to contain his anger.

Blake clears his throat. Even though everything seems to point at Mrs. Perez, there’s still no solid proof. "Sir, we haven’t found any clear evidence yet that shows Mrs. Perez is the mastermind behind what happened to Madam and the young miss."

Zeke gritted his teeth, tired of hearing the same answer from Blake again and again. "Blake, this week you must find out if Abigail is behind this or not. If you can’t, I’ll find someone else who can handle it faster than you," Zeke said, his tone deadly serious.

He wanted the culprit caught as soon as possible because he couldn’t wait any longer to propose to Cassidy. But before he could do that, he had to remove the biggest threat standing in their way. More than anything, he wanted Cassidy and Claire to feel safe, free from the fear that someone out there was trying to hurt them, or even kill them.

Hearing Zeke’s words, Blake was determined to find proof as quickly as he could. "Understood, sir."

Zeke ended the call. But instead of going back to the bedroom, he sat down in his chair and opened his laptop. His cold, sharp expression softened slightly as he typed into the search bar. He began scrolling through articles, trying to understand what kind of proposal women usually dreamed of.

He then opened YouTube, curious to see the kinds of proposals men usually planned.

From the videos and articles he went through, Zeke slowly formed an idea—one that felt right for him, and one he believed Cassidy would like.

After settling on an idea, he realized he would need a ring to propose to Cassidy. Zeke picked up his phone again and searched for the name of a family acquaintance who owned a diamond business.

"Hey, what’s up, Ezekiel? What made you call me?" asked Chase, a family acquaintance who runs a diamond and gemstone business.

"Chase, I need to buy a diamond," Zeke went straight to the point, making Chase curious.

"A diamond? How many carats are we talking about?"

Zeke paused. This was his first time buying one, and he wasn’t sure what size would be right. "What carat works best for a ring?"

"A ring?" Chase’s tone lifted. "Is this for a proposal or just a gift?"

"For a proposal."

There was a brief silence before Chase let out a laugh. "You’re proposing? Well, congratulations, man. Guess I’ll be waiting for the wedding invitation." Then more seriously, he added, "For an engagement ring, it usually depends on taste. Some people like it simple, others prefer something that stands out. But one to two carats is the most common choice."

Zeke tapped his fingers on the table, thinking about Cassidy’s style. "One carat will do," he said. Cassidy wasn’t the type to want something flashy, so he decided to go small.

"Okay. Do you want us to make the ring as well, or just the stone? You can design it yourself, or we can create a few options and send them to you to choose from," Chase asked.

"You’ll send me the designs, and I’ll pick one if there’s one I like," Zeke decided.

"Alright. I’ll handle it and let you know when the designs are ready."

"Okay," Zeke said, hanging up.

Just then, there was a knock at his door. Cassidy’s voice came from outside, "Zeke, can I come in?"

"Of course, baby," Zeke said, walking over to open the door.

"I heard you talking about a ring... Are you buying one?" Cassidy asked as soon as he opened it.

"Uh... you heard that?" Zeke asked, his face tightening with worry, afraid he’d been caught.

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