"Good morning~" Sarah said, sipping her coffee, smiling at her. Kassan noticed and gave a brief nod. "Mornin'." She glanced at the cup. "Try green tea instead of coffee sometime. Caffeine isn't great this early."
"Make my workload lighter, then I'll switch to green tea. Deal?" Sarah arched a brow, leaning in. Kassan laughed awkwardly. "Wow. Straight to the point, woman."
"Then don't bother with suggestions." She turned away, hiding a smile behind her cup. Kassan caught it anyway and smiled back.
"Hey~ caught you smiling~"
"Oh~ aren't you sharp, Ms. Kassan~"
Passing by, Sy stopped and watched them.
Her blood ran hot. The anger built fast. She already despised Sarah Ray — and now this. The closeness between them lit something fierce in her.
"Sarah." Her voice carried across the floor.
Sarah and Kassan both startled, turning at once. "Have you finished the work I assigned you? Seems like you've forgotten how to address your boss."
Sy snapped, slamming a stack of files onto the desk. Every eye in the room shifted to her, then to Sarah. Sarah, embarrassed, lowered her head beside Kassan.
"Why are you yelling, Sy? You could've said that more politely." Kassan said, defending her — and Sy's expression broke. She had expected Kassan to take her side. When she didn't, everything between them started unraveling faster. Frustrated, Sy stormed out of the department, Kassan close behind.
"Sy, what's going on with you? Why are you acting like this?" Kassan asked, locking the door behind them.
Kassan threw herself onto the couch, turning to face her. Sy's eyes blazed with something fierce. Kassan was completely stunned.
"The problem is you, Kassan. Why can't you see how strange Sarah's behavior is?" Sy shot back, the veins along her neck visible.
"What's strange about it, Sy? I don't see anything wrong with how she acts."
"Oh, really? Tell me — who else behaves toward you the way Sarah does? No one. Her intentions aren't good. Can't you see that?!"
"Sy, everyone has their own way of relating to people. That's just how Sarah's always been. You're reading too much into it, babe."
"I'm not reading into anything, Kassan. I see exactly what she's after."
"Sy, just stop. I'm telling you she's not up to anything — why won't you believe me?"
"Because she's trying to get between us. First she went after my position as your manager — now she wants my place in your heart."
"That's ridiculous. Why would she want that? And how could you even think I'd replace you with her, Sy?"
"She can manipulate you. I can't stand the thought of her getting even an inch closer to you."
"Sy—"
"I said I can't."
"...Okay. Fine."
● ● ●
Kassan walked into her bureau and stopped when she spotted Tristian lying across the table, fast asleep. She stepped closer, quiet, and noticed her day's schedule already laid out beside him. She smiled, watching him for a moment.
He flinched, groaning, walking up — and the second he registered Kassan standing there, he shot upright, saluting on instinct.
"Greetings, Ms. Kassandreau. I've prepared your schedule."
Kassan laughed at the posture. "I appreciate the effort, Tristian." Without realizing it, her irritation with Sy had already drained away entirely. Tristian gave a sheepish smile, scratching his cheek.
"...Thank you, Ms. Kassandreau." She nodded and moved to her desk, sorting through the files. Then — "I, uh, accidentally overheard your argument earlier."
Kassan glanced up, unbothered. "What did you think about it?" An unusual response, given someone had just admitted to overhearing something private. It gave Tristian pause. "I... I don't know. But I'd guess Ms. Ngawang is just jealous of how close you and Sarah seem. Isn't that pretty normal, for a spouse?" he said.
Kassan tilted her head. "Are you married?" Tristian let out a startled laugh at the idea. "That'd be strange, in my case. What made you think that? I'm way too young to be tying any knots, Ms. Kassandreau."
"I don't think marriage really has an age limit." she said. "The way you understood my wife's jealousy so easily — it made me think a little wider about you."
Tristian chuckled. "That's a lot to read into one comment."
"Well, I've been through a few toxic relationships myself, y'know." Kassan smirked, eyeing him up and down.
"Toxic relationships, huh? I can believe that. It does suit you." She gestured toward his frame. He glanced down at himself, laughing awkwardly.
"I see what you mean."
"Exactly."
The Dupen-Lee residence sat in an uncomfortable silence that night. Dinner went the way it usually had lately — quiet. The weight of it was hard on Tristian, his first dinner caught between two people clearly not on speaking terms.
Kassan sat alone on the garden bench, cigarette lit, eyes on the distant, twinkling skyline. She exhaled slowly, letting the emotion settle with the smoke.
Tristian approached. She turned, raising a brow. "What do you want?" Flat. Sharp. He hesitated, then said, "I smoke too. Mind if I join you?"
"I'd rather you didn't. I don't share these moments with anyone."
"I'm not James — I don't just walk away. I'm supposed to stay close, always. It's the job."
She studied him. "This is my own mansion.
There's no danger here." She exhaled another breath of smoke. "True, if you don't count your wife. Not true, if you do." he said.
She laughed, low and genuine, and gestured for him to sit. "Man, you're sharper than I expected." He laughed too.
"At least I come with field experience. All those toxic relationships are finally paying off."
"Overrated, if you ask me." she said.
"Mind lighting my cigarette?" That was a first — no one had ever asked her that. She gave him a curious look but did it anyway.
"You really know how to play this without an agenda, huh?"
She smirked at him. He exhaled through his nose. "Were you naturally queer?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean — some people end up identifying as gay just because their partner happens to be.
So, you... did you turn, or were you always like this?" he clarified. Kassan paused for a moment. "I figured out my sexuality at thirteen. Swimming pool — I was into my cousin, not the guy everyone called hot on campus."
"That's pretty early to figure that out. So how'd you end up married, then?" Kassan smiled quietly to herself, a flood of feelings stirring.
"Closeness. It's powerful in a marriage — and just as powerful in a divorce."
"Okay — now I can trace my way back to this afternoon's argument. The whole 'closeness' thing. It all makes sense now."
Kassan nodded, the pieces falling into place about her wife's behavior. "Right. So my wife understands the power of closeness perfectly well, then?"
"Absolutely." he confirmed. "Even though you're both women, you and your wife still seem to lack that real connection, Ms. Kassandreau."
"I know. And that's exactly why every morning argument turns into a silent dinner."
"I really do understand what you're going through, Ms. Kassandreau."
"I appreciate that, man."
•••
Kassan raised her teacup, clinking it against her father's. "Congratulations — we secured the park into our registration." she said, while her mother piled food and sweets onto her plate. Her smile never faded, riding high on the win.
Tristian watched them, a quiet, disapproving look settling on his face. He wasn't James — willing to nod along and stay silent. He was Tristian, the kind who crossed every line if it meant standing on his own terms.
"That's a real win, dear."
"You're acting like I've never given you a real definition of success before."
"That's not what your father means, Kassandreau." her mother said.
"But yes — this one's all yours. If it weren't for you, your grandmother wouldn't have stepped back from her protest and approved the land."
Her mother patted her shoulder, clinking glasses with her husband. For a second, their voices blurred entirely. Kassan thought of what James had once told her about his own grandmother — and somehow, the warmth of that memory never quite settled in her, but—
"Kassandreau, aren't you eating?" She looked up at her mother and stood, straightening her suit. "I'm not hungry. I have a meeting — I'll head out now." Her parents exchanged a confused glance. Her father caught her wrist.
"There are no meetings today. Where are you going, dear?"
"If not a meeting, then I have a wife to look after, Pa. Let me go." Her father let go of her wrist, glancing at his wife.
"...Right. Get home safe, okay?" her mother said. "You don't get to talk about safety, Exia."
Kassan said, walking off, gesturing for Tristian to follow. He inclined his head and started the car. She climbed in, tossing her phone aside.
He caught her eye in the rearview mirror.
"Did Mrs. Dupen-Lee say something?"
Kassan didn't answer. He glanced back — she was already trying to sleep.
"Home." she said, flat.
"Okay."