The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife
Chapter 105: Someone Wants Us Hurt

Chapter 105: Someone Wants Us Hurt

Cassidy coughs, trying to catch her breath. Without turning around, she asks,

"Are you okay, Claire, sweetheart? Clara? Are you two okay?"

Claire’s lip quivered the second she heard her mother’s voice. "Mommy..."

Clara grabbed Claire’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze with her uninjured one. The other hand, already bruised from the crash, rested stiffly on her lap.

"We’re okay. Just shaken," Clara replied, her voice trembling. "Are you okay, Cass?"

Cassidy glanced toward the back of the car, checking on Claire and Clara. "Yes, I’m okay," she replied, though her voice wavered a little.

A thin line of blood ran down from her temple. Her head had hit the cracked windshield during the crash.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and urged,

"We need to get out of the car, hurry."

Clara didn’t hesitate. She unbuckled herself, then leaned over to free Claire from her car seat.

Outside, a crowd had already started to gather around the wrecked car.

The front of the convenience store was a mess. Broken glass, a crushed metal frame, and shelves knocked over from the impact.

Cassidy helped Clara lift Claire out of the car. She pulled her daughter close and whispered, "It’s okay. Mommy’s here."

Claire continued to sob, her small hands clutching Cassidy’s shirt.

"Are you okay?" a woman from the crowd rushed over, eyes wide with worry. "Do you need help?"

Cassidy nodded breathlessly. "We’re fine. Just shaken up."

Someone called out, "Are you alright?"

Another voice shouted, "Call 911!"

The owner of the convenience store rushed out, alarmed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Someone in the crowd added, "I saw a black sedan speeding from the other direction. It looked like it was trying to hit them."

People began whispering among themselves, voices low but urgent, exchanging theories with concern in their eyes.

They could hear sirens getting closer.

Cassidy hugged Claire tighter, her jaw clenched. Whoever did this didn’t just try to scare them. It felt like they wanted to hurt them.

***

Nolan’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, listened for a second, then froze. His entire posture changed, military rigid.

He turned quickly and headed straight for Zeke.

Nolan was Blake’s right-hand man. A former military officer like Blake, he had been assigned along with a few other trusted guards to personally protect Zeke after the shooting incident involving Claire.

Blake usually stayed at the Salvador bodyguard office. His main job was to guard and protect Bastiano. If Bastiano didn’t leave the house, Blake remained at the office, where the off-duty bodyguards also stayed.

But he was also someone Zeke trusted. So if Zeke told him to do something, Blake would do it. And Zeke only gave him tasks that really mattered.

"Sir," he said, voice flat, trained, unreadable. "We have a situation."

Zeke’s brows furrowed. "What kind of situation?"

Nolan didn’t waste words. "Madam’s car was hit while she was on her way back to the apartment."

Zeke’s face dropped. "What?" His voice rose, panic creeping in. "Is she... what about Claire? Are they okay?"

"It was the bodyguards’ fault," Nolan said. "They weren’t careful enough. They didn’t think someone would try to hit Madam with a car. They were behind her, watching, but they missed the car coming from the other side."

"They’re okay, sir," he added quickly, trying to ease Zeke’s panic before it turned into full-blown fury. "Madam has a minor cut on her temple, and Miss Claire is a bit shaken."

Zeke’s fists curled. His shoulders dropped slightly, but his face stayed tight with rage.

"Useless. What’s the point of paying them so much if they can’t even protect them?" he snapped. His eyes blazed, like he was ready to kill. "Cassidy had Claire with her. What if something worse had happened?"

Nolan said nothing. He couldn’t defend failure.

"Did they get the driver?"

"Two guards chased the car to a junkyard," Nolan replied. "But the driver was already gone."

Zeke’s jaw clenched. His eyes darkened like a storm about to break.

"Fucking idiots. What the hell can they do if they can’t even handle something this simple?" His eyes widened with rage, veins visible along his neck.

Every word hit Nolan like a slap.

"This is the second time," Zeke said sharply. "Whoever’s targeting Cass and Claire must have a death wish."

His heart raced. This wasn’t just fear anymore. He was burning for payback.

Zeke barked, "Tell Blake I want the driver found. Not a name. Not a license plate. The man himself. Drag him to me if you have to."

"And tell him to push harder on Baker. I don’t care how. Rip the truth out of him."

"Yes, sir."

Zeke took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "I want answers on my desk before the day after tomorrow. No delays."

Nolan gave a firm nod. "Understood, sir."

"Get the jet ready. I’m going back. Now."

Nolan nodded again without question, then turned and walked away, leaving Zeke alone, deep in thought.

Zeke dialed Cassidy’s number.

No answer.

He called again.

Still nothing.

He cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair, struggling to stay composed.

Andrew returned, catching the look on Zeke’s face instantly.

"What happened?" he asked.

Zeke didn’t waste words. "We’re going back. Now."

***

Cassidy sat at the edge of the ambulance door while the paramedics treated the cut on her forehead. Claire stood nearby, her wide eyes filled with worry.

Clara, meanwhile, was speaking with a police officer, answering questions about the crash.

One of the paramedics finished treating Cassidy’s wound and gave her a small smile.

"All done. It’s just a surface cut. Keep it clean and dry, and you’ll be fine." He gently patted her shoulder before stepping back to give them space.

Cassidy gently pulled Claire into a hug, brushing her fingers through the girl’s hair.

Claire was still shaken and teary-eyed. Seeing Cassidy’s face covered in blood had terrified her. She had been so scared something terrible had happened.

"I’m okay, sweetheart," Cassidy said softly. "It’s just a small cut. It looks worse than it is."

Claire sniffled. "But you were bleeding..."

"I know, baby. But it’s not serious, I promise. It’ll heal soon," Cassidy assured her with a warm smile.

Only then did Claire stop crying, her small hands still clinging tightly to Cassidy’s sleeve.

Cassidy couldn’t stop thinking about Claire’s face, how scared she looked after the crash, holding on to her and crying. It made Cassidy feel awful. She should’ve protected her. Things like this had happened before, and now it was happening again.

Not long after, Clara returned and leaned down beside them.

"Cass," she said gently, "the police want to talk to you."

Cassidy nodded, then turned to Claire and cupped her cheek softly.

"Sweetheart, can you wait here with Grandma Clara for a bit?" she said in a calm, soothing voice. "Mommy just needs to talk to the police for a moment, okay?"

Claire hesitated but slowly nodded, still holding onto Cassidy’s hand.

"Okay..." she whispered.

"I’ll be right back."

Cassidy walked over to the two police officers standing nearby.

One of them, Officer Kennedy, stepped forward and greeted her politely. "Ma’am, we just need to ask you a few questions about what happened."

Cassidy crossed her arms and gave a small nod. "Go ahead."

Kennedy pulled out a small notepad. "First, can I get your full name and ID number?"

"Cassidy Calista," she replied calmly. "Driver’s license number is 4296******."

He jotted it down, then looked back up at her.

The second officer, whose name tag read Bernard, spoke up. "Do you recognize the owner of that sedan?"

Cassidy shook her head. "I don’t."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"We were on our way home," she said. "A black sedan came from the opposite lane and hit us on the side. It looked intentional."

She shifted her weight slightly. "I was coming from the city, from my friend’s restaurant. We were heading back to my apartment."

"Did you happen to see the driver?"

Cassidy shook her head. "No. The windows were tinted, really dark. I couldn’t see anything inside."

Officer Kennedy nodded and wrote something down in his notebook. Then he looked up again. "Is there anyone who might want to hurt you?"

Cassidy hesitated. Her jaw tensed as a chilling thought flashed through her mind, but she kept her voice calm. "Not that I can prove... but lately, it’s starting to feel like someone wants to hurt us."

Officer Bernard furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by that, ma’am?"

Cassidy drew in a shaky breath before replying, "A few weeks ago, my daughter, Claire, she was shot."

Both officers exchanged a startled glance.

"She survived," Cassidy quickly added. "Thank God. But we still don’t know who did it. The police said it might’ve been a random act. A wrong place, wrong time kind of thing."

She paused, eyes darkening. "But then this happens. And I don’t know... maybe it’s all just coincidence. Or maybe someone really is trying to get to us."

Kennedy gave a small nod and finished his notes. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Calista. We’ll look into it. If we find anything, we’ll be in touch."

Cassidy simply nodded in return.

As the two officers walked away, Cassidy turned and made her way back to Claire and Clara. Her face had changed, colder now, more distant.

This wasn’t the first time something had happened to her.

First, the warehouse fire. Then Claire got shot. And now... the crash.

It couldn’t all be just bad luck. Something was going on. She felt it.

A cold shiver ran through her, and the hair on her arms stood up.

Someone was behind this.

And that thought alone made her blood run cold.

***