Sleeping With The CEO-Chapter 304: Children Can Kill

Cassandra had often heard many people say that they had found the key to a long life. Some said it was not holding grudges. Others said it was enjoying the little things in life, like good food, good wine and good friends. Others swore by certain diets.

While others believed that it was their daily meditations that helped them add more and more years to their lives. She even knew people who said that the secret to a long life was never ever falling, especially once you got past a certain age.

But now Cassandra believed that she had another thing to add to the secret of long life. The secret to living longer, according to Cassandra Haven, was never ever making the mistake of having children. That was it.

Simple.

You could dodge bullets, survive car accidents.

Outlive civilizations, and walk out of a plane crash unharmed. But the moment you had a child, you were dead. Because if there was one thing that children were good at doing, it was raising your blood pressure.

When it came to the situation that her son was currently facing. Cassandra knew that she was not at all blameless in everything that was going on. After all, it was her misguided interference that had led to Derek and Emily breaking up. But still, if she had known just how much trouble she was calling to her doorstep by that one action.

She would not have gotten involved at all. First there had come the devastating blow that Derek had dropped on her. Finally telling her, after decades of Cassandra believing that the issue was well behind them, that he had not been able to get a good night’s rest, since the age of twelve.

Reeling from the shock of that revelation, and unable to stand the heartbroken, and disappointed looks that Derek had been giving her. Cassandra had decided to give him some space by going back to the manor. Thinking that once he’d had time to cool down, and she too had been able to process everything. They would be able to meet up again and decide on a way forward.

But her son, her wonderful, brilliant. Her trying to kill her with a stroke, son, had gone and done something that Cassandra had not seen coming at all.

He had quit.

As easy as anything.

Like he was a part-time employee who decided that the job just was not a good fit for him. He had quit. Which meant that Cassandra. Instead of being at home, trying to come to grips with everything, was currently pounding Derek’s door with all of her might.

Luckily, Cassandra did not get the chance to start screaming.

If she’d had to yell, then things would have gone bad very quickly, because she would have found herself saying words that would have made even a sailor blush. But her phone had started ringing before Cassandra could come to that. Her son’s name flashing across the screen.

"I can see you on the security cameras mother, stop knocking, I am not home,"

Huffing at the calm tone, Cassandra could barely stop from screaming at him.

"Are you drunk Derek? Did you go into the office after drinking again?" Cassandra wished that he was there in person so that she could try and sniff him for alcohol. Maybe even look into his eyes to see if he was sober. There was no way he could be. His actions were not those of a sober person.

"No mother, I have not had a drop of alcohol since we last saw each other," Leaning against his door Cassandra, let out a breath.

"So what is it? Are you trying to punish me for interfering in your life? Because if this is your way of trying to torture me. Then congratulations, you have succeeded. I have been fielding calls, and dodging people wanting to know what is going on since yesterday. I have only just managed to escape today," The fact that he had been ignoring her calls the entire time did not need mentioning.

"No mother this is not me trying to torture you,"

"I am not happy with what you did with regards to my relationship with Emily. But at the end of the day you are still my mother, and I would not hurt you on purpose," Derek told her. And it did absolutely nothing to calm Cassandra down.

"If you were not doing this to torture me then why?Why Derek, why would you do this? Why would you..." She cut her rant short, and counted to ten in her head.

"What is done, is done. We can’t change it. But we can fix it. Where are you. Come to the penthouse or I will meet you wherever you are. We need to talk in person," There was a loaded silence that did nothing to help Cassandra’s blood pressure.

"Please tell me that you are still in the city," Cassandra said, and instead of telling her that he was not going anywhere. That he was still nearby, her son stayed silent.

"Derek," She implored, and this time he spoke up.

"I cannot tell you that I am in the city, mother, because that would be a lie." This was it. Derek was going to kill her without lifting a finger. How on earth could he just quit, and leave!

Taking deep breaths, Cassandra tried to get her emotions under control.

"Where are you?" She asked, her voice level. Not betraying the inner turmoil that she was feeling.

On the other end of the line, Derek cleared his throat.

"Somewhere safe," He said, and proceeded to lose his voice when she tried to get a name out of him.

In trying to help, she had made everything so unbearable for her son that he had left without a word, and was not disclosing his location. Something that was extremely out of character for him.

She could have tried to reason with him, to use logic to make him talk.

But all of that did not occur to Cassandra in the moment. All that she knew was that her son had left, and she was alone.

"I am sorry," She whispered into the phone, feeling a tear run down her face. And it was soon followed by more, ruining her makeup.

"Please come back," She begged, and for a moment it seemed as though it would work, that her son would listen to her. But his reply was a negative one.

"There is nothing for me there, mother. Do not try to make me come back. If you care about me as a son and not just as someone you can use to carry on the Haven legacy. Then you will not look for me. Allow me to deal with things my way... please," He finished.

Listening to him, Cassandra knew that if she were to deny him this. She would most likely never see him again. So she nodded.

"Alright, take care. I love you," And she ended the call. Not waiting to find out whether he would return the I love you. The thought that he might not was hard enough to bear. If it became reality, she knew that she would not be able to take it.

Hours later, Cassandra was back at the manor.

Curled up in bed, staring at a picture. This one had all three of them in it, a younger smiling Derek on his dad’s back, and a younger, softer Cassandra, was standing next to Jasper. The two of them looking each other in the eyes and smiling.

It was a simpler time.

A time when Cassandra did not doubt her abilities as a mother. But now she had really messed up and she had no idea how to fix things.

"What have I done Jasper? What have I done?" She asked her smiling husband. But he did not reply. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

After all, the Jasper that she now got to talk to was nothing more than a memory captured in time.

Unbeknownst to her, her son was at a motel in a particular small town.

A motel where the old man at the reception had blinked at him in recognition. When he had arrived, not that Derek had noticed.

And just like his former PA before him, he had asked for the old room that they had shared. But once again the old man had denied the request. Stating that the room had recently been painted. He hadgiven Derek the key to the room on the other side of the one that he had been in previously.

Which was where Derek currently was, not realizing that he and Emily were now separated by a single door.

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