Snow didn't hesitate. She immediately called Andreas, her voice trembling as she relayed Alex's unsettling revelations – not just about Cassandra, but about his audacious demand for a "dinner" and the chilling promise of clothes waiting in her room. The anger she had felt at Alex's manipulation was quickly overshadowed by a raw, aching pain for Cassandra's apparent betrayal, and a rising fear of Alex's possessiveness.
Andreas, grim-faced, arrived at her apartment within minutes. He listened intently, his jaw tight, his eyes blazing with controlled fury. "He's playing a dangerous game," Andreas muttered, clenching his fists. "Using your vulnerability against you. And this… this demand for a dinner, controlling what you wear… it's a new low, even for him. He's trying to assert dominance."
Together, they drove to the address Alex had provided. It was a sleek, modern apartment building in a fashionable part of the city. When they knocked, the door opened to reveal a woman with undeniably familiar eyes, but a face that was subtly different, refined, almost unrecognizable. The plastic surgery was evident, a testament to her desire to vanish.
"Cassandra?" Snow breathed, her voice filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Cassandra's eyes widened, a flicker of guilt crossing her features. "Snow! Oh, my God, you found me." She ushered them inside, visibly flustered. To prove her identity, she pulled out an old photo album, then a clinical file with before and after pictures of her facial surgery. There was no denying it – this was the Cassandra Snow had known.
"I admit everything, Snow," Cassandra confessed, her voice barely a whisper, tears welling in her eyes. "She paid me. Your stepmother, Ravenna. And not just me. She bought off all of them. The 'disproportionate wealth' Andreas found? It was hush money. To vote against you, and then to disappear quietly. Some of them needed it more than others, but we all had our weaknesses she exploited."
Andreas's eyes narrowed. "I know. He paid you to say all this, didn't he? Alex. How did he find you?"
Cassandra flinched, looking away. "Yes. He… he charged his team to find me. My CV showed I worked with Ravenna before joining Alex's team. That's how he connected the dots." She finally met Andreas's gaze, her eyes pleading. "I had to accept the money, Mr. Charm. My parents were running into deep debt from the bank. I was desperate. Alex offered me a job, a way out, if I told him everything. He said it would help Snow, somehow. I swear, I never wanted to hurt you, Snow."
Snow stood in stunned silence, the full weight of the betrayal crushing her. It wasn't just Ravenna; it was a carefully orchestrated scheme that had corrupted those she once trusted, driven by desperation and greed. And Alex, exploiting it all for his own twisted games, now trying to force her into a dinner.
Andreas, however, saw beyond the immediate confession. He saw Alex's calculating move, using Cassandra's desperation to manipulate Snow. This wasn't about truth for Alex; it was about control, about planting seeds of doubt, about making Snow indebted to him.
As they left Cassandra's apartment, Andreas pulled Snow close, his arm a steel band around her. "He's trying to isolate you, Snow," he stated, his voice grim. "To make you believe he's the only one you can trust, the only one who can uncover the truth. And this dinner… it's a trap, Snow. A power play. But this changes nothing. It only strengthens my resolve." His grip on her tightened, a silent promise to fight not just for her, but with her, against every shadow from her past.