Lancey and Anastasia headed to the dining table. Lan was out at a business dinner, so it was just the three of them tonight. Seeing Cassian making a disgusted face, Lancey said with thinly veiled annoyance, "I made this especially for you. Drink up."

Cassian wasn't having it. Watching this standoff, Anastasia tried to mediate. “Come on, your mom put all this effort into making it for you. Don’t be rude.”

Cassian looked at Anastasia with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You really want me to drink this?”

Anastasia was confused about why he was being so dramatic, but her mother-in-law had clearly gone to a lot of trouble—wouldn’t it be awful not to appreciate it? So she nodded emphatically. “Absolutely.”

Cassian smirked. “Alright, but don’t blame me later.” With that, he grabbed the bowl and chugged the whole thing like it was a shot. Then they all settled in for dinner.

During the meal, Lancey suddenly perked up. “Oh Ana, there’s this exclusive wine club event next weekend. You free? I’d love to have you come with me.” Lancey figured it would be smart to start introducing Anastasia to their social circle. Even though she personally found most of these networking events pretty tedious, some were just part of the territory.

Anastasia looked surprised, then quickly responded, “Mom, weekends are totally open for me. I’d be honored to go with you.” Truth was, Anastasia actually knew her way around wine and high-end social events. Back when she was with Jasper, she’d realized the Hale family had all these unspoken expectations about proper etiquette and social graces, so she’d taken classes in wine appreciation, event hosting, and sophisticated entertaining. She’d turned out to be a natural and had picked everything up fast. So she’d definitely be able to navigate these kinds of gatherings without embarrassing herself.

After dinner, Cassian and Anastasia noticed it was getting late and decided to call it a night. As they were heading out, Lancey pulled Anastasia aside and sneakily handed her a beautiful gift bag, whispering for her to check it out once she got home. Anastasia was totally puzzled but nodded and thanked her mother-in-law before they left.

Cassian’s face was looking pretty flushed. Anastasia thought that was strange—it wasn’t even that warm tonight. Something definitely seemed off about him. Once they got home, Cassian’s face was getting even redder, and his breathing seemed heavier. Anastasia finally had to ask, “Cass, are you feeling okay? You look kind of sick.”

He didn’t respond, just listened. Anastasia felt her stomach drop—something was seriously wrong. “Here, sit down. Let me get you some water,” she said, hurrying toward the kitchen. When she returned, Cassian was sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed, his forehead creased and covered in sweat.

Cassian hadn’t expected his mother to go quite that hard with whatever she’d put in there. He’d figured it was some kind of herbal energy booster, but he hadn’t anticipated it being this intense. For grandkids. He couldn’t help but laugh grimly—his mom was obviously getting desperate for grandchildren.

“Cassian, seriously, are you alright? Should I call a doctor?” Anastasia was starting to freak out. She reached over to feel his forehead and was shocked by how hot he was. Shit! Was he actually sick?

Cassian’s eyes snapped open, and he caught her wrist, his voice coming out low and gravelly. “Ana, you honestly have no idea what was in that soup?”

Anastasia looked completely clueless and shook her head. “The soup? What do you mean? Your mom said it was some kind of health tonic she made for you. Right?”