Chapter 358 The Cakes That Changed Everything

Author ’s pov

Cassian crouched beside Harper, his face calm and unreadable, even in the ridiculous setting of a tree hollow.

Moonlight slipped in through the opening above, casting a pale glow across his features.

For a second, he almost looked like a character out of a dream.

“Hey, Harper,” he said softly. “We meet again.”

Harper stared at him, eyes blank. After a moment, she suddenly smiled like she knew exactly who he was.

But Cassian could tell she had the wrong person.

“Agent Zero!” she shouted, smacking her thigh with excitement.

Cassian blinked.

He almost fell over.

Before he could say anything, Harper started looking around like she was deep in enemy territory.

Then she pointed up at the hollow’s opening.

“This is it! The Black Forest’s secret base. They’ve taken us prisoner!”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re here to get me out, right ?”

Cassian instantly got the picture. Whatever hit her system had sent her into full spy-drama mode.

He didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and gently tilted her face toward him.

“How many did they take ? I need details to plan the extraction.”

Tears welled in Harper’s eyes.

“I’m Harper. You recruited me yourself, remember ? For the Academy!”

Cassian sighed inwardly but kept a straight face.

“I remember. But they messed with my head. I barely know who I am anymore.”

Harper gasped, completely devastated.

“No! They erased your memory ? But you’re a legend at HQ!”

Cassian lowered his head and stayed quiet for a second.

His shoulders were shaking because he was trying not to laugh.

Outside, one of the guards leaned toward the hollow.

“Is she… crying ?” he whispered.

He peeked inside, only for a chunk of bark to hit him square in the face.

“Back off, traitor!” Harper yelled. “Don’t touch my commanding officer!”

Cassian pulled himself together and picked her up.

“Let’s move, Agent Harper. The resistance is waiting outside. They’re with us.”

Harper nodded instantly.

“Right. We have to protect the intel. No matter what.”

Cassian stood tall and gave a curt nod.

“Target secured. Extraction in progress.”

The guards exchanged confused looks.

“…Target ?”

“Don’t ask,” one muttered. “Just go with it.”

They helped him lift Harper out of the hollow.

As soon as she touched the ground, Harper stepped in front of Cassian like a bodyguard. Her stance was deadly serious.

Everyone instinctively backed away.

Cassian calmly pulled out his phone and called Alpha Sebastian.

“Found her,” he said.

“Is she alright ?” Sebastian asked.

“Physically, yes. Mentally… she’s very deep in character.”

A pause.

“…Thank you,”Alpha Sebastian said.

“You owe me a drink,” Cassian replied.

Harper pressed close to him, her tone sharp.

“Sir, who were you talking to ? That rogue agent who went off-grid ?”

Alpha Sebastian went silent on the other end.

Cassian slid his phone back into his pocket.

“He’s under deep cover. We respect his choices.”

Harper nodded with conviction.

“You’re right. We can’t compromise the mission.”

Cassian took her hand.

“Come on, Agent Harper. Mission complete. We’re heading home.”

Harper followed without hesitation, her posture straight, her eyes alert.

Behind them, the guards just stared.

No one even tried to explain.

Cecilia ’s pov

Levi’s house was brightly lit, but the air felt heavy.

Not long after we arrived, Cassian walked in carrying Harper.

Tang shot up from the couch the moment he saw them.

“You monster! You’ve got some nerve showing up here!”

Harper stepped in front of Cassian like a soldier guarding her commander.

“Don’t touch my commanding officer!”

Cassian almost broke character at that.

But I couldn’t laugh. Not when things were this serious.

“We need to get them to a hospital now,” I said. “This isn’t some weird phase. If we wait until night, they might completely lose it.”

Cassian’s face turned serious.

“There’s a clinic in the village. It has real equipment. We’re going.”

Everyone moved quickly. Tang and Harper were helped outside, and Levi, still lying at the bottom of the stairs, was carried to the car.

I ran to the kitchen to find the cake box.

I searched every shelf, drawer, and trash bin. Nothing.

Whoever cleaned up did a thorough job. Or maybe someone didn’t want it found.

With no proof in hand, I rushed to catch up with the others.

The clinic sat at the highest point of the village.

We drove straight there. No one spoke on the way.

When we got inside, we realized this wasn’t an isolated case.

A few kids had already been brought in. Some had wandered off and came back acting strange. Others got stuck in make-believe stories like they thought they were real. One kid even tried to arrest his parents and called them traitors.

The doctors had just discovered a mild neurotoxin in food residue from one home.

Half a cake was found on the floor. The kid had eaten the rest.

When the staff saw Cassian walk in with us, they looked surprised.

But after a quick explanation, they immediately hooked Harper and Tang up to IVs.

Inside the treatment room, one doctor turned to Cassian.

“How did they eat that cake ? Where did it come from ?”

I was about to speak, but Cassian’s tone stopped me.

“Not important right now. Just treat them.”

Once the doctor left, Sebastian turned to him.

“It was Martha, wasn’t it ? She sent the cake to Levi’s place.”

I nodded without a word.

I had told Sebastian about Martha in my earlier messages. He put the pieces together fast.

Cassian’s expression changed.

“Sebastian,” he said quietly, “this has to be a misunderstanding. My grandmother wouldn’t hurt her.”

My brain stopped working for a second.

What ?

His grandmother ?

Martha was Cassian’s grandmother ?

The realization hit me like a punch to the chest.