Eden Cassadine

Phoebe Tonkin as Eden

Eden Cassadine is the secret daughter of Stefan Cassadine, born from a short affair with her mother Eloise Bertrand when he was out of the country. Raised primarily in southern France, she was told little about her paternal family under the guise of keeping her safe, but following her mother's death Eden relocated to Port Charles to get to know the remaining members of the Cassadine family.

## Early Life

Eden's parents had a brief and intense affair during Stefan's time in France, but it was not meant to last. Stefan was devoted to his family, and sadly Eloise could not compete. However, months after the two parted ways, Eloise contacted Stefan to let him know she was pregnant. She was under no illusions that Stefan would return to her, but she wanted him to know.

Stefan’s immediate reaction was to ensure that no one in Cassadine family knew of the child, especially not Helena. He knew all too well how dangerous the family could be, even to their own, and he wanted to shield his daughter from that. He made sure that Eloise and their newborn, who was named Eden, were well cared for. He even visited in Eden’s early years under the guise of business trips to the rest of his family, but eventually stopped coming. He was determined not to let anyone find out about her.

As a result of her parents' care, Eden was raised in luxury in the south of France. Her mother made sure that her education was top notch, leading to her spending long hours pouring over books. She had no idea that her absent father was funding her schooling, including her studies at culinary school.

She was told of Stefan’s death months after it happened in 2003. She mourned the loss, but more in terms of what she could have had. She had no relationship with her father, and that made her angry. She found herself lashing out at her mother, who insisted everything had been done in her best interest. It was then that she learned some of the truths of the Cassadine family, told by a woman who was afraid they would take in her daughter and spit her back out in pieces.

Despite everything she'd learned, Eden was curious. She longed to know her family, but it was only after her mother passed that she felt she could finally take that step. After mourning the loss of Eloise, Eden picked up her life and moved to Port Charles where the remaining Cassadines lived.

## Life in Port Charles

On the surface, Eden appeared as a newcomer to Port Charles. She opened a cafe named The Bistro Cafe, hoping to combine her love of cooking with her desire to get close to her family. During her first few months in Port Charles, she introduced herself using her mother's last name, going as Eden Bertrand.

As the summer moved into the fall, The Bistro Cafe began to pick up steam. She found herself focusing on the success of her restaurant while she wondered what she would do about her family connections. Quickly into the start of opening The Bistro Cafe, Eden hired Willow Tait as one of her waitresses, along with a few others. The opening was met with a lot of initial success, and only a handful of growing pains.

In September, a few months after the grand opening, Eden met Sabrina Santiago, who came in with her son and best friend. Sabrina, a nurse, helped tend to a wound Eden got while preparing dishes. The two of them hit it off, and Sabrina promised to spread the word about The Bistro Cafe around the hospital.

## Personality

Eden is gentle soul, kindhearted and sensitive. She is a bit introverted and will often take some time to warm up to new people. Her greatest passion is cooking, and she delights in trying new recipes. As evidenced by the amount of time she has put into her restaurant, Eden is quite hardworking and ambitious. On the other hand, she is also curious and is willing to take risks in order to learn more about her family.

## Important relationships

* Eloise Bertrand: She was raised primarily by her mother. They were extremely close, with Eloise being Eden's closest confidant. Eloise did not want Eden anywhere near the Cassadine family and did not tell her the truth of her heritage until Eden forced it out of her. Eloise's death has left a huge hole in Eden, and she has not properly dealt with it.
* Stefan Cassadine: Eden has very few memories of her father. He visited when she was younger, but always remained aloof. Later those visits stopped, and her mother always claimed it was for her own safety. She was saddened to hear of his death and wished that they could have had a closer relationship.

## Crimes committed

Below is an abridged version of Eden's misdeeds:

* Lied about her identity [2019]

## Health and vitals

Below is an abridged version of Eden's misdeeds:

* Had her tonsils removed as a child [year]
* Has cut herself cooking numerous times