“Thank you for your time, Miss Cassandra. We will get back to you in a few days.” The HR manager smiled at me out of formality as she handed me my file.One look at her face could reveal to me that I was not going to get this job as well. It was my third interview this week, and it made me realize how cut throat the competition in the job market is these days. One would be surprised to know how unwilling people could be to employ freshers, especially a beginner like me who had a few years of gap between graduating and starting my first job.The internship programme that I was a part of was not as brutal as this one, as it was landed to me due to my father’s influence. Only now do I realize how fortunate I was back then. From here on, surviving all by myself in this world cannot be as easy as it was for me all these years,
I blinked my eyes open to better make out the face looming over me. He had a concerned expression on his face as his eyes ran over mine. He pulled out a piece of cloth and rubbed my mouth, wiping away the blood that trickled down. I couldn’t help but wince in pain at that.“Hey, Miss.” Said the stranger. It was a middle aged gentleman, I realized. “Are you okay?”I nodded, groaning, as suddenly, it felt as though my entire body hurt. I could feel tears prick at my eyes as the sting in my nose intensified. I also grew aware of the cold air striking against my wound on the knees and forearms, making me shudder against the pain. I could sense that the man was worried, a look of helplessness crossing his face.He looked around frantically, seeing if he could ge
“It does not take a genius to figure out who did it.” Enzo said as he poured me a cup of hot chocolate.I was sitting by the counter, watching him fill the cup to almost the brim before he walked toward me. Handing me the cup, he fetched one for himself and settled down in front of me. I knew that he could read me like an open book at this point, so when a small smile nestled on his lips, I didn’t wonder why.“You don’t want to accept it, do you?” He asked, amused at my blinded faith in my husband.“I know Calvin is mad at me, but I don’t think he hates me so much that he would send a goon after me.” I tried to reason, “What if it is a coincidence. What if it was a robber?”
A knock came on my door in the early hours of the morning, making me groan. I squinted my eyes at the partially closed curtains, fighting against the bright beams of sunlight slipping through them. As I looked at the clock on the wall above it, it revealed 8:30 am.That wasn’t so early after all. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from last night that put me to a good sleep way beyond my normal wake up time. Brushing the sleep from my eyes, I got up and straightened my clothes. Roughly combing my hair, I went to the door and opened it.Enzo was busy typing something on his phone on the other side. He was decked up in a polished black suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. He sported his usual Rolex on the hand that he shoved into his trouser pockets. His sharp eyes looked toward me in impatience, and I understood that
Later that afternoon, while I was lazing around in my room, I heard some commotion outside. I could hear some muffled voices, and I realized that one of them belonged to Lawrence’s and it was slowly rising. Wondering what it could have been about, I stepped out. As I walked into the living room, I realized that he was speaking to some on the other side of the door.In fact, it looked like he was blocking someone from entering.“Excuse me!” The voice said, “You better move aside right freaking now if you wish to keep your job. You don’t know who you are talking to.”As soon as I recognised that unforgettable voice, my eyes widened. Wow. What was happening?“That’s precisely what I’m worried ab
Becky's POV“Have you heard the news?” Calvin’s father, Peter said as he folded the newspaper. Tossing it on the sofa, he came to join us at the breakfast table.Calvin looked up in confusion. He had no idea of what he was talking about. But I did. And I couldn't wait to let this conversation unfold. “What?” He said.“News about Cassie.” Peter said, “She was attacked yesterday.”“Attacked?” Calvin exclaimed, dropping his spoon on his plate. “By who?”Peter raised his brows at him, giving him a sly smirk, as though he caught the culprit. “That’s what I’m wondering. Do you have anything to say?”“Me? Why would I…” Calvin’s eyes widened in realization, “You can’t possibly think I was the one behind it?”“Why not? It fits the plot.”
Cassie's POV “Ahhhh!!!!” I screamed in horror. I got up and sat straight at once. I frantically looked around, searching for my perpetrator. But he was nowhere to be seen. I then realized that I was not in the middle of nowhere. I was in my bedroom. I could feel sweat dripping from my face, and my breath becoming erratic. It was yet another nightmare. It was my third time today. In every dream, the same scene repeated in my head. I was taken to a dark lane and was attacked continuously. Before it could get any worse or before Peter could come to my rescue, I would wake up from sleep, utterly drenched with sweat and gasping for breath.Right then, the door to my room opened. Enzo walked in. “Cassie!” He said as he sat on my bed, “What happened?” “I’m sorry, it was nothing.” I said, “Another nightmare.” “Another?” He asked, surprised. “This is getting out of control. You need to see a doctor. They might help you.” “No,” I said, “I don’t want to start therapy again. I just need t
It took about an hour and a half to get done with the paperwork. The HR manager was a kind woman who seemed to have prepared a speech to talk me into accepting this job, but I didn’t need any convincing. Any qualms I had about working here right about vanished when I realized that it was Enzo who owned it. Nothing could be fishy about this place when the leader was so capable and trustworthy.However, I did take my sweet time reading all the documents before putting my sign on it. After all, it was always better to be safe and sensible about these things. After all, I checked with Lawrence if I could meet Enzo, but sadly, he was still in a meeting and had asked us to proceed for lunch without him.“We’ll go to your office next.” He said.“My office?” I asked. “I got an office room?”He winced, “My bad. I meant the tech department. Nobody there has an office room yet.”
The next week at the office was the same drill, and before I knew it, it was the weekend.I couldn't believe I lasted an entire week here, from having no idea how I was doing to gaining some foundation somehow. Emma was patient with me as I got the basics right and I eventually started working by myself, rarely needing her help.Through the week, Emma and I developed a great bond. She was proving to be my kind of a person, and since she wasn’t very close to any of her other colleagues, she was soon to accept me into her life too. Although she was technically my senior, she never made me feel that way, nor did she treat me like I was below her in rank. Because of this, we instantly clicked.Patrick was surprised with us too. He noticed that we were hav
I was having one of those dreams where you are aware of it.I was back in my prison cell, preparing myself for bed when I heard someone opening my cell door. When I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, I was instantly knocked down. I found myself on the floor in an instant and a faceless man was towering over my figure.I tried to scream for help, but nobody came. He caught my hands and put them above my head, and using his other hand, he tried to lift my shirt. I screamed in horror and jumped from my dream.When I woke up, I realized that I was panting and Enzo was patting my back. The TV screen froze and Enzo turned the lights on.“Cassie!” He said in worry, “What th
As I twisted the door knob open, I saw light flooding from inside. I frowned.Enzo was back already?“Hello?” I said as I closed the door behind me, getting rid of my heels.“In here.” Enzo’s voice chimed from the kitchen.“Wow, you’re cooking?” I asked. I was amused looking at him in his chef attire.“I am,” he said, “I hope you like pasta.”“I do.” I said, “But what’s the occasion ?”“We’re
I stared at the computer screen in horror. It was filled with red errors.I scrolled through my work in disbelief. This was the worst feedback I have ever received. I can’t be that bad.. Until.. I realized I was. What was this? I had never made these many mistakes before.Right then, my telephone buzzed beside my computer. When I took the call, I realized that it was Patrick calling me.“Meet me in my office.”Shit. “O-okay.”I quickly went to his office. I knocked on the door and pushed it open. When I entered, Patrick was looking into a file and didn’t bother to look up and acknowledge me. I clea
Cassie’s POV I looked up at the tall building with a sigh.It was my first day.I noticed that there was a Starbucks located beneath the office. Since I had some time to spare, I went in to get a fresh cup of mocha. Instead of sitting inside, I decided to take a stroll in the small park area outside the building. Maybe it was because I’ve been away from work for so long, I felt a bit uneasy to enter the office building.When it was time, I finally mustered up the courage to go inside. Saving me a trip to the HR, Enzo slipped in my identity card this morning, which granted me hassle-free entry into the building. Even though I told him that everything would just follow the process and I was confident I could get through all the interviews, Enzo said we didn’t need all those complicated steps. I went along with his arrangement, after all, it was his good intention.I went straight up to my floor and navigated through the throng of people who were standing in the gaps between the cubicle
Calvin’s POV“What’s the matter?” Becky’s concerned voice came after me as I entered our bedroom. Without sparing her a glance or a nod of acknowledgement, I barged into the bathroom, banging the door shut behind me.I hated lies. I hated liars.Today, Becky was found to be one. I loved her so much, but she didn't tell me the truth. I found out about it in court. It was pathetic.As I stood under the showerhead, I couldn't help but wonder why she might have done that. Why did she have to lie about who was driving the car and why did she have to frame Cassie in a murder case? Why did she hate her so much? Did that mean that Penelope had lied too? But why would she?
When I walked toward Becky, Calvin was nowhere in sight, nor were his lawyers, giving me my much-needed alone time with her. My conversation with her was far overdue, I realized.She saw me approaching her and started glaring. Her face was full of anger."What do you want?" She asked as soon as I arrived near her."I wanted to check if you're doing well." I said, "After all, you might be going to prison very soon. And after living there for two weeks, thanks to you, I can assure you that they will take very good care of people like you. You better be prepared."Becky scoffed, "I am not going anywhere. I will be right here with Calvin, making sure you don't steal him from me yet again.""Yet again?" I laughed, "Calvin was never yours to begin with, Becky. He was my husband. You are the one that came in between and sabotaged the life we built. If anything, it was you that took him away from me.""Calvin loved me."
I felt someone hug me from behind. When I turned around, I realized who. It was Kelly."Cassie!" She screamed in elation. "I can't believe this! You're finally free."I could hardly register what was happening around me as too much was unfolding at one go."You are going to be alright, Cassie! You're going to come home. Your life is going back to normal again!"I nodded, "It is, isn't it?" I asked, perplexed. "Everything is going to be alright now.""Yes, absolutely!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. "All thanks to this man here who never gave up on you."Following her eyes, I looked to my right where Enzo was standing. I detected a sense of relief on his face, as though a mountain of responsibility had been lifted off his shoulders. Dark circles had formed below his eyes, making me wonder how many sleepless nights he had endured to lead us to today's victory.Tears accumulated in my eyes i
Cassie's POV “Replay the video.” Said the judge, failing to believe his own eyes. I couldn’t blame him, for what Enzo had produced as evidence in the courtroom was astounding. I was perplexed as to how he managed to get his hands on something like this. The video was recorded from the car, giving a view of the driver and the passenger. The driver seemed erratic and wobbly, sloppily driving on the empty road. After a few seconds, the driver suddenly turned the wheel to a side, ending up colliding the vehicle with the tree. Fumes erupted from the bonnet, and the airbags opened in the front seat. The driver was unconscious, their head on the airbags as blood dribbled down it. Right then, the passenger door opened and they got down. They came to stand in front of the car, revealing their faces. It was me.I approached the driver’s side to help Becky, but Becky wouldn’t budge. I then proceeded to pull her phone out of her pocket and call for help. I had no memory of this video. I wasn