Cassie’s POV
I opened my email again. I realized that it was empty again. It was the fifth time that I was doing this today.
And yet, I did not receive any email.
I was waiting for an email from my dad. It had been weeks since I spoke to him.
I had sent him countless emails in the meanwhile, expecting that he would reply to at least one, but he didn’t. He was busy with his treatment, but I couldn’t understand what could be so serious about his condition that he couldn’t even spare a second to talk to me.
I was well aware that he was in touch with his legal team here as they ha
I widened my eyes. His interpretation took me aback. “That’s not true. You are my friend, and you have a place in my life. In fact, you have a very special place. But you can’t do everything for me.”“Why? We spoke about this so many times!" he said, "You’re the reason I’m alive. I am always indebted to you."“That’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to feel the obligation-” “But you are my friend, Cassie, and you mean a lot to me. I will help you if you’re in trouble. Just like you helped me in the past.”When he put it like that, I couldn't say anything. “Please let me do my job, Cassie. I won’t let anything happen to you. In fact, I come bearing good news.” Frowning, I wiped my tears away. Clearing my throat, I turned in my seat to face him properly. “What are you talking about?” “Our case.” He said, “We’ve found some great leads and we’ve spent the entire day following it, and we’ve managed to build a great case for tomorrow. Safe to say, you need not worry about anything. We’ve go
Calvin’s POVUpon Becky’s idea, I decided to come to this stupid pub. I was not even in the mood for it, but she forced me. She even invited my friends to come to the party so that I could have fun. But ever since I arrived, nothing has changed. I was still upset with everything that was happening around. Somehow, I couldn't keep my mind off the case tomorrow. I was anxious about it. “Calvin, come on!” My friend Jonathan said, “Why do you look like that? You’re finally going to get rid of your dumb wife. Aren’t you glad? You should be celebrating.” He was right. I should be celebrating, but I wasn’t. I was too sullen. Thank god, Becky wasn’t around, or else, she would have felt bad seeing me like this. She really wanted me to have fun today. “I don’t know, man. I can’t seem to have fun anymore.” “Well, look over there. There’s a hot chick right there. Maybe she can cheer you up?” Following his eyes, I looked toward the dance floor. I spotted the woman he was referring to but her
Cassie's POVThe atmosphere inside the court was cold and quiet. Despite the chilly weather, I could feel myself getting clammy in my palms, having to constantly wipe them clean against my pants. For the past half hour, Enzo and his associate Mark have been counselling me as to how to answer the attorney’s questions, and no matter what, I should not lie to make up for any slip of the tongue. “We have everything we need, and if we can keep the tide in our favour, there is no way we’re losing this case.” Enzo said, “Be confident, Cassie. You have done nothing wrong, so let the judge see that.” I kept repeating his words in my head until my thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the judge. As soon as my eyes recognized him, my breath hitched in my throat. Enzo didn’t miss my reaction to him, so he quickly turned toward me and asked, “What’s wrong?” “That man..” I said, “He’s George Halsted, right?” “Yes.” Enzo replied, “That’s the judge. What’s wrong?” “He.. he’s our biggest r
I widened my eyes in surprise. This was golden. How did he manage to get his hands on those documents? Becky looked toward Calvin in helplessness, and Calvin seemed equally surprised with it. He didn’t see that one coming either. If I were to guess right, he had no idea that Becky was drunk that night. “I.. the documents are not true..” Becky said.“Not true?” Enzo said, “We’re talking about Westwood Hospital, which is the largest and most renowned hospital group in the country. Are you trying to say their basic studies of blood alcohol levels are untrue? That’s going to be another lawsuit in itself then.” “I.. but I wasn’t the one driving that day!” Becky said. “How does it matter what I drank? Maybe someone spiked the drink.” “Right, that’s where I want to bring in this file, which reports the survey of the vehicle after the accident. Since there is no CCTV footage available, our best shot at determining who was driving the car that night would be this report, which claims that
Before I could even react, the judge kept asking. “How do you know that?” “Because Cassandra had asked me to help her harm Becky.” She said, “She meant to eliminate Becky from the picture so she could have Calvin all to herself. But I did not comply with her, and that angered her. She threatened to end my career if I revealed her intentions to anyone, and knowing that she came from an influential family, I kept my mouth shut. Later that night, I got to know that they met with an accident and that accident almost cost Becky her life.” “You’re lying!” I cried out in angst. “I never even spoke to you that night! You are lying!” I couldn’t control my anger. I knew I was not helping my case with my sudden outburst, but I could no longer sit idle like that because she lied her way through the conversation. I never did anything to her. What would she gain out of something like this? Does she even realize what sort of consequences I would have to face because of her little stunt? “Mr DeL
“The trial has concluded. Ms. Cassandra Harper Anderson has been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment!”The final judgement pierced through the silence of the courtroom, echoing through its vast hallways. Lifetime imprisonment?!I didn’t hear a word beyond that. All at once, those two words seemed to be the only things I could make sense of. I never realized till now that it would take merely two words to pause your life and crumble everything that you’ve built in it so far.How is this possible? How could the judge be so biased? Was he bribed by Becky? I couldn't help but anxiously glance at Enzo.Enzo and his associate falling into a deathly silence driven by astonishment and denial. On the other end of the room, laughter and celebrations began. Hugs were exchanged, congratulations were conveyed, and victory was celebrated. Becky leapt into Calvin’s arms, and he dipped down to meet her for a kiss. The new couple celebrated their win over their enemy, an
Enzo’s POVI vividly remember the time when Cassie left me. It was decades ago when her adoptive parents came to take her to her new home. Cassie was reluctant to go. She didn’t want to go at all. When her new parents asked her why, she said she didn’t want to leave me. I wonder if she even remembers that episode now, but it was something I could never forget. It felt like the first time someone was choosing me, the first time someone cared about me. Ever since then, she remained a significant person in my life. As she eventually left me that day, it felt as though she was taking a part of me too. Somehow, nothing changed till this date. I watched as the police took her away, standing by myself all alone and helpless. She didn’t even look at me as the vehicle moved, perhaps she couldn’t bring herself too. The farther she went from me, the more unreachable she seemed. With every passing second, I realized that I was losing her once again, and something within me told me that this ti
Cassie’s POV Life inside the prison was exactly how I expected it to be. Miserable. There was no life, no beginning, and no end. It was a vicious cycle of doing the most mundane things, with not a soul to talk to, not a confidant to vent to. One just had oneself, and one had to make peace with that. The only time I saw people was during breakfast, lunch and dinner when people were fighting for their share of food. The quality of treatment of convicts was poorer than I’d expected. I had to fight for basic needs such as food and clean water. Since we were here after committing a crime, nobody deems us worthy of receiving such basic commodities although the government provides it to us. Apart from the food breaks, we are allowed an hour in the morning and another in the evening to spend outside the confines of the cell, and most people engage in an activity or service in the prison to kill time. I was reluctant to partake in any of those activities, simply because I knew I didn’t bel
Enzo watched me as I got ready for work.It was my first day back at the office and I couldn’t be more relieved. To say the past few days have been difficult would be an understatement. I needed a distraction from everything, and what was better than going to the office? With Enzo unemployed, I had to make sure that I could put some bread on the table. Although my grandparents have been continuously calling me, offering me help, or in their words - letting me have what was mine, I simply could not let them. That would be the last straw for Enzo. He was already beating himself up as he saw me working day and night to make ends meet. “Did you speak to that friend of yours you were talking about?” I said, “The lawyer. He was offering you a job, wasn’t he?” “I lost my license to practice, Cassie.” He said, “I can’t practice law anywhere else.” I turned around, puzzled. “But Raymond told me that he offered you a position of a legal advisor. You can’t be an member of the bar, but surel
On Monday, all our boxes were packed and shifted to transport. I cast one last glance at our house. I remember the time I first moved in when Enzo gave me the freedom to redo the entire apartment. I was so overjoyed and spent an entire day working on it. And now, as I watched them tear down and remove everything we had in there, I could feel my heart break. I could only imagine what Enzo must be going through. Enzo refused to stay for the final take over of the house. He left downstairs with Emmy while I waited upstairs to finish all the formalities and paperwork. Once I was done, I went down to join them. “It’s done.” Enzo nodded, “What’s the plan now?” He asked, “We could… go to a hotel.” “No.” I said, holding his hand, “Come with me.” We loaded our luggage into a cab and got in. Once I gave him the address, Enzo frowned at me, “Where are we going?” “I got us a house last week.” I said, “We’ll be staying there from now on.” “A house?” He asked. “Where?” “In Brooklyn.” “How
I anxiously waited outside the conference room. Enzo was in there talking to all of his clients in an attempt to explain to them that this was not his doing. Raymond was out here with me, pacing around the room. For the past few days, Raymond has been a tremendous help to us. Since Enzo was not in the right position to take care of everything, he stepped in to do all the negotiations. Today was the day that would decide our fate. Although I knew what was coming for us, I couldn’t help but hope that something miraculous would happen today and turn the odds in our favor. And then finally, Enzo came out. And his expression revealed that the meeting didn’t go well. “They’re taking everything.” He said, “Every single penny I own.” My heart sank. “Is there no other way?” “The clients think I betrayed their trust, so they’re seeking a higher compensation.” He said, “And since they’re doing me a favor by not pursuing this criminally, my lawyer thinks I should settle.” Criminally? Oh, G
“Who did it?” I asked, treading him carefully. In all these years of knowing him, I never saw him like this. This broken. This helpless. Enzo built that firm with his own blood and sweat. It was everything to him, and to have it all be taken away - it was a nightmare for me. Suddenly, I was enraged. The mere thought of Trent Dalton was making me shake with anger. But I knew that this was not entirely his doing. To pull off something like this, he needed someone on the inside, a mole, to give away such sensitive information. If the transactions are portrayed to be made by Enzo, then it must be an insider that had access to such sensitive information. “I don’t know.” Enzo said, “Whoever it was, they altered the firm’s accounting software to move client funds, trust funds, into my personal account. I had no idea of this, and nor did I receive any messages from the banks regarding giant transactions. Trent must have paid them to be silent as well.” “If they could get into accounting
“How old is your baby?” The nurse asked as she handed a crying Emmy back to me. “Four months now.” I sighed, patting her. “Oh, Emmy. Calm down. It’s over, isn’t it?”She just received her vaccine shot and came out of the doctor’s office bawling her eyes out. “She’s so adorable.” She mused, handing me my file. “I would agree but she’s throwing too many tantrums lately.” I said, “She could be a handful when she wants to.” “I wish I could say it gets better but it truly doesn’t.” She laughed, “But that’s what we signed up for, right?” “Yes.” I said, kissing my daughter’s tear stained cheek. “Let’s go home, shall we? Daddy’s waiting for us in the car.” Emmy just replied with another sob, burying her face in my neck. As we went out, I spotted Enzo’s car in the parking lot and headed toward it. I quickly got in. “These vaccination visits are so difficult.” I said, as I closed the car door. “I just can’t see Emmy crying so much. I just walked out of the doctor’s office today, can you
After the party, Enzo, Emmy, Sara and I headed back home. Sara was shook from the entire episode that played out and remained silent the entire journey home. As we went in, I looked at her. “Take the guest room. You can rest there.” She didn’t move an inch until Enzo looked at her. And then, she said, “I can’t live here.” She sighed, “I… I can’t… I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.” “Sara, you’re not a burden.” I protested, patting a sleeping Emmy on my chest. “I will be if we continue this arrangement.” She said, “I don’t want-” “How about this?” Enzo intervened, “I’ll give you a house. It’s right by your workplace. That way you won’t have to live with us, nor with your scum of a dad.” “A house?” She said, “I’m sure I can’t afford the rent.” “You can live there for free.” He said, “I just… I don’t ever want you to go back to that house.” Sara stared at him for a long while, as though she was trying to figure him out. “Why are you doing this?” “What?” “You didn’t even wa
Enzo looked at me and then back at the crowd, and then finally, a grin broke out on his face. “Wow.” he said, running his eyes over everyone. “That’s… my friends from college and my… how did you get them all together?” I shrugged, “After a month of thorough planning.” “I can’t believe you did this.” He said, “This is brilliant. Thank you so much, Cassie.” “You’re welcome.” I smiled. ”Now, let’s go.”One by one, Enzo’f friends and colleagues came up to him to meet him, but my eyes were looking for Sara. I found her at the far end by the bar, enjoying a drink with Mark, but her eyes were set on Enzo. She deserved to be here with us. “Oh, Emmy.” I heard Kelly’s voice coming from my side, distracting. I grinned as Emmy effortlessly slipped from my arms into hers. “Look at her, she looks like a darling.” She then looked toward, impressed, “Cassie, I must say. You completely transformed this place. Well done.” “Sara was of tremendous help, really.” I said, “I could not have done thi
Enzo’s POV I felt a small nudge on my stomach as I woke up. Assuming it to be Cassie’s limb, I ignored it. However, the nudge soon tickled it and then I felt something wet. My eyes opened to look at Emmy crawling on my chest, trying to bite my skin. A smile tugged at my lips upon the sight of her adorable face. Picking her up to my face, I placed a kiss on her cheek. “How did you come here, darling?” I mumbled as I shifted to my side. And right then, I saw it. A small cupcake was resting on the bed with a note that read: Happy Birthday Daddy. I widened my eyes in surprise and grabbed my phone to check the date. Damn. I really lost track of time. “Happy birthday, baby.” Cassie grinned, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. “First birthday with our daughter, aren’t you thrilled?” “Absolutely,” I said as I watched Emmy. She was making weird, excited noises now, eyeing the cupcake. Her hands were reaching out toward it, and I scraped off the frosting on top to place it on her lips.
As I went back home, I wondered what all of that was about. The man seemed weird, but should I tell Enzo? I was worried that he was already so stressed with everything at work. I was sure he would be overthinking with this even more. The last thing I wanted was to burden him, so I guess I would have to keep this one to myself. What Kent Rover said could’ve been a result of a massive ego hurt and nothing at all. In that case, there was no reason to alert Enzo. If he approached me again, then I would talk to Enzo about it. As I went home, I found Sara and Emmy playing in the living room as usual. However, what was strange was that Mark, Enzo’s associate, was added to the mix. And from the way Sara was laughing at whatever he had to say, I could tell that they were having a rather good time. “Hello.” I said as I walked in, “Didn’t expect you here, Mark.” He gave me a casual smile as he looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’m running errands for your fiance, please don’t mind.” “Not at all.”