Chapter 5

Cara- 

Disbelief. Pure and utter disbelief. That's where my mind was at right now. I looked over at Jason and tried to understand what exactly he believed in, because right now it was hard for me to believe that he had any common sense. 

From the moment he walked into my dad's hospital room, I knew he was arrogant. The way he carried himself pretty much expressed that he believed the world revolved around him. Because of this sense of entitlement, I can understand why he thinks everyone should kiss the ground he walks on. 

Too bad I'm not everyone. 

I flipped the packet back to the first page, and placed the cap back on my pen. I kept my legs crossed, but assumed a casual position of leaning my spine against the backing of the chair for support. Then, placing my intertwined hands on my higher knee, I settled in my seat and waited for Jason to put together the pieces of my defiance. 

He looked at me as if I caused a sour distaste to fill his mouth. And I smiled internally, thinking good. I needed to set the record straight with Jason. I wasn't afraid of him, and nor was I going to be intimidated by him. Men like him thrived on being able to bully others. But I knew a thing or two about standing up to bullies.

"What is the meaning of this?" He dared to ask, and I wanted to roll my eyes. 

In what century did this man think he lived in?

I felt myself shrug before I replied calmly, "I'm not signing this contract."

Narrator-

Jason wasn't entirely surprised by Cara's words, but nonetheless he was displeased. He didn't have time for this game. He liked being prompt in everything he did. This back and forth banter and entertaining this outspoken woman was messing up with the time span he had planned to spend here. He was already growing agitated just thinking about it.

"What do you mean?" Jason tried to keep his tone measured. 

"I am not leaving my home for the next six months only to spend it in the house of a random man, whom I only met yesterday. I'm also not going to live with a bunch of other people that I don't even know. I have a sustainable job and I'm not quitting that either." Cara explained herself, although she spoke more words to Jason than she wanted to.

"But we had a deal. You were the one who thought to take on your father's debt, and you will pay it back. Every single cent of it." Jason pressed, his words short and precise. 

"And I can do that, on one condition." Cara fired back. 

She straightened her spine again, and placed her once cropped leg flat on the ground. 

At her change in posture, Jason felt a tension buzz through his skull. It manifested itself in the form of a slight twitch of his right index finger. Cara noted the small movement but didn't care for it. 

"What condition is that?" Jason didn't appreciated the baiting game Cara was playing. 

"You draw me a new deal." Cara expressed, then she leaned back in her chair to watch Jason squirm. 

Jason's index finger twitched again. He drew in a breath, and released it slowly through his nostrils. He pressed his teeth together, his jaw firm and stiff. He knew Cara was trying to gain the upper hand, but he's been playing this game way longer, and if Cara thought to take him on, he'd give her a run for her money. 

"A new deal?" Jason voiced.

"And what exactly would be the terms of this new deal?"  

At this Cara shrugged, "You tell me. I don't care much for the details. But this new deal would have to accommodate to me. The deal you had before was for my father. You're a businessman Jason, and I'm sure you're smart and flexible enough to know how to please your clients."

Jason didn't respond. At least, not right away. He knew he had to handle whatever he said next very carefully. He wanted to admire the fact that Cara wa trying to put on a brave front. If anything, he alsmot commended her actions as cute. Except Jason didn't like cute, and Cara was quickly becoming a pain in his bottom.

Jason's silence gave Cara a false sense of security. She believed that she had put him in his place, except she forgot one very important detail. Jason was the debtor, she really had no footing for an upper hand.

Jason who initially leaned on his elbows and knees assumed a position of power. He casually leaned his back on the sofa and relaxed his arms. He slightly leaned his head to the right, his index finger no longer twitching. Jason realized that he had wasted enough time talking, and because he liked to be on schedule he wanted to be on the road back to the mansion in approximately ten minutes.

"Here's the deal then," Jason began in his tempoed tone, "There will be no new deal."

Cara scoffed.

But Jason didn't let her have a word.

"You will sign this contract, and you will pack and bag and be ready to go in exactly ten minutes." Jason instructed, but he wasn't finished.

"You are right Miss Thompson, I am a businessman. However you made the mistake of believing that you were a client. You are not. You owe me, and if in six months you want to have a home to come to, you will stamp that paper with your approval in the next thirty seconds." Jason spelled out without blinking or stuttering.

"I can call the cops." Cara threatened.

"And say what exactly? The contract on your lap is a legal document. This is a legal transaction." Jason wasn't phased.

"I just buried my father." Cara was quickly running out of arguments.

"I think that should be the least of your worries Miss Thompson." Jason said coolly.

"How dare you?" Cara demanded appalled.

"He's dead. Your father is dead. He's at peace, no longer having to worry about anything. Not this house, not you, and definitely not the contract he signed with me." Jason continued, uncaring.

"But do you know who still has to worry about all those things?" Jason quizzed.

Then with a slight motion of his head in Cara's direction, he said "You."

Cara had no strength to speak. There was no getting through to Jason. She couldn't believe her ears, or the fact that Jason was sitting here before her, pretty much uncaring that her life was falling apart, and he was directing the wrecking ball.

Jason reveled in the fact that he rendered Cara silent. If she was going to be in his employ, she'd have to learn the rules quickly. Noticing the defeat settle in Cara's shoulders, which slowly drooped as she folded into herself, Jason decided to ease the tension.

He made a show of looking at his watch, then he returned to his initial posture of leaning forward on his knees.

"Miss Thompson, don't think me as the bad guy because I'm not. You need to understand that your father was already behind by a few payments. I've been patient. Nonetheless, I appreciate the fact that you stood up for him, and in honor of the fact that he loved you and wanted to protect you, I won't have you too involved in the club. Yes you will have to live in the mansion, but I'll create a clerical position for you. Joe's final plea was that you would not be exposed to my world, and I'll try to honor that as much as possible."

Cara blinked in Jason's direction, but couldn't help but retort, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Jason ignore her question.

"Please sign the form." He said instead.

"Go to hell." Cara expressed in anguish.

"We need to get a move on," Jason was unphased by her words, "so once more Miss Thompson, sign the form."

A thick silence fell in the room. Cara stared at Jason and he did the same. She was close to tears, and he was close to exploding. Cara blinked multiple times while she tried to keep her tears at bay. Jason remained unmoving and silently waited for her to make a choice.  Jason didn't plan on repeating himself again.

When Cara was sure that Jason couldn't be swayed, she sniffled and swallowed her pride. She removed the cap from the pen's top, and she flipped the packet until the last page was revealed. Without chancing another look in Jason's direction, knowing very well that he was staring at her, Cara signed the final line. She gulped down a thick bile, but it only traveled so far down her throat that it easily rose back up and sat on the of her epiglottis, a clear symptom of her distress and unshed tears. Then she closed the packet and dropped it on the table.

Jason shook his head.

"I'd appreciate it, if you handed it to me." Jason wasn't going to let anything slip.

He needed Cara to understand that he was a serious businessman, and didn't tolerate any form of immaturity.

Cara wanted to flip Jason the bird, but instead she kept her butt pressed on the chair, and crossed her arms in defiance.

Jason sighed at her behavior and tried to pace the tempest he felt brewing in his chest. He felt the involuntary twitch of his index finger, as well as the heat atop his scalp. Jason told himself to be patient with Cara. She was mourning, and he knew that his appearance only added to the stress, but still, he could only be so patient.

"Miss Thompson, I understand that this is a hard time. But you are not a child, and if anyone should understand the aggravation of having to repeat themselves, it should be you. You're a grade school teacher, I'm sure you only like to repeat yourself for a certain amount of times. I'm also sure that you see to teaching your student manners. So once again Miss Thompson, pick up the packet and hand it to me. Then you will pack a bag, and we will leave in five minutes." Jason spoke with a tone so well-paced, it drove Cara up the wall.

Cara stood up with a huff. She grabbed the packet of her sealed fate and all but shoved it into Jason's hand. Then she stomped her way to her bedroom and slammed the door after her. Jason chose to keep silent about her actions for now.

Cara made a fist and pressed it against her mouth, while breaking down instantly. Her knees gave way and she lowered herself until her ankles supported her weight, while her forehead was pressed against the wooden door. Cara sobbed as quietly as she possibly could. Her head felt as if it was spliting open, her nose clogged with a dense mucus. Her shoulder shuddered while rales of sniffles and cries tremored through her chest.

"Oh gosh..." Cara whispered while opening her eyes and lifting them to the ceiling.

She placed a palm on her forehead for she felt the room spinning around her. To a degree, Cara wanted to believe that she was dreaming. But the tears were too real. The pain in her chest was too real. The man invading the space in her living room was too real. And the absolute absence of her father's protecting spirit, and the elimination of the sense of comfort of knowing that he was there felt all too real.

And if all these felt so real, then Cara knew that she couldn't be dreaming.

"Okay." Cara breathed out, then she sniffled and tried to breathed through her mouth.

She continued the routine of catching her breath and exhaling through her mouth until she could no longer feel her head spinning. Cara stood up on shaking knees and headed to her closet. The fact that she obediently retrieved her large duffel bag and began stuffing her essentials into it without putting up a bigger fight scared Cara.

How did Jason win? Cara wondered, when for a moment there, she was sure she had the upper hand?

Cara didn't want to dwell on it further. It would only make her more depressed.

Cara saw to packing her underwear, sleepwear, and a couple of clothing. She then headed to the bathroom. She packed her toothbrush, her lotion and body spray and perfume. She also packed two soap bars. She packed toiletries necessary for her cycle. She also saw to packing her shampoo and conditioner, along with all the necessary essentials for taming her natural yet wild and thick coils. Cara also packed her charger and headphones. She packed her travel documents just in case. She also brought a towel and a blanket. She added five pairs of socks, and a bonnet to keep her hair overnight. Against her better judgment, Cara carried a few photos of herself and her father, as well as one picture of mother.

By the time Cara had finished packing, she had an extra bookbag in addition to the duffel bag. Cara looked around her room with sad eyes. She couldn't believe that she'd have to leave the only place that helped her connect to her father. But even that moment of mourning was cut short, when Jason knocked on the door, stating that it was time to go.

When Cara made it to the living room with her bags, Jason silently took the duffel bag from her hand. Cara ensured that the back door and every window was locked. Due to her earlier cleaning spree, the house itself was left in a clean manner. The sink was free of dishes, and Cara made sure to stuff all perishable items from her shopping spree the day before, in the freezer section of her fridge. When she was sure that she could leave her home in a state that would last six months, she grabbed her purse and looked at Jason who was already standing at the door.

Jason, without a word opened the door and exited the house. Cara followed after him. She turned off the hallway lights, then exited the house, locking the door behind her. Cara activated the house alarm, then with one final glance at the home she shared with her father, Cara entered the black sedan which Jason drove to pick her up.