The Contract (Part-III)

Three years ago

Cece had seen him many times in the past week. She had heard the rumour that he was interested in her. "Gavin," someone said, "is new in town. He is probably studying in the same university as you."

Cece had seen him in the university too, but she didn't think of him as a student. There was something very different about him. He was dressed ordinarily, behaved well and inconspicuous most of the time, yet every time she laid her eyes on him, she found something different about him. Something out of place, it was right there in front of her eyes yet she couldn't spot it.

"He might be a stalker," she shrugged.

"You should stop watching these shows. He is here for his sister. She is taking admission this year and he is looking for information. Coincidentally he saw you and fell for you," one of her friends explained.

Cece couldn't believe her ears. "You do realise how ridiculous that sounds, right?" she let out a small laugh and finished her beer.

"Okay, maybe we're not sure about that falling for you part, but the rest is true."

Another of her friends joined the discussion. "You should see the way he was looking at you. Intense, passionate, like he wanted you so badly."

And that made her suspicious. Sure, she believed in love at first sight and all that shit, but this was getting too dangerous. She did not like him back as one of her friends suggested, nor did she feel her heart fluttering. She was scared of him. She was so scared that she left the party earlier than she thought she would.

She called a cab, asked Jimmy and Mia to accompany her, and she rushed to her dorm. The next morning, a fine, sunny Friday morning she decided to go home and meet her parents. Her mother, a prominent writer, and her father, a banker, stayed in a small house in the suburbs with their furbaby, a husky named Bruno.

Present day

"Do you know me?"

Cece doesn't know how to use a gun. She wished she could learn. She wished she knew how to burn a man alive without leaving a trace. Or just melt him in acid. But there is another side to her character that stopped her from reacting in every way. This other side reminded her of all the experience she has gone through in her past and how she is still paying for the crime she hadn't committed.

And that other side of her character made her breaths shallow, heart palpitate, and her throat dry. The air around her felt heavy, too heavy to breathe, too cold to stand straight without shivering. She inhaled deeply, and tried to look at his face with an indifferent expression.

I am the daughter of the man whose family you slaughtered three years ago. She wanted to scream, but her muscles remained stiff inside her, refraining from making any kind of sound.

"She is the young author we have hired. We wanted her to meet you," said Simon Frank.

"Is that so?" He looked at her, observed her from head to toe, and continued, "You should be careful when you walk on the streets. This side of the town may be peaceful, but that doesn't make the streets any less dangerous."

All she could manage was, "Thank you for your concern."

She was forced to sit there with the three of them while they made small talk. Cece couldn't speak much, except some faint agreements and disagreements.

'Don't be so conscious. He may look grouchy, but he is cool in general," said Sandra with a flirtatious smirk, making Cece cringe in disgust.

After another ten minutes, she forced a smile and left the cafe.

Upon returning, she called Mia. "Do you know any good lawyers?"

"Yes, why?"

"Umm… not too expensive?"

"Did you end up killing someone for real?"

Cece bit her lip and gulped a wave of emotions rushing out. She waited for a bit before she heard Mia speaking again. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to—"

"Don't worry about it. Just tell me if you know someone."

Mia sounded guilty when she spoke again. "Yes, I know some, but you have to tell me exactly why you are looking for a lawyer. Then I'll be able to help you better."

"I have signed a contract, but I don't want to work for them anymore. I need someone who can find a loophole for me."

"I am sending you an address, meet him. He is good at these kinds of cases. By the way, you're not in some kind of trouble, are you?"

Is she in trouble? Cece thought hard and decided she was lost. He might not be able to recognise her, but that may be a show he was putting on. Then again, what would make him trap her? What else did she have to give him? Hadn't she suffered enough?

"I am not sure. I need to get out of this contract."

It took her some time to find the address. It was the residence of the lawyer, who is retired now. Because of Mia's reference, he has agreed to help her without any fees. After an hour of searching and asking around finally brought her to a posh neighbourhood.

The lawyer in front of him, a middle aged man, looked at her face gravely. He has been reading the contract for around an hour. Cece cursed herself internally. She should have done this before signing the papers. Like, life has not taught her enough.

"I hope you do not need me to explain to you where you have made your first error, yes, Miss Cecelia?" The lawyer asked him. He sounded like an affectionate grandfather.

Cece lowered her head and said, "I know."

"Your generation is unique. Where some of you have managed to rot your mind with technology and social media, some of you showed incredible genius. I wonder, which one are you?" The words stung. Cece has never been called stupid, but these words meant exactly that. To be honest, Cece has no defence. She faced utter humiliation and injustice, yet those things have not taught her anything in life.

And here she was under a false hope, that changing her name and surname would keep her safe. Like a toddler, she believed, if she kept her eyes closed, nobody would be able to see her.

"I needed something stable. I am broke. I thought, I will blindly work until my tenure ends, whatever the situation might be, but after meeting the man I am going to work for, I don't think I can do that anymore."

Joe Graham nodded and contemplated Cece's words for a while. "The contract itself is not a bad one. It is very lucrative, and oddly, profitable to you more than your employer. That makes me wonder, exactly what is bothering you? Is the man creating some unfair, or salacious proposal?"

Cece shook her head.

"The man murdered my parents three years ago. It ruined me in every way possible. I looked for him everywhere, and found no concrete information. Most people said that he left the country. Now, after three years, he is back with a contract that, as you said, brings more profit to the employee. I am not sure what his agenda is, and I don't want to associate with him in any way."

If she was a heroine like those blood boiling stories, she would plan revenge on that man. She would find everything about him, every weakness, and hurt him. But Cece knows her limits. She couldn't do anything then, and she wouldn't be able to do anything now. She could go to him and shoot him. The thought, regardless how stimulating it feels, is just completely bizarre and absurd.

"The moment I saw him, all those days came back to me. It's like sitting in front of him, I was reliving everything. The police station, the questions, the suspicious looks, accusations and gossip, rumours, everything. I can't do this. It may be harmless, maybe, he just wants me to write a story, but I can't do this."

Cece wasn't aware when her voice broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks freely, and she let that happen. She sobbed silently, without even trying to hide her weakness. "I feel so pathetic right now."

Joe Graham was listening to her quietly until now. He took off his glasses and said, "The problem is, my dear Cecelia, the contract has no loophole. You can always submit a medical certificate, stating what makes you completely unable to write a story, but in that case you have to pay the compensation, which in your case is not specified. Do you think they will let you quit with a mere medical certificate?"

"If I manage to do that, and agree to pay the compensation, can that work?"

"Sure you may make an attempt." The lawyer said, "If you need my help, do call me. Here is my phone number. I may be retired, but I believe I can make some arrangements for you."

Cece wiped her eyes and nodded.

When she turned to leave, she heard the lawyer saying, "I followed your parents' murder case. I never believed it was their alcoholic daughter who killed them."