FATE UNDECIDED

CHAPTER 5

Throughout her stay in Law school, Cassandra had lost complete communication with her family on purpose. She changed her sim cards and blocked all means of reaching out to them. Even though her mother and Cassie wanted to secretly reach out to her, they couldn't. She wouldn't want to cause any rift between them and Mr. Briggs.

Two years later, Cassandra made it through Law school. She decided to come home hoping that her father's anger had subsided. Now that she was a professional, she had hoped that he will be glad and perhaps welcome her back into the family.

When Cassandra showed her face at the Briggs mansion, her father was more furious than he was the first time. She didn't make it past the living room. He sent her out and threatened to have her thrown out if she didn't leave on her own.

Cassandra saw the sympathy in her mother's eyes and the fear in her sisters. She blinked lovingly at them, signalling that she understood their hopelessness. She turned around and was about to walk out of the living room when Mr. Briggs made a life-changing statement.

"Liam will be graduating in two months and he will take over the business as well as your inheritance. At least, he had proven to be a worthy son."

Liam is her younger brother who was studying Economics at Harvard. All his life, Liam had always wanted to please their father.

Cassandra wiped her tears and walked out of the Briggs mansion. There was no denying that she had done all she could to make her father accept her back but it was evident that he wasn't going back on his word. She was about to step out of the building when she felt a warm hand around her from behind.

It was her only sister Cassie. "Congratulations Cassandra, I'm so proud of you." Cassie immediately broke away and ran back to the house.

The tears Cassandra had been fighting to hold rolled down her cheeks. She walked out of the compound and heaved a deep sigh. After being sent out and this time without any inheritance, she knew it was time to earn a living. Since she chose this path, she must work towards it and prove to her father that she wasn't as hopeless as he thought.

Two weeks later, Cassandra sent her resume to the various firms in the city but was turned down. She sent applications to firms seeking lawyers yet no one called her even though her result was one to die for. Cassandra suspected that it was Mr Briggs who was making things difficult for her. She knew her father will go to any length to make her feel worthless and as it appears, he was succeeding so she left the city.

Two months later, Cassandra was able to secure a job in one of the leading firms in Miami.

.........................

Cassandra stepped out of her apartment. She was smartly dressed in a black print gown which hugged her tightly, doing justice to her curves. She was carrying a red handbag and was wearing a red pair of heels.

Cassandra was walking down her street when a cab finally pulled over. "GRAVIA AND ASSOCIATES FIRM, opposite the PALMS MALL," she said. The driver nodded in understanding and she stepped into the car.

"You are a lawyer or you are going to the firm to get one for a case?" the driver demanded and pulled out of her street.

"I work there," Cassandra affirmed with a smile.

"Impressive." the bald driver commented. "You are a professional." Cassandra smiled.

"Everyone in this city knows that GRAVIA AND ASSOCIATES FIRM is the best so any attorney they've got knows his onions." the driver said. Again, Cassandra smiled without uttering a word.

Cassandra got to the firm and was surprised to see some of the employees at the reception rallied around two policemen. She managed to pull Dave the messenger away from the crowd.

"What's going on here?"

"Another attorney went missing. It's Clark." Dave replied.

Cassandra gasped and covered her mouth with her left hand. "Clark is missing."

"Yes. The police officers said it's been two days since he last came home and his wife said it was unlike him. Now, they are here to speak to the people Clark was last seen with at work."

"This is strange. Clark always looked up to closing hours. He loves going home." Cassandra replied.

"Very strange miss Cassandra. First Barrister Steve went missing and now it's Clark. I'm scared. What if something shady is going on here?" Dave said.

Cassandra sighed and darted her gaze to the police officers. They were speaking to the security personnel who happened to be the last person that saw Clark leave the building.

"They spoke to the boss and a few of us," Dave said.

Cassandra nodded and traced her way to her office. She unlocked her door and sat. It's been less than a week and two lawyers from the firm had gone missing. Three days ago, Steve's brother called the office that he didn't go home and now it was Clark.

Cassandra dropped her bag on the table and palmed her forehead with both hands.

"What's happening here?" she wondered as feelings of fear and anxiety began to run through every corner of her body.

Her phone began to ring. Cassandra dipped her hand into her bag and pulled the device out.

She stared at the phone screen for a while. It was an unknown number calling her. It could be her new client she concluded. Yesterday, she had given him her contact and he was yet to call.

"Hello!" Cassandra responded after picking up the call.

"Cassandra Jonson Briggs." came her father's voice.

Her jaw dropped and her right hand which she was holding onto the phone began to tremble. She had to support it with her left hand.

"Dad....Dad...is that you?"

"Yes," he affirmed.

Dozens of thoughts came running through her mind. How did her father get her phone number after she had changed it two years ago? Why was he calling her? she kept wondering and then he spoke.

"I have a proposal for you."

"Proposal?"

"Yes. Cassandra. I have a proposal for you so you'll have to come home right away." Mr Briggs said.

Cassandra heaved a deep sigh. She knew that her father had always been a man of his word. She knew he didn't turn up out of the Blue Moon for reconciliation and whatever proposal he was talking about, she knew it wasn't good.

"I'm sorry Dad. I can't come home. I have a job here and I love my job." she stated confidently.

"I can see you've already gotten used to that GRAVIA AND ASSOCIATES FIRM." Mr Jonson spat.

Cassandra's eyes widened in shock. Her father even knows where she works.

"Listen to me, Cassandra. I give you three days to come home else more of your colleagues will go missing and this time, it will be that mentor of yours." Mr Jonson vowed and hung up.

The phone slipped out of Cassandra'