The Bargain

Cassandra's mother's POV

  "Ma'am! Ma'am! I just heard a very surprising piece of information!" I heard my neighbor shout as she ran into my home.

It was Shelly, the young mother of two boys who always acted like she was still a teenager. After only a few weeks of my family having her and her kids over, she had developed the habit of barging into our home whenever she had some information to share. 

She was a total gossiper.

"Ma'am!" she yelled again.

"I'm in the kitchen," I replied and within seconds, she had run into the kitchen.

I turned around once she entered only to see that her eyes didn't have the usual light of excitement they had whenever she wanted to share information with me.

"Shelly, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Ma'am, it's Cassandra."

"What's wrong?" I immediately blurted out and turned off the gas cooker.

I had been in the middle of cooking but from the expression she had, I was quite sure that it couldn't be anything good so that had to be paused.

"Answer me, Shelly. What's wrong?" I urged her.

"She has been arrested," Shelly finally revealed and I practically felt my blood drain out of my face on hearing her.

"What do you mean by arrested? Why would my daughter be arrested? She would never do anything wrong!"

"I think she did something to annoy an alpha. A very powerful one."

"Who?" I questioned while my heartbeat accelerated.

"Alpha Jason."

"Alpha Jason? Isn't that the owner of the new company she's currently working in?" I questioned confusedly.

"Yes, ma'am. I don't know the details but I heard that she was brought out of the company in handcuffs and people said that it was Alpha Jason who ordered her arrested," Shelly told me and I immediately loosened my apron, throwing it somewhere that I couldn't even tell.

About an hour later, I was rushing into the police station where Shelly had told me Cassandra was sent to with my husband. 

Cassandra's elder sisters wanted to come along but we had instructed them to focus on work instead of coming when we could handle the situation by ourselves.

"Please, I heard my daughter was arrested by some of your officers. Her name is Cassandra," My husband asked on getting to the counter.

"The one who was arrested by Alpha Jason?" the officer who was on the desk asked.

"That's what people said but I wouldn't wish to find myself accusing such a powerful man just in case they are wrong."

My husband was truly right. Even though Shelly was always accurate with her gossip, one could never know if this was going to be the first time she would be wrong.

"The lady arrested by Alpha Jason was the only female arrested today," he informed us.

"Can we check?" I requested.

"Fine," he replied and turned to the officer sitting behind him. 

"Hey, show this couple to the girl arrested by Alpha Jason. No conversations allowed, they should just confirm if she is their daughter and come out. If she is truly their daughter, lead them to Officer Wales' private questioning room," He ordered and the officer gave a salute before ushering us to follow him.

It truly was Cassandra, despite our wishes that it wouldn't be her. A sob bubbled in my throat on sighting her.

Alpha Jason was a very influential man and it would do our family no good to get in his bad books. We were a middle-class family and we certainly don't need the problems that would bring.

We were led to another section of the station once we confirmed that the person Alpha Jason had arrested was our daughter and soon, we were in front of a door with the officer knocking.

"Come in," A voice instructed and we all walked inside the room.

There were three people in the room; an affluent looking young man, an older woman whose appearance also radiated wealth and a police officer.

"Are these the relatives of that lady?" the officer asked, his voice revealing that he was the one who had told us to come in earlier.

"Yes, we're her parents," I cut in before the officer with us could answer.

"So you're the parents of that brat who tried to..." The older lady began to yell derisively but the young man held her arm before she could complete her statement.

"Officer, you can go on," He said in a soft but cold tone.

"Actually, I didn't have anything more to say, sir," The officer muttered and I frowned.

Sir? For such a young man? Was he someone rich? Or the lawyer of that old lady?

"Before I'll take my leave though," He began and turned to us. "I'll like to introduce you to Alpha Jason and his mother," The officer completed and my mouth immediately fell open.

I didn't think the almighty Alpha Jason would be here in person to begin with. He was very powerful and popular and had done so many great things and his name on the lips of everyone was always followed with admiration. 

"My officer and I will leave now, sir. I have already set up the room in the manner you requested," The officer told Alpha Jason before walking out of the room with the officer who had escorted us here.

"Please, have your seats," Alpha Jason prompted once the officers had shut the door.

"They don't need to sit, they should stand like the swine they are," The older lady shouted and I was tempted to slap that face of hers repeatedly but knew I couldn't.

And in the next moment, after we heard the crime our daughter had committed and their condition, my husband and I fell on our knees to plead for our daughter.

Minutes later, my husband and I were walking to Cassandra's cell to meet up with her. She had looked completely dejected when she laid her eyes on us when we had been confirming if it was her. I didn't know that it was because of something like this.

Right now, I didn't know whether to be angry at her, disappointed or sorry for her. I was extremely confused but somehow, everything had already been concluded by that Alpha Jason and there was clearly no use crying over spilled milk.

"Cassandra," I called and she turned to us with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." She whimpered.

"Alpha Jason and his mother have agreed to get you out of here, but there's a condition," I announced, not wanting to go into that just yet.

Getting her out of here was of the highest priority. Querying her could come afterwards when we have gotten home.

"They want you to leave the country and never come back or show your face to them again and to never try to tell anyone that Alpha Jason is the father of your child," I divulged. "And we have agreed to it already."

"But..." she attempted arguing.

"I believe that he is actually responsible for your pregnancy, you wouldn't lie, especially about something like that," my husband interrupted.

"I also think that way," I croaked out.

I knew that this was difficult for Cassandra, but it was either this or leaving her here. I certainly couldn't leave my child in a cell.