Cassidy grimaced in pain. She tried to touch her throbbing head but she couldn't.
She groaned when she saw her hands were tied together behind her back.
She could feel some breaking sensations in her neck as she was also tied to a wooden chair.
She growled.
" Tsk...."
The only thing she could remember was being attacked by some hefty men outside the hotel.
They had held her forcefully and covered her nose with a piece of clothe.
She had lost consciousness and here she was in a dim lit dusty room that looked like a storeroom with cobwebs all over.
She couldn't hear any background sounds.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks.
She seemed to be lost without a single hint of her new environment.
" Oh God," she cried.
What mess had she gotten into?
The door creaked open and some men walked in.
" ...seems like the sedative has lost its power," one of the men chuckled softly and touched her soft, shiny hair when he drew closer.
One of the men saw him stare at Cassidy lustfully.
Of course, she was beautiful in every way.
" The boss says she shouldn't be touched," he reminded them.
Cassidy who had recoiled in self defense slowly let herself become free.
She could only see the face of one man who seemed to be their leader because they followed his orders.
The others stood at the part of the room where the dim light was scarcely distributed.
" Please, who are you?"
" Drao, don't you think we should offer her some water. I can tell she's dying of thirst," one of the men offered.
Cassidy's breath hitched.
If she had been thirsty, she hadn't realized.
She suddenly felt her throat parch and it felt like it cracked.
" That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that," he chuckled softly, exposing his yellow teeth that looked like an ogre's.
Again, he caressed her hair.
Cassidy pulled away from his touch, but he gripped her hair and squatted down to her level.
Cassidy could see a smirk on his face.
She grunted.....if only she could become free.
" You know, I really like you," he said softly.
He brushed her hair on her pale face with his hand.
" What beautiful skin you have underneath," he whispered.
" What to do?" the man that had warned them about touching her asked.
" What to do?" Drao asked back.
" Call the boss and let him know that we have the lady," he said finally and patted her face sympathetically.
*****
Cassidy shrieked in pain as she tried to calm her pounding heart.
She could even hear the incessant and aggressive thudding of her heart in her ears.
She was really done for.
Just how did she get into this bad nest?
Cassidy was tired of crying. All she could simply do was to pray silently from the depth of her heart.
She believed someone would surely come to her rescue.
But how?
She didn't even have a simple clue of where she was.
****
Cassidy felt her heart suddenly stop beating. It felt like it died immediately upon seeing this creature take away his mask.
She felt her entire body become impossibly still, and it did the opposite thing she wanted.
Although her bemused face and speechlessness made it obvious, she didn't want him to see it.
Kevin was right.
She shouldn't have doubted him.
She knew he didn't like her and that he wasn't so good.... but it was unbelievable that he was capable of this.
He was the brain behind the entire setup.
Just how blind had she been?
Mr Nicholas Peters ambled towards Cassidy with his hands behind his back.
He had tracked her location down after that phone call.
His aura depicted warmth but Cassidy could only feel something extremely opposite.
To her, a deadly shadow hid behind the black suit in front of her.
" All my life, I have never met anyone older than ninety, but a few days ago, I met an old lady that is about hundred. When I asked her the reason behind her long life, she revealed something to me.
Do you want to know?"
Cassidy didn't respond.
" Won't you ask me?" he asked softly in impatience.
His nostrils and eyes showed the opposite of the calmness in his voice.
" What did she say?"
He patted her head gently.
" That's more like it.
" The secret to long life is learning to mind your own business," he spat aggressively and gave her a hard glare.
" Tsk... you know too much already. I never thought that a fragile girl like you would become so strong."
Cassidy winced endlessly while trying to move her hands.
She was itching to ask many questions.
She dreaded to face the reality of everything in front of her.
" Why are you being like this, father?" her shrill voice asked.
Mr Nicholas Peters chuckled widely.
" Father?
" An illegitimate daughter shouldn't call me father," he spat.
Cassidy shuddered violently, countless thoughts bounced in her mind again.
A voice of denial immediately sprang up inside her as she looked on with an inexplicable expression.
This was the second time he called her illegitimate.
He stared at her face and ignored her contemptuous glare.
He seemed to be having fun watching her sink into despair.
" Tsk... just how many secrets did she have to hide from you?"
She felt a stab of pain in her chest as she held her breath unconsciously.
In the literal sense, she felt crushed by her rejection.
The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't fooling around...it was the truth and it hurt.
" I never intended to kill her... she died trying to protect you," he said slowly and what seemed like pity creeped into his eyes.
He held his face in his hand.
....that was the reason behind everything, his cruelty towards her.
She knew it but she just couldn't place it.
Cassidy shuddered at his malicious laugh as it drew her from her drowning thoughts.
" ... since you saw the gun... I can't trust you to keep your mouth shut. I don't leave witnesses or evidence behind."
He trudged towards her and lifted her face.
" I can tell you truly miss your mother and I'm sure you have so many questions which possibly includes your true father's identity. What to do?
Tsk... I'll send you to her soon."
He patted her head and turned his back towards Cassidy.
Boom!
Cassidy fell into unconsciousness.