Liam
"I'm not doing that." Amelie opposed after a minute of being frozen in shock.
"I wasn't giving you a choice Amelie. You're leaving the city, and right now too." I said. She looked up at me, her expression full of contempt.
"I have work, and a life here. You can't just force me out because you feel like it."
"Listen to me just for once Amelie! Just once!" I yelled, but she wasn't compelled by my rage. Brazenly, she pushed past me and freed herself from the wall. Her eyes skirted towards mine and she thrust a finger to my chest without fear.
"I listened to you five years ago, and how did that go? Huh?! You don't seem to understand, but you only cause me pain everytime Liam. I'm done listening to you, and I'm done being oppressed by your stupid family!"
It took me a full minute to get over what had happened. She definitely had guts now, but that wasn't enough. No matter how brave she thought she was, it wasn't enough to match Casmir's hatred. Now that he had put together everything, he was undoubtedly going to look for a means to eliminate Amelie. Her life was in danger, but she'd rather risk losing her life than obeying my words.
I gave her a long look
"You're willing to throw away your life just to disobey me? Just how much do you hate me Amelie? Or rather, how much do you hate yourself?"
Her eyes shifted to the empty seat beside her and she bit her lips tightly. "I don't hate anybody." She managed to say, her voice barely a whisper.
"So you're going to leave the city right? Go home to your parents, spend some time with them. I'll come get you once I've taken care of Casmir." I suggested.
She shook her head, "I'm not running away anymore." She said with a clenched fist. At this point using force would be meaningless, Amelie wouldn't budge. I needed to employ other means in order to make her listen.
A sigh of exasperation escaped my lips as I took forward steps towards her. I placed my hands on her shoulder, and in response she lowered her head in sadness. My right hand left their initial spot and went for her chin. Slowly and gently I caressed it, before lifting her face to mine.
"I understand your point Amelie, but I seriously need you to leave the city. Casmir is dangerous and you know it, don't you?"
"I know, but..." She paused, broke away from my touch and turned the opposite direction. ".....I don't want to keep running away from him. You know what I mean don't you? I want him to pay for what he did to me, unless he does I'll never be able to forget that past."
This was completely unlike Amelie, what kind of vengeful thinking was going on in her mind? Definitely she knew that against Casmir, she stood little chance. The fact that she could lose touch with reality because of Casmir meant she wasn't going to back down so easily.
I didn't speak, I wanted her to realize just how much she was putting at stake with this 'problematic' vendetta. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply several times, and after that opened them. Then with the back of her palm she wiped away the tears that had managed to slip past her closed lids.
"I'll call Anna to take you to your parents home, is that okay?"
"Yes." She sniffled. "I need some time alone..."
I didn't stop her, I understood exactly the emotional and mental trauma she was undergoing right now. I clutched tightly at the closest material I could find, and in the next moment sent the vase flying across the room.
"I swear I'm going to kill you, Casmir." I seethed through clenched teeth. Once I was calm enough, I picked up my phone and messaged Anna. A call would've been more formal, but right now I was too angry to speak.
All through today I've been wondering about how Casmir found out about everything. It couldn't be the hired lawyer, he knew nothing about will. Anna was a possible suspect, but I couldn't see her betraying me.
And then there was the lawyer. Out of the three of us, he was the one who benefited the least from everything we've done so far. Chances that he was the mole were higher than Anna. I had my eyes on him, but at the same time I couldn't just go pointing fingers without proof.
If he was the mole then treading carefully with him would definitely be more advantageous to me at this juncture. It was obvious Casmir had no evidence, else he would have been back here by now to make my arrest official. My mind suggested he must have gotten an anonymous tip from the traitor and nothing more. They were yet to reach an agreement, or Casmir was just making one wild lucky guess.
No, that's not it, it couldn't be a guess. Whoever tipped him off must have ratted out the fake lawyer too. My lawyer, Augustus Homer, had been the one who suggested the fake lawyer. He knew the fake lawyer's address and all, only he could possibly have the information to suggest an arrest at home. Especially this early when we were yet to leave for work.
A honk from outside snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned towards the sound and found Anna outside, ready in the vehicle. I rolled my eyes exhaustedly before heading over to Amelie's room. She was wrapped up in the duvet, crying.
"Anna's here." I announced jolting her out of her confinement. She got down from the bed and rushed into the bathroom to clean herself up. Moments later she was out looking less rejuvenated as expected. Seeing her this way had me concerned, but I didn't show it. I just stood and watched as she shoved her clothes carelessly into her traveling bag.
When she was done, I walked up to her and wrapped her in my embrace. "It's just for a little while." I assured. She shook her head in my chest.
"I don't want to go." She said, "Must you fight for the company, can't we just leave all this behind and just start afresh. You want a family don't you?" She was crying, her warm tears soaked my shirt but I didn't let her go.
She was right, I wanted a family, but not because I loved to have one, but because I didn't like to lose. Maybe after I've won then I'd learn to love them.
I didn't reply, I just stood there caressing her hair and consoling her. "Even if I let everything go, Casmir will still come for us. I can't let him go without a lesson, you understand don't you?"
"I want to get going." She replied before breaking away from our embrace. I picked her bag and led her to Anna. Her parents lived at the outskirts of Wales, it would take at least three hours to get to their destination. Honestly I wished they were better ways to handle the situation, but unfortunately there weren't. I didn't have much time left, and the longer I keep Amelie away from myself, the more distant victory gets from me.
To get what I wanted I had to get rid of Casmir for good. But first I had a traitor to find.