The night wind blew, making the trees rustle ominously as thunder rumbled overhead, deafening in its force. Cassius was jolted awake.
He wondered if Nevaeh had come back yet.
Pushing open the guest room door, he found it empty.
Inside the wardrobe, only a few thin pieces of clothing hung loosely, so few that he could count them on his fingers.
The fabric showed signs of wear, edges faded from too many washes.
Cassius thought of the word meager. She seemed to be in real financial trouble.
He suddenly remembered how she had returned the black card to him, clearly unwilling to keep it.
Earlier, she had even sent a message through Hussein, promising to repay him the ten thousand dollars as soon as she could.
If she was so broke, why was she so desperate to cut ties with him?
Cassius's expression darkened, a strange heaviness pressing on his chest.
Back in his room, he picked up his phone and saw a message from Frank. He called back.
When the call connected, Frank, knowing his boss was awake, quickly reported, "Mr. Cassius, Cyrille's arm has been taken care of. We also checked his relationship with the young lady. She once saved Cyrille's life, and they were together for three years, though they rarely met. During that time, aside from her, he dated twelve other girlfriends. Recently, he's been obsessed with her sister. When she found out, she was heartbroken and broke up with him, marrying you to find some comfort."
Hearing this, Cassius's mood slowly eased. So she hadn't been serious with Cyrille after all. But still, her taste in men was questionable.
It was ridiculous that someone like Cyrille could have held her heart for three years.
"Where's Nevaeh?" Cassius suddenly asked.
Frank froze, surprised. "Isn't she at home?"
"Would I be asking you if she were at home?" Cassius snapped.
Frank understood instantly. "I'll go find her right away."
"No need," Cassius replied coldly. "If she likes wandering, then she shouldn't come back."
"But it's pouring outside, and she's all alone with no family. What if... "
"She's an adult. She makes her own choices, and she has to bear the consequences!"
The rain fell steadily, its rhythm tapping softly against the pavement.
Nevaeh wandered aimlessly through the streets, not knowing where to go. With her grandmother gone, she felt like she had lost her only home.
That feeling of having nowhere to turn was more painful than death itself.
The raindrops, carried by a chilling breeze, brushed across her face. Hugging her arms around herself for warmth, all she found was an even deeper cold.
Thinking about everything Cassius had done earlier, Nevaeh sighed, her tears mixing with the rain as they slid down her cheeks.
This man was a devil. Just the thought of his dark, terrifying face made her shiver.
She wanted to escape him.
But the thought that her grandmother's accident might not have been an accident at all made her hesitate.
The rain grew heavier. Nevaeh began to run, searching for shelter from the downpour.
She spotted the glowing sign of a 24-hour convenience store and rushed toward it.
Her clothes clung to her, soaked through. She turned sideways, about to step inside for cover.
But before she could enter, a sleazy voice called out beside her, "Hey, beautiful. All alone in this rain? Come here, let me take care of you."
A man reached out, trying to drag Nevaeh into his arms.
Nevaeh quickly dodged aside and turned to face the blonde in front of her, her voice cold as she warned, "Step aside, or I won't hold back."
To her surprise, the man only laughed louder. "Oh, I like that fire! Come on then, show me how you 'won't hold back.'"
With that, he stepped closer, cornering her against the wall and lunging in to kiss her by force.
As the blonde guy leaned in closer, Nevaeh swiftly kicked him in his crotch.
He yelped in pain and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing her chance, Nevaeh rushed toward the supermarket entrance.
But just as she was about to step inside, the crowd at the door suddenly erupted in panic.
"Oh no, someone's in trouble!"
"He's foaming at the mouth! This is terrifying, what happened?"
"That woman! She's the murderer! She just attacked that man!"
As the words spread, a middle-aged woman grabbed Nevaeh's arm and shouted, "You killed him! You can't leave!"
"Yeah, you can't go! Call the police and arrest her!"
Nevaeh turned and saw the blonde indeed foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back. She quickly said, "He's having a seizure!"
"No way! We clearly saw you hit him! Don't try to talk your way out of this!"
"If you don't let me go, he's really going to die," Nevaeh snapped, her voice filled with urgency. The woman felt a sudden chill and finally let her go.
Nevaeh crouched down, quickly pulled a pen from her bag, pried open the guy's mouth, and shoved it in.
He might have been a jerk, but he couldn't just die like this. If he did, she'd never be able to explain herself.
Once she made sure he wouldn't bite his tongue, she reached for his wrist to check his pulse.
Before she could even touch his hand, another woman stepped in and shoved hers away.
"Nevaeh, it's you again! What are you trying to do? You know Cassius likes me, and now you're just jealous and trying to ruin my day. I couldn't say a word all day because of you, and now you're out here trying to hurt someone again!"
Nevaeh turned her head and saw Elizabeth glaring at her with burning anger.
At once, the crowd began to whisper and point.
"I didn't expect this... this woman really hurts people."
"Yeah, she's pretty, but she's poisonous inside."
"Pretty women are always dangerous. I thought she was here to help, but turns out she's the one making trouble."
The murmurs rang in Nevaeh's ears. She stared coldly at Elizabeth and said, "Elizabeth, I'll say it again, your feelings for Cassius are your own problem. Stop dragging me into it. And how do you know I'm here to hurt anyone?"
Elizabeth jabbed her finger toward Nevaeh. "He tried to assault you! How could you possibly help him? You must be trying to get back at him on purpose."
At that, Nevaeh let out a cold laugh.
Her expression hardened, her voice sharp as a blade. "Since you saw him trying to assault me, why didn't you step in then? Instead, you only appeared after he collapsed. Were you hoping to see me hurt, or are you deliberately trying to frame me?"
"You…" Elizabeth faltered at Nevaeh's biting words, then quickly turned to the crowd. "I'm a medical student. This man had a seizure because she hit him. I'm here to help, so everyone, please watch carefully!"
As she spoke, Elizabeth pulled out a small bottle of medicine from her bag and moved to press it to the blonde's mouth.
"Don't spray that!" Nevaeh shouted, quickly covering the opening of the bottle, her voice firm and urgent.
"He has epilepsy, but that's not his only symptom, there must be other complications. We need to find the real cause before treating him, otherwise it could kill him!"
Elizabeth pulled her hand back, looking at Nevaeh with disdain. "What do you mean by that? Are you letting him die just because he made a move on you? He's clearly sick, and instead of helping, you're stopping me from doing anything. What are you really after?"
The crowd's gaze shifted, their eyes darkening as they looked at Nevaeh, as if she were a cruel, heartless villain.