Chapter 7

Clarissa’s POV

It was a call from Dante telling me he was just in front of the door. I wasn't surprised because I had suddenly become used to Dante always running to me whenever I needed help. I opened the door to find him holding two paper bags. 

“You're hungry?” He asked with a smile before stepping into the house.

“Burgers and samosas, my favourite.” I gleamed with delight as I immediately started unpacking and having a bite.

Dante laughed so hard, I knew he was enjoying having fun watching me go crazy for food.

“What if I fail?” I asked softly, my voice almost laced with pain as my face suddenly turned pale. The tiny bites of samosas in my mouth were suddenly bitter. “What if I can’t win against him?”

Dante didn’t answer right away. He took a bite from the burger as he watched me carefully. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm.

“You’re fighting, Cass,” he said. “That’s more than most ever do. A lot of women in your position would have stayed quiet, endured it, convinced themselves it was love or fate. But not you. You stood up. That alone is something.”

I wanted to believe him, I really wanted his words to be enough to erase the fear crawling up my spine. But my heart still thudded painfully, a reminder that courage didn’t always feel brave in the moment.

“And if I fail?” I pressed, my eyes lifting to meet him . “If I lose everything?”

He smiled, a small, reassuring curve of his lips that softened the heaviness in my chest. “Then I’ll be there to catch you,” he said simply. “You won’t fall alone.”

My face lightened immediately, I looked at him for a long moment, memorizing the kindness in his eyes. “You’ve always been like this,” I murmured. “Always saving me.”

He shook his head gently. “You don’t need saving, Clarissa. You just need reminding of who you are.”

I smiled, a faint curve that reached my eyes this time. The tension in my shoulders eased just a little. For the first time in a long while, I allowed myself to feel something other than fear, I saw hope. It was small and uncertain, but it was there.

“Thank you,” I said finally.

“For what?”

“For reminding me that I’m still fighting. And for being here.”

He shrugged, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You can thank me by buying dinner next time. I’ll hold you to it.”

I laughed softly, the sound feeling strange after years of wailing and crying. “Deal,” I said.

“I have work to do. I will check up on you later.” He muttered, walked to where I was and pecked me on both cheeks before leaving. Where he kissed was warm and for a moment I couldn't stop blushing about it.

I slept soundly that night, had a peaceful dream but the shrill tone  of my phone stopped my dream abruptly. I opened my eyes slowly to see it was already morning. My phone screen flashed a number I didn’t recognize.Hesitant, I swiped to answer.

“Clarissa?” a man’s voice demanded. His tone was clipped, professional, but there was something oily underneath it too smooth to be kind.

“Yes,” I said slowly.

“This is Mr. Lennox, representing Mr. Nicho. I assume you’re aware of the breach of clause.”

For a heartbeat, I said nothing. The air in the room thickened. Of course Nicho wouldn’t let me go easily. “I’m aware,” I replied, keeping my tone even. “And if you’d like to discuss it, I’ll bring my lawyer.”

That earned a short, dry laugh. “You’ve got guts now, Miss Clarissa. You didn’t have many of them years ago when you were begging and agreeing to everything Nicho asked, did you?”

The words hit like a slap. I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to react. My mind flickered to my brother . He had been my only family, my only reason for enduring the years under Nicho’s control. 

But even that hadn’t been enough to save him. Nicho had promised to help. He hadn’t. My brother had still died, and I had still been chained to a man who treated me very unfairly.

My grip on the phone tightened. “You’re just an overpaid lawyer who hides behind a monster,” I said coldly. “You don’t have the guts to talk to me that way if you weren’t being paid to.”

There was a pause, then his voice sharpened, like a blade sliding from its sheath. “Careful, Clarissa. That’s defamation.”

I didn’t flinch. “Then I’ll sue him first. For breaking his deal. For letting my brother die.”

The silence on the other end turned heavy, almost vibrating with tension. When he spoke again, his tone had lost its veneer of civility. “You’ll regret that.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But at least I won’t regret staying silent anymore.”

He exhaled harshly. “You think this is a game? Meet me and come alone.We can resolve this quietly.”

“I said I’ll bring my lawyer.”

His voice dropped low, dangerous now. “If you don’t come, I’ll make sure Nicho sues you for defamation. You just accused him of murder, Ms. Clarissa. That’s prison time.”

The threat sank into my bones. For a moment, I froze. The weight of it pressed against my chest, the fear, the memory of how easily Nicho could crush my life with a single command. But then something shifted inside me as I wasn’t the same woman I had been before. Not anymore.

“Send me the location,” I said finally, my voice steady.

He did. Then the line went dead.

For a long time, I just sat there, staring at my phone. Nicho’s men wanted to scare me . They wanted me to be silent. But I had learned that silence was its own kind of prison and I had already served my  time.

I picked up the phone again and opened the call log. A slow, deliberate smile curved my lips. The little red icon in the corner blinked softly, steady and reassuring. 

The recorder had been on from the moment I answered the call. Every word Mr. Lennox had spoken, the threats, the mockery, the intimidation was saved. I immediately sent it to the  Evidence folder, also forwarding it to Dante.

“It is finally time to use my weapons.” I muttered with a smirk.