Chapter 6 - Caddaric’s anxiety

“I don’t mince words, Miranda. If you want to marry for love, then I’m not the right person for you. You have three days to make up your mind and when you decide, Cassandra will bring you to me,” he said coldly and began to walk away. Miranda was anxious. Why was he offended by her question? 

She had someone who loved her as much as she loved him but chose to marry Caddaric to please her family. Now it seemed to her that her marriage wasn’t going to be a happy one and she couldn’t marry the man she loved because he wasn’t a Blade. Her family might even disown her if she tried to consider it.

“I can’t call you?” She asked behind him when Colton and Carter joined them.

“You have my number but I can’t do pep talks or Love chats as ordinary lovers do, I’m sorry. Our marriage is supposed to be a responsibility and a means to secure an heir,” Caddaric turned around and said. Miranda should have known this already so why was she asking for more?

She had paled in that, there was no color on her beautiful face. Caddaric was almost at the elevator when his father called after him.

“You can’t take Colton and Carter. They are meant to protect the heir. Since your sister is acting on your behalf, they should be with her,” Casper said seriously. He was hitting two birds with one stone. The most trusted of the Blade bodyguards for the heir were Carter and Colton. That’s what they were trained for. 

Caddaric was displeased. Carter and Colton weren’t just his cousins and bodyguards but also his best friends. They had his back through the academy, just as he had theirs. If he wasn’t the masked man, then he was with them so this seemed like bad news.

“There are equally good bodyguards, any of them can protect Cassa,” he explained. He knew that his father had specially trained bodyguards, some of whom weren’t even from the Blade family.

“I know but these are the best. Don’t forget that I won’t always be around. The new trainees in the academy need me and your sister needs protection since you can’t be there for her,” Casper said. For his sister, Caddaric would do anything. But Casper intended to keep his best friends away from him to make him feel the loneliness that comes when you don’t have a trusted person around you. 

Caddaric was disturbed. His sister needed protection but he needed his best friends to be with him. No one understood him like they did. Also, Carter was his hacker while Colton was his secretary. How could he work without either of them, especially with his chain of secret businesses?

Carter and Colton wanted to be with Caddaric but cared about his sister too. They had to find a way. “What about uncle Hunter,” Carter asked. “He could step in for us for the short time we’d be away.”

“Hunter isn’t a Blade bodyguard. He earned his position by loyalty and devotion. He can only work for me,” Casper said. Caddaric knew there wasn’t a way out. If his father wanted something, he already thought about all the possible ways and sealed them all. He just had to succumb to not being with his two cousins.

“Alright, you two should stay and take care of my sister. I will manage on my own,” Caddaric said to Carter and Colton. Casper was satisfied with his decision and led his two bodyguards away.

Caddaric had a lot to do but first went for a haircut before returning to the club purposefully to see Ariana. He also had to change a few things since he fired the manager. He had called the assistant manager to put things in perspective before his arrival and all workers in the club were supposed to be there.

The few people in higher positions had been privy to hear that Caddaric owned the club and were both shocked and confused. For as long as anyone knew, the guy had been kept away in a place called an academy so how could he own a club? Also, weren’t the Blades reserved and ruthless people? They hated the noise and all but Caddaric seemed different. All the gossip stopped as soon as he entered the large hall where the workers were gathered.

From his haircut and the black suit he wore, he looked so exquisite but his eyes were dark and scary. The assistant manager had always been reserved, focusing on the administrative stuff and not on people. As such, he was lost for words. Chad filled in for him and made the announcement.

“Mr. Blade is the owner of the club and he has decided to manage affairs until he employs a new manager.” 

No one responded but the looks on their faces showed that they understood everything quite well. Caddaric took a step forward and his eyes roamed at a glance. The person he was looking for wasn’t there and he didn’t have her contact number. He didn’t even know her name. From how poised he was, no one could guess that his heart was distressed.

“There are a few rules from today onwards,” Caddaric said in his deep velvety tone, gaining everyone’s attention. They thought that he was going to make things difficult for them but when they heard the rules, they felt rather grateful.

“Because of what happened last night, auctioning women is banned in this club.” There was complete silence and only confusion on the faces of the about twenty people there. He continued,

“Secondly, sexual harassment is a crime. Anyone including customers or staff who harrases any woman sexually, will face the law.” The ladies smiled at the news. This was one of the biggest problems they faced. Sometimes, those who weren’t sex workers were forced to service a billionaire for as long as he could pay. Caddaric was an angel. From his two rules, they relaxed, knowing that better things would follow.

“Thirdly, women with kids will be given a two hour reduction from their usual working hours, my treat.” The single women in the club were dumbfounded that the man cared about them but the men felt left out. Luckily, Caddaric was still not done. “Finally, I will take a second look at all remunerations and increments will be communicated to you through formal letters.”

The news was like honey dripping from the sky. Most of the girls with kids struggled to meet up appointments in their children’s school and those two hours were going to help a lot. They also hadn’t received any increment for two years and had told management but nothing had been done about it. Mr. Blade seemed like a kind man.

“Thank you Mr. Blade,” one of the workers yelled. Other voices followed instantly and soon, hands began to jam together for him at the sweet news, as their clap resounded with deafening cheers.

Caddaric’s expression was stern and unresponsive. Knowing that the Blades hardly showed emotions, they didn’t think much about it. The man cared about them and that was enough.

However, Caddaric was far from that. His mind was troubled. Ariana was teary and avoided him when he saw her this morning. Now she wasn’t here. Fearing that something must have happened to her, he asked Chad,

“Are these all the workers?”

Chad, who wasn’t expecting Caddaric to speak to him casually, was taken aback but instantly responded respectfully, “No Mr Blade, some of them are off duty and others have their shifts in the night. We shall communicate it to them when they come.”

Caddaric was still not satisfied and didn’t want to assume that Ariana wasn’t here because of her shift and asked directly, “So, the girl who was auctioned last night. Is she alright?” Hearing him mention the girl who was auctioned, most people’s ears peaked but the two men spoke undertone so no one heard their words clearly.

“Yes Mr. Blade. Her shift is at night and I know she'll be here.”

From the way Chad gave the assurance as if he knew Ariana in and out, Caddaric was gauche and asked, “What makes you so sure?”

Chad didn’t read between the lines and said in a hush tone, “Because she seems desperate for money.

Caddaric’s brows knitted a little bit; he was soon as emotionless looking as before. “Is that why she was auctioned?” He asked seriously. He didn’t know Ariana and the challenges she faced so he didn’t judge her.

“Yes. I tried to discourage her but she insisted on it. I think it was because of her father’s gambling. Perhaps he owed some people and she wanted to pay them off.”

Caddaric slowly understood. She was suffering because of an irresponsible father and was willing to sell her dignity. Whereas, he was still uneasy from how Chad seemed to know everything about her. Were they in some kind of relationship? He wanted to know. “You seem to know a lot about her.”

From the change in Caddaric’s tone, Chad guessed that the man misunderstood and corrected himself. “I know a few things about all my workers but I’m gay so it’s far from sensual. As for Ariana, I simply guessed because she provided the account number of one of the Mafia Dons. She definitely must have been paying her father’s debt.”

Caddaric felt strangely relieved. “I see. Put everything in order. We shall have a meeting when I return.”

“Alright.”

After Caddaric left, Chad dismissed everyone. Caddaric decided to visit his Casinos and come back later to see Ariana. He didn’t know why but just knew that he had to see her to make sure that she was fine. As for finding Invisible, he knew that he would need a team but had to put things in perspective before he began the search. He drove in his black Rolls Royce Ghost and zoomed off. 

Going about without his two favorite cousins felt weird but as the masked man, he always operated alone so it was easy for him to adjust. As soon as he entered the casino, he was surprised to see a bartender who looked too familiar. She was smiling flirtatiously, her head lifted proudly as she poured drinks for a group of guys, who were comfortably chatting and flirting with her. There was no sign of sorrow in her eyes and she seemed to be in a good mood.

Caddaric’s blood boiled. That smile should be reserved for him alone and not just anyone. His teeth gritted and his appearance ghastly, while he approached them in slow steady steps.

Author's note:

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