Semua Bab Fool Me Once: Bab 111 - Bab 118

Cassie’s POVThe courtroom was a vacuum of noise, of air, of reason.I sat rigid in my chair, my knees locked, hands clasped tightly in my lap. The soft creak of the judge's chair as he leaned forward felt like a thunderclap in my ears.All I could hear was Celine's whisper, replaying like a scratched record.Ask him what happened in Paris after the accident.I had.He said he told me everything.And I wanted - desperately - to believe him.But there was something in Jeffery's eyes when I'd asked, something haunted that hadn't been there before.And now, everything felt heavier."All rise," the bailiff called.The judge's robe flowed as he stood. "After due consideration of the evidence presented, and upon review of testimonies and legal submissions…"Jeffery reached for my hand.I hesitated - just a second too long. Then I laced my fingers into his. They were warm, strong, slightly trembling."…this court finds no sufficient legal grounds to sustain the civil claims made by Miss Celi

Cassie’s POVThe wind off the docks was sharp, cutting through my coat like it held a grudge. I waited at Dock 9, just as she said to do at midnight. Complete darkness, with no other person to be found around. Just the lapping waves from below, along with distant horns from different parts of the city. I wasn't sure what frightened me more - what I was about to hear, or Jeff's response to finding out I'd come alone.A shadow appeared from behind a shipping container."Cassie?" came the raspy woman's voiceI turned to face her. A lean figure slipped into the light of the moon. She was sixtyish, her skin like pleated paper, wrapped in a coat too big for her shoulders. Her eyes were sunken, yet full of life, with something fierce about them... something broken."I wasn't sure you'd come," she said."Who are you?"'They called me Marta. Once.' She held out a shaking hand. 'But I'm not the one you need to hear from.'Before I could ask, she motioned to the dark corners. Another man appeare

Jeffery’s POVI never thought breaking into my father's estate would happen to me, certainly not like this. Not with my heart hammering away in my ears and Cassie accompanying me, her flashlight held tightly in her fist like a weapon.A thick dust and history hung in the air, and something cold - betrayal.There had been no sound from the Richards' estate for months now. Nobody has come to this place since Edward was moved to a private care facility outside the city. This former majestic house now resembled a tomb. Dust trailed down its high windows like mourning robes. The floor creaked like bones."Are you sure it's here?" Cassie asked, her voice low.I nodded. "My dad was paranoid, too. He had a vault room hidden behind his library. Only I and his lawyer knew about it. The media never caught on to it."Cassie's gaze darted to me. "Let's make sure it stays that way," she said.We moved quickly, past the grand staircase. Through the study. Until we reached the mahogany door hidden be

Cassie’s POVTo be honest, I had no idea what to expect when I knocked on my mother's door – maybe another polite brushing-off, a warm smile concealing whatever she truly felt. Certainly not this: the sudden paleness of her face when she heard me say the name Edward Richards.She did not invite me in right away. Merely stood there in her bathrobe, blinking as though the name had opened a vault she had boarded up long ago."I need answers," I said softly. "I think you've been hiding something. Something about Edward. About why Celine mentioned you."That did it. Her hand shook slightly as she opened the door.Inside, the house smelled of cinnamon and old secrets. The kettle sat steaming on the stove, untouched, and the sunlight poured through half-drawn curtains to throw long shadows across the hardwood floor. I sat down at the kitchen table to watch her."You always said you worked for a law firm in Paris when you were younger," I said. "Was it... for Edward?"She didn't answer right