Chapter 101 Too Late to Run
Right after that, he sent me the address of the hotel where she was staying.
I rushed into my office, picked up my car key, and darted out to the parking lot.
Then I drove out at full speed.
I didn’t know what I would do when I got there. But all that was in my head at that moment was not letting her leave the country.
It took me thirty minutes to get to the hotel.
Upon arriving, I saw a police van outside the hotel building, but I didn’t think much of it.
I walked straight into the building, then stopped at the reception.
Just as I wanted to ask the receptionist for her room number, Cassandra was led out in cuffs by two detectives.
Her eyes found mine in an instant and she paused.
“Alex…” she mouthed.
As I walked towards them slowly, my fists clenched beside me.
She noticed that, and was moving backwards little by little but the detectives held her back.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Alex. Marcus put me up to this,” she stammered.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Hart,” the detectives recognized me immediately.
“Good afternoon, detectives. Thank you for your hard work,” I replied, looking away from her.
“We got a confession that she was part of the plan, that’s why we are here to arrest her,” one of them said.
“Sure.”
They escorted her out of the hotel building while I followed right behind them.
CASSANDRA’S POV
Just before they found me…
My hands shook as I zipped the suitcase.
The small hotel room was becoming uncomfortable for my unborn child and me. I had been hiding here for days, paying cash and barely sleeping.
I had even almost exhausted the money I had with me.
The only solution I had was to flee. My passport sat on top of the bag, ready to move.
My flight was scheduled for an hour later.
And in one hour, I would be out of the country, away from Alex, away from the police, and away from Marcus who had thrown me away like trash.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror, my puffy eyes and messy hair stared right back at me. I looked exactly like a woman running for her life.
Though that’s exactly what I was.
I graded my passport, took the suitcase by the handle, and headed for the door.
Just as my fingers touched the knob, two heavy knocks sounded.
My heart nearly stopped.
Another knock came again, this time it was louder.
“Miss Cassandra, it’s the police.”
No.
No, no, no.
I backed away from the door and dropped the suitcase.
My mind raced as I started thinking about every possible way I could escape.
I looked down from the window, it was too high and there was no way I would survive with my pregnancy.
I checked the bathroom too but there was no way out.
I was trapped.
When they noticed I wouldn’t budge, the knocks turned into persistent pounding.
“We will have to break this door down if you don’t open it.”
My legs felt weak.
But I had no choice.
There was nothing I could do.
With trembling hands, I moved back to the door and unlocked it.
I swallowed.
Two detectives stood in front of me. One was a tall man with a serious face and the other was a woman with sharp eyes.
Both of them were in plain clothes but the badges were clear.
They didn’t look like they were in front of my door to play.
And right there, I instantly knew there was no way they would take it easy on me.
“Miss Cassandra,” the man said.
“You are arrested for conspiracy to commit corporate theft and fraud.”
The words landed in my chest like a stone.
“Me? Under arrest? I had never thought it would happen to me someday,” I thought to myself.
I tried to speak, but nothing came out.
The female detective stepped forward and took my hand firmly, but I could see that she was careful enough not to let anything touch my tummy.
“You have the right to remain silent, because anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…”
They read me my rights while the male detective cuffed my wrist. The cold handcuffs clicked shut and I looked at my suitcase which was a sad reminder of how close I had been to escaping.
They led me out of the room and down the hallway toward the elevator. People in the corridor stared at me.
I even heard one say, “Oh my God! She’s pregnant. What could she have done?”
A cleaning lady also paused with her cart, her eyes wide as they moved from my tummy to my face.
My legs started dragging, but I tried as much as possible to keep walking.
When we reached the lobby, my heart nearly stopped.
Alex was standing at the reception desk.
He turned when he heard the whispers and our eyes met.
He looked exhausted, but something darker flashed in his eyes when he saw me.
His fists were clenched at his side when he started walking toward me.
I panicked.
Because I thought he was going to do something ugly to me. Maybe hit me, scream at me, and humiliate me in front of everybody.
I stepped back instinctively, trying to pull away from the detectives.
“No… please…” I whispered, my voice small and shaky.
The detectives held me firmly, each of them on both arms.
“Easy,” the woman said.
Each step he took made my stomach tighter. I kept stepping back but the detectives wouldn’t let me go anywhere.
For a second, I felt he was going to raise his fist. Instead, he just looked at me with a mixture of disgust and something that looked more like pity.
Then he looked away from me when the detectives greeted him.
They told him why I was arrested and the detective gently pulled me forward again.
As they led me toward the exit, I couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.
I had lost everything.
Marcus had lied to me, used me, and implicated me.
Alex had finally seen the truth.
And I was being taken away in handcuffs to the place where my life could be rescripted.
ALEX HART’S POV
Days passed, Cassandra was in custody, Marcus was under investigation and the scandal was everywhere.
The board vote happened without me.
I sat in my office while they decided my future and when the email came, it was short and formal.
The majority control transferred to new investors effective immediately. Your role will be advisory only.
I read it three times.
Then I stood up, packed a small box with my personal items, and walked out of the building for what felt like the last time.
When I walked out, I was surrounded by a swarm of reporters, camera lights flashing in my face.
“Mr. Hart! Will you comment on the arrest?”
“Any statement on losing your own company?”
I kept walking, but they kept blocking my way.
I was at the verge of breaking down when a car parked beside me and the windows rolled down.
“Hop in.”
My breath stopped.