Chapter 46: Chapter 46

"C- Cassie... I think I'm going mad." And the call disconnects. The poor woman was given nothing for any information. Was he at home? Was he at someone else's place? How was she supposed to know? Learning that her face was all scrunched up, Louis approaches her.

"What happened?" Says the boy, holding Cassandra's shoulder.

"It's Mr Johnson. He- he is having something going on. I think he's nearby, that's why he called me—"

"No, no honey. Let's call the police—" Cassandra's biological mother responds. Cassandra was conflicted with the choice at hand. Will she able to handle the situation herself? Will she be drawn into potential danger too if she went without protection?

But her intuition said that he needed her emotionally present than physically. Upon dialling his number thrice already, no response ever again, the girl begins to worry. Her family dinner was ruined, and she apologized to them before running out at once.

"Mom, I'll be right back."

"No, Cassie— Cassie wait! CASSANDRA!" before either of her family members could stop her, she was already running down the lane. With the sparse amount of mobile data, she locates the famous Johnson estate and hunts it down.

The Johnson estate...

It had a familiar ring to it.

27A, Hampshire street, New York.

Within minutes, Cassandra was able to flag down a two wheeler going that way and drop her nearby the estate. She couldn't thank the owner of the two wheeler enough.

"I'm Aaron Skiez, nice to meet you!" Screams the man before watching the young girl running away. She waves her hand in the air, yelling "Thank you again!"

Cassandra couldn't lose her humanity after all.

The Johnson estate was easy to locate now. Especially with all the police cars and ambulances parked at the fence.

Cassandra runs towards the area, there was already a full shone crowd of the neighborhood and some press.

"I'm a relative. I'm a relative!" She says, showing the police her call history. However, that was not enough to allow her inside.

"Cassandra!?" Zayn's broken voice reaches her ears. "That's me!" Cassandra frantically points to herself while the maids tried to locate her from the crowd. They acted out only as concern for the breaking individual. Zayn was in a very bad state himself.

"Sir! Sir!" Cassandra knew she can't let her emotions slip. In between all this, someone might actually figure out that the teacher has an illicit relationship with their underage student.

"Cassie!" Zayn revolts from the stretcher to hug the girl. He cries a lot on her shoulder. She could feel his heart oozing out at every one of his sobs. She too couldn't imagine the darkness that suddenly fell upon her lover. It was already one heck of a ride without her father, now the man's sole role model in his life was gone. Who will guide him now?

All this thinking got to her nerves. She pinches the bridge of her nose and parts from the hug. Patting his back, she hands him the water bottle a brigadier gives her for him.

The man, the brigadier has to inspect the situation and also keep a few things in check. In a rich colony, a specific businessman suddenly died of a heart attack. What caused it? Everyone is supposed to know.

"Mr Johnson. I believe you were the last person on the scene when your father collapsed. Am I right?" The officer asks Zayn slowly. Upon seeing how defeated Zayn looked, he pats his shoulder and moves away.

"It's alright, son. You will emerge from the pain. I've been there." Said the officer, tugging on his coat belts. Signaling his fellow colleagues, he helps clear the scene and sends the family back inside.

Cassandra, Zayn and his mother all seated inside in the middle of the night. It was rather awkward, having a commoner inside the billionaire household out of the blue.

"Who are you dear?" The mother finally asks. She spuns the same lie she told her mother.

"I- I am a student who lives near by, madam. He dialed me in case of the emergency. I'm not sure why." Says she, giving her major hints that she was only a student and nothing more.

"Maybe because your number was above."

"Might be, madam. He is my homeroom teacher after all." She neatly subtles out all the bumps for confusion. The older woman slowly makes her way back into her room. She too was a little depressed on her husband's passing.

She knew about Dan and Nick. Nick even told her that if he ever came back, he would marry him and take the child away. All the fortunes were nothing of meaning to her, back then.

But as time grew, the old lady too grew fond of the Johnson's riches. She craved luxury over everything else. Even atop her own son's natural maternal affection, she preferred jewelery and richness.

However, today she was put to a test as she realizes how much she's missed out in her own son's life.

She was never there once for his major life events. Not one. Even when he personally asked for it, she never replied the way he wanted.

He too has given up, on both of his parents. One was too lazy to accompany him, drawn into her riches and one parent was way too busy to even bat an eye in his direction. Throughout the years, Zayn honed only to hate his parents and never forgive them. He wanted to take revenge by giving them the same attitude as they grow older.

But his parent was gone. Only one remained.

Was she ever counted it now?

Will she ever be considered a parent from now?

Zayn was a clever man to say the least. He didn't need his mother's care anymore when he had his girlfriend.

As Cassandra talks and consoles the mother for awhile until she reaches to her bedroom, she comes back to her boyfriend and gives him a hug he wanted. He cries again, the warmth stimulating tears in his eyes back again.

"I don't know why I miss him now, Cassie." He says, holding onto her tiny waist for a minute long.

Breathing steadily, he rests his head on her stomach and mumbles, "Put me to sleep. I beg you."

Says the man. As much as she wanted to be there with him, she worried her family back at home too.

"Okay. But let me tell my mom and Louis first." Says Cassandra. Nodding, he lets her go as she dials her brother's number.

"Bro."

"Where the fuck did you run away, stupid?"

"Listen. Mr Johnson's father passed away. I'm stuck here because of the press. It's all around the building. If I come out, I'll be done for." Says Cassandra. The silence made her bite her lip.

"Okay fine. I told mom, but you better come home early tomorrow and convince her. It's Christmas tomorrow, dammit." The boy yells as Cassandra cuts the call after guiltily apologizing.

Louis has been looking forward to this year's chirstmas.

Now they can't have a whole feast of dinner when someone was facing misery. It would be bad on their part.

However, Cassandra was beside Zayn for the whole night as they cuddled and talked a lot of stories.

The next day was a holiday anyway.