Chapter 84: Chapter 84

"You look so pretty," Zayn says to her, letting the words flow out of his mouth as if he had no filter. Dan and Alex look at the guy, Zayn and Cassandra have their eyes wide and nerves on the edge.

"I know. Fuck o-off." Cassandra does what any sibling will do at that moment. When Sr. Johnson comes out looking as crisp as a gentleman that he is, Louis and Dan along with Nick go to compliment their father about his clothing choice.

"I just ordered it from Raymond's, fellas. It's no biggie." Framton humbly waves his hand at his sons. "Ah~ there's my beautiful princess."

Cassandra dark brown hair was down in little curls at the end. Her peach and brown gradation dress was simple and fabulous, almost elegant and princess-like. Zayn couldn't take his eyes off of his lover, even for a second.

She's been growing into her skin all over— in the right places. Zayn was admitting that he was confused between the past and the present. As long as he doesn't fall in love with Cassandra but his lover, he considers himself a lucky man.

Three cars escort the family in pairs. The media was hungry for news, Framton shakes his head at the society so indulged in what happens with other's families.

He sits in the row, the conference begins. His advisors were seated amongst the crowd, acting like journalists as well for damage control— if anything ever happened.

"I am very displeased with the person who chose to put my innocent daughter through the horrors of fame. She does not want it, but as we are a family, she was going to come out to the world on her own. This is a breach of confidentiality which will be cleared inevitably today." Framton opens the meet with his words.

The conference goes on, a little edging for Framton himself. People thought it was okay to blame a father for the exposure, and he was absolutely not himself when a reporter asked if Framton and him had any other relationship, besides 'playing father and daughter'.

Alex makes it his prime responsibility to protect his parent and his sister. He didn't want Louis to get involved— they all knew his explosive manner of dealing with such atrocities. Cassandra felt bad, a massive amount. She thought she should never have went out with her father foreday.

As the press conference comes to a tragic end, Framton and his family were taken to shoot a video which was added to the schedule by demand.

Cassandra nervously introduces herself in front of the camera.

"Forgive my daughter. She was never used to stifling environment of the world." Framton concludes the video broadcasted live and which will be repeated until the morning as well.

The family of seven leave to Johnson estate, none of them wanted to go back home and discover someone had broke into their house. The security system there was weak, compared to Framton's present residence.

The cars halt against the whispering fountain. Cassandra gets down on the side of the fountain, walking the other direction— towards the fountain than going inside.

"Cass?" Alex calls her.

"I'm fine. I'll be here for a moment. I wanna be alone." She states.

"Okay." The brothers and Framton move inside. Cassandra sits on the rim of the fountain, enjoying the small sparkles of drops spilling onto her skin. She plays with the water, a little algae forming to the shores of its structure.

"Cassandra..." she recognises Zayn's polite voice, turning to him halfway to remind him, "I thought I said I wanted some time alone."

"Yeah... but—"

"Zayn. Please..." she says, tired of everything.

'Right...' she thinks.

He could almost gauge the overburdening, deafening and suffocating consequences of fame. The way she sighs tells him that she hated this life. He tries to connect to her, but fails in one realisation.

She was a girl from a lower middle class family. She was an odd one out, someone who cannot fit into the rich, personality-wise.

Cassandra Sympsons was a humble and cute girl whose brother was Louis. Both lived to earn and spend, but never had the concept of saving.

When Cassandra Sympsons was suddenly thrown into the vortex of the rich life, she wasn't able to keep up with the burdening pace. Her legs were tired of running, maybe that was why she was sighing excessively— he thought.

"I'll..." he doesn't say another word, the said word barely above a whisper as well. He walks inside while praying God sends her all of his kisses and support from a distance, without hindering her peace for now.

All the brothers were dispersed as Framton was in the kitchen with his robe. Cassandra was sat outside for half an hour or more, she didn't want to leave the serenity of the water nor the moon above her head.

Framton leans against the doorframe of his big house. He watches his princess from the distance with his sad gaze. She feels the presence of the old man, turning towards him to the other side.

Wiping her wet hand to her dress, she subtly wipes her tears away and walks inside. She quietly passes over Framton who watches her in his periphery. He doesn't speak a word either, respecting her request from before.

"Great... no dinner." She quietly says to herself. Grabbing a loaf of bread and butter, she sits down on the floor to eat. Framton comes back to the kitchen to place his wine glass in the sink when he witnesses Cassandra acting seriously out of her character.

She would never sit on the ground, even by mistake.

Nonetheless, he comes to her and asks her politely, "Cassandra... may I sit with you? You see, papa hasn't had dinner yet too."

"Yeah." She gives permission with her mouth full. The old man groans as he sits down beside her. She quickly makes a sandwich for him, forgetting that he never liked jam.

"Butter is f fine for me, love." She hears the male and places the spoon back. "Sowwy." She held her own sandwich with her teeth meanwhile.

"Cassandra... do you remember the day I met you for the first time?"