Chapter 102: Chapter 102

"Um, uncle. I think it is best that she goes with me so that you can rest a little while we're away."

"Oh, nonsense. All I ever do is rest nowadays. I'll like to sit and chat with a lovely lady if that will not be too much trouble." Mr. James said, waving away her concern.

"Melissa, you don't mind then?"

"Of course not. I don't mind one bit." Melissa replied, her heart beating rapidly. What she had longed for all her life was finally going to happen.

"Oh, and while at it, kindly get me some flowers. I'll send them over to Jessica with a driver. I heard that she's starting to wake up."

"What?" Melissa exclaimed loudly in shock and dismay, forgetting herself momentarily. Mr. James and Carol looked at her in surprise.

"I mean, that's really great. The poor thing has suffered a lot. I'm just happy that she's finally waking up after such a long time. Has she said anything yet, about her captors or anything like that? I mean, that has to be one of the first things she'll talk about, right?"

"Not yet. She's still very foggy, although the doctors think that that might clear up soon. I forgot to tell you about it." Carol told Jessica.

"It's not that easy or fast, my dear. People who have been in a coma for some time usually need some time after they wake up to begin to talk as well as they once did, although, of course, there are exceptions. Some of them even have amnesia and may not be able to remember certain things, especially things leading to the moment of the beginning of their comas. Hopefully, Jessica will be one of the exceptions. I, for one, can't wait for her to start talking. It's something personal to me and the sooner she talks, the better off I'll be and the more peace of mind I'll have." Mr. James said, sounding somewhat sad.

"What do you mean by that, uncle?" Carol asked inquisitively, going over to the drawer that he had indicated and taking the money and drug prescription from inside it.

"It's nothing, my dear. When the time comes, you'll know about it."

Charlotte sat there, her mind racing as she frantically sort through her options, of which there weren't many. It seemed that the tables were turning against her faster than she could cope with. She had been banking on the fact that Jessica was still unconscious and so she had some time, but now that the bitch was regaining consciousness, she was in serious trouble and it was only a matter of time before Jessica spilled the truth. Maybe she should run away from this place and go into hiding immediately. That seemed to be the best option right now. Who knows, Jessica could very well be giving the police information at this minute and implicating her. Despite all the crimes that Charlotte had committed in the past, she had never been to prison before and she had no plans of going there now, all because the idiots she had assigned a job could not carry out the job well. She should have done it herself, she just knew it. She became aware that Carol was saying something and paused her train of thought.

"Wait. I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

"Oh. I wasn't talking to you. I was only telling Mr. James that you and I had plans of visiting Jessica tomorrow, but that we can as well go today so that we can help him deliver his flowers. I want to get her flowers and some other things too that she might need now that she has woken up."

"Oh, ok. That's good. Here, take this money and get her some flowers for me too." Charlotte said, digging in her purse for some money, which she handed to Carol.

Soon, Carol bid them goodbye and then left, promising to be back soon. Mr. James and Charlotte sat in absolute silence for more than 10 minutes after she left without saying anything to each other. Now that Charlotte found herself alone with him, she did not know what to say, or what to do, despite all the years that she had had to plan this. After some more time had passed, Mr. James stop shaking and went to stand by the railings of the balcony, leaning against it and facing away from her.

"So, what do you want from me, Charlotte?" He asked wearily, using her given name Charlotte, and not the fake one Melissa, which she had told Carol. Charlotte could not hold back the loud gasp that escaped her mouth at him saying her real name. Her face went white immediately, and her hands began to tremble. This old bastard knew far more than she thought he knew, and she was sure that that mean serious trouble for her.

"What did you just call me?" She asked at last. Maybe she had not heard him correctly, or maybe she was hallucinating. Surreptitiously, she glanced around the room, glad to notice that there was no CCTV camera or anything of the sort installed anywhere. From the look of things, she would have to take drastic measures, and she would have to take them soon before Carol came back from the errands he had sent her on.

Mr. James turned to face her, and in his weary, lined face, she saw that he knew exactly who she was.

"It is nice to officially meet you, Charlotte. To what do I owe the pleasure of you seeking me out after all these years to visit me?" Mr. James asked, his eyes twinkling, but she could see sadness and regret in their depths. Even worse, she could see a knowing look in his eyes and immediately realized something. He knew why she had come here, or at least, he had an idea and he was only toying with her. Her blood ran cold at this realization.