Marcus walked into the study room and looked at all their anxious faces. Although he avoided any direct eye contact with his mom, he knew that something of extreme importance was being discussed. “What’s going on?” he asked Lucas and Nicholas who sat with grave faces.
“Sit,” said Lucas, picking up a legal document from his desk. Marcus frowned and sat down waiting anxiously for him to speak.
“What will happen now? Your precious Cara has shown us her true colors,” said his mom, looking at him with disgust. Marcus was immediately on high alert hearing Cara’s name. “There’s no respite from this family.”
“Mom, it is us who have wronged them. This was bound to happen. Just be thankful that she hasn’t sued us for defamation,” said a grave-looking Lucas. His mom scoffed and looked away.
“Can I please know what is going on?” asked Marcus, his face grave as his eyes flitted between his two brothers. While Nicholas sat with his head in his hands, Lucas picked up the legal document and handed it over to him.
“Cara has approached the FBI to reopen her dad’s case. That’s the official letter from the FBI urging us to co-operate while the investigation goes on at Donnelly Financial Services. They’ll collect evidence and then prove Henry Sullivan’s innocence in court,” said Lucas.
“This was bound to happen. Why didn’t we go in for a full-fledged investigation at that time?” asked Marcus.
“As if you don’t know that your dad had a cardiac arrest immediately afterward. That’s why we didn’t complain to the FBI,” said his mom.
“What about when dad recovered? You guys just can’t take action against a person without any evidence against him! Who leaked the news to the media? You all accused Henry Sullivan of financial fraud and he suffered so much that he had to flee with his family to save himself. You guys destroyed his life. Both Henry Sullivan and his wife had to work at construction sites for a hand-to-mouth existence. Later they were killed under strange circumstances and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was murder. Expect the FBI to investigate their death soon. I won’t be surprised if we all land up in jail,” said an agitated Marcus. “Do you have any idea what the children went through? After their parents’ death, the four children didn’t have any food on their table, no work, no money, and no home. How can you blame Cara for wanting to clear her dad’s name? If I would be her I would have taken revenge. Why do you hate her so much, mom?”
“Yeah, she could have sued you for defamation the way you insulted her. She could have asked for compensation. Can you imagine what will happen to our goodwill once this investigation is through?” asked Nicholas. Their mom just got up with disgust.
“I really don’t have anything to say. I can’t understand how all three of you can support her,” she said, getting up to leave. Marcus gaped at her, realizing the hatred his mom nurtured in her heart for Cara could never be erased. He felt a little dejected knowing that his mom hated the girl he loved while she loved the girl he hated. He wished that it would be the other way around!
“That’s not true mom. You’re too blinded by hatred for Cara to see the truth. This has nothing to do with her personal life. I know you wanted Marcus to marry your favorite girl, Cassie, and now that it hasn’t happened, you’re holding a grudge against her. She isn’t responsible, mom. She left just as you asked her to. Did Mark marry Cassie? No, because he doesn’t love her!” Lucas tried to reason with his mom. “So let’s forget all that and help her get justice. I’m sure she is just trying to clear her dad’s name.”
His mom shrugged. “I doubt it. She’s trying to take revenge on me and insult me publicly. Maybe she wants money,” said his mom, making Marcus scoff.
“She’s a celebrity pop star who has a house in Malibu, LA, mom. She has just bought all my paintings for millions. I’m sure she has earned enough and doesn’t need our money. I agree with bro. She just wants to clear her dad’s name,” said Marcus. His mom rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room.
“Whatever!” she said on her way out. It was clear that she didn’t believe a word they said. Marcus sighed and glanced at his brothers who looked upset as well.
“Stay till all this clears up, Mark. Nick needs our help at the office,” said Lucas. Marcus nodded but his heart was jumping with excitement. Would he meet Cara at the office? Would she be there as well during the investigation?
“Sure, I’m free at the moment. How long do you think all this will take?” he asked with curiosity.
“Maybe a week to a fortnight. I’m not sure. It could take longer,” said Nicholas.
Later Alexia’s friends arrived at the banquet hall of Lucas’s condominium and the birthday party went on in full swing. It was afternoon when it was all over. Although Lucas asked him to stay back, he declined and drove home.
He had been dying to follow Rohesia’s social media accounts and see her pictures to his heart’s content. However, his eyes went round with horror seeing her with the famous music director, Frederick Gardner in all the posts. Blood boiled in his veins and he started searching for more. Was she in a relationship with the thirty-five-year-old Gardner who had quite a string of blockbuster movies as well as albums to his name? Marcus groaned seeing him kiss Rohesia in one of the photographs.
Angry and devastated, Marcus picked up a bottle of whiskey and drank straight from the bottle. How could she forget him so easily and move on with a man, fifteen years older than her? “Cara, how could you forget me so easily?” he said, his voice cracking with pain. Tears sprang into his eyes as he stared at the photographs of his Cara with the man. She had changed so much. Gone was her beautiful long, cascading blonde hair. It was replaced by a short bob of curls, streaked in shades of pink at the sides. Still, she looked more beautiful than ever. Her body had grown and was more curvaceous than before, making him sigh and burst into more tears at the memory of her in his arms.
He had no idea when he fell asleep on the floor of his bedroom. The next morning, he woke up with the worst hangover of his life. By the time he could make it to his dad’s office, it was almost lunchtime. The FBI officers were there conducting their investigation. Nicholas and Lucas gave him a look of displeasure. “What were you doing? I’ve called you ten times already. Cara was here for ten minutes before she left for a music concert in Florida,” said Nicholas. Marcus didn’t feel excited at all at the news. His mind was numb with grief and he just nodded.
“I see. So, how’s the investigation going on? Any news so far?” he asked. Lucas shook his head.
“It will take time.”
True to his prediction, the investigation took a week but Cara didn’t return to the office again. The CBI unearthed evidence to prove that it was the biggest fraud involving more people than one. The scam involved all the top bosses who had conveniently dumped the blame on Cara’s dad to avoid penalties. Lucas and Nicholas were at their wit’s end. The General Manager, the Vice president of their finance department, and many others were involved in the fraud involving millions. It couldn’t have been the work of an accountant alone. The actual culprits were arrested and finally, the evidence was sent to the court. Another week passed by and they were served with a court summon to appear for the hearing to be held a fortnight later.
“I want to be present at the hearing. I want to see to what level that bitc* can drag us down. I want to prove to you that she is after money,” said their mom. No one said anything to her. They were all preoccupied with the lawyers rather than arguing with their mom. Marcus had fallen silent since that fateful night when he saw Cara with Frederick Gardner; as if his life had lost its meaning. However, he was clueless why she would shed tears seeing his paintings when she had already moved on. Did she miss the time she spent with him? Did he have any hope?
As the day of the hearing approached, Marcus was all the more restless. His heart thumped harder and harder in anticipation. He would see Cara after a year and he just couldn’t wait. Finally, the day arrived and they all rushed toward the court.
“We have to win against her, Lucas,” said his mom. Lucas shook his head.
“The evidence against us is too strong, mom. There’s no way we can win this. There has been negligence on our part,” said Lucas. His mom scoffed at his words but Marcus didn’t say a word. He just stood staring at the main gates. The case was about to start yet there were no signs of Cara. Where was she?