Chapter 441 All Yours (Part One)


    Cassandra stared fixedly at Lionel. She read his every expression, and did not miss the slightest


    movement he made.


    Lionel started to fidget under her scrutiny. He had let it slip in his panic and was now unable to think of


    anything to cover it up. He knew that Cassandra would definitely investigate into it since her suspicions


    had been aroused. Cold sweat began to crawl on his skin as he thought of the possible repercussions.


    "Sorry, but I have to go now!"


    Upon being cornered by his own devices, Lionel opted to escape. He sprang up and walked out the


    door quickly without even looking back.


    Cassandra made no move to follow him, but Lionel knew he was being watched. It was as if her gaze


    burned upon his back.


    Once inside his car, he fumbled for his keys and started the engine, out of breath. He clutched the


    steering wheel as if his life depended on it and sped away. It was only when he was far enough away


    that he allowed himself to let go of a long-held breath. He took deep lungfuls of air and slumped in his


    seat, perspiration glittering on his forehead.


    He was not one to cower in the presence of a mere woman—not a single one of them had managed to


    shake hisposure, but this time was very different. He had been careless, his own guilt had driven


    him up a wall.


    There was much effort put into the whole thing. He had approached the action director in Lyndsy''s crew


    and won him over with bribery. What happened after was all too easy. Upon his request, the director


    tampered with her safety wires, which staged the perfect ident and led to the closing of her studio.


    Once that happened, Cassandra lost her job.


    Everything he did was to get her to go back to the Tang Group, even if it was through underhanded


    means.


    But even after all of that, she still refused him firmly—something that waspletely beyond his


    expectations. In the end, he got more kicks than halfpence. He felt like she had yed him for a fool.


    At this thought, he boiled with anger. He smashed his fist on the steering wheel in frustration. ''You are


    such a hard nut to crack, Cassandra, '' he thought, grinding his teeth.


    Meanwhile, Cassandra remained where she was inside the coffee shop, lost in her own thoughts. Her


    coffee had all but gone cold by now, and her head was in tangles.


    She thought back to Lionel''s earlier actions. It was almost as if he was fleeing from her with the way he


    abruptly left. Could it be true that Lyndsy''s ident was all his doing?


    If that was the case, then that would mean that her own words had put Lyndsy in danger. She had told


    Lionel that she would not return to the Tang Group unless Lyndsy''s studio shut down. It seemed that he


    had taken her words at face value and went on to do the unthinkable.


    The puzzle pieces had arranged themselves in her mind. The final click sent sinister shivers down her


    spine despite the warmth of the room.


    At present, there was no sign of Lyndsy, as if she had disappeared.


    Cassandra suddenly felt her skin crawl with anxiousness. She had lost contact with Lyndsy. She had


    tried all possible ways of contacting, but heard nothing back. There was no news from her.


    "Do you know any other way to contact Lyndsy, Ste?"


    she asked her own closest friend for help, fearing that she would miss a message from Lyndsy.


    "No, not that I know of," Ste replied. "Why? You haven''t talked to her? Have you tried asking her


    parents?" she inquired.


    Indeed, the onlookers see the most clearly. Ste had pointed out such a simple solution, and it was


    one that had never urred to Cassandra. She pped a hand to her forehead in embarrassment.


    "How stupid of me! I had not thought of that!"


    Cassandra cried out in disbelief at her own foolishness. Ste was torn betweenughing and crying on


    the other side of the phone.


    "You''d better get some rest. All that stress is turning your memory to an old woman''s. You''re still too


    young for that!"


    Ste teased, unable to help herself from chuckling. Cassandra exchanged a few more words with her


    before hanging up the phone and dialing Lyndsy''s mother''s number. Her pulse quickened as she


    waited with bated breath through the dial tone.


    After what seemed to be an eternity, someone picked up. "Hello, this is Cassandra," she began. "I''d like


    to ask if there is any other way to reach Lyndsy? I have tried to call her multiple times, but I haven''t


    heard back from her yet."


    Cassandra gripped the phone tightly in her hands, trying to keep her voice steady. Thest thing she


    wanted was to worry Lyndsy''s mother.


    There was only silence for a moment from the other end of the line. Cassandra was about to check if


    the call had been cut off, but Lyndsy''s mother spoke and stopped her.


    "Well…Cassandra..." she replied, sounding very hesitant. "Here is the thing. She had told us before


    she left that we should not inform you how to contact her, or her whereabouts. She said that she had


    other ns,"


    the mother exined slowly, choosing her words with caution.


    "But...why? Did she say anything else?"


    Cassandra stammered. A sinking feeling was setting on her chest, like an premonition ofing


    danger. Horror spread through her as the feeling crept all over her skin and prated deep into her


    bones.


    "You will know...soon, maybe. She is my daughter, and I will respect her decision,"


    the mother sighed as if offering an apology. Her answer only served to deepen Cassandra''s worries.


    The telltale click of the receiver ended the phone call. The phone slid from Cassandra''s hands as she


    slumped in her office chair, overwhelmed by everything she had just heard.


    A boxful of documentsy in front of her, the papers inside devoid of any meaning. It was the only thing


    left of what used to be Lyndsy''s. Removed them and this office would be Lyndsy''s no more.


    A ring broke through her rueful contemtion. Cassandra almost jumped up from surprise as she was


    jolted back to reality at the sound. She picked up the phone hurriedly. Ste''s voice sounded from the


    other side.


    "Cassandra, where are you now?" she spoke in quick words. "Go and check the news on the inte.


    Do it now! It''s Lyndsy. She...err, she has posted a video dering that she would be quitting the


    entertainment industry!"


    Ste''s words came out in an almost indistinguishable flurry of sounds, but it was as if a bomb dropped


    on Cassandra. Her blood froze, unable to believe what she had just heard.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Doing her best to collect herself, she hastily took her cell phone even as her head throbbed with


    confusion and disbelief. The device trembled in her hands, and it took her several attempts to even


    unlock it. Just as Ste had instructed, she browsed the news and found that Lyndsy''s self-made video


    had made the headlines of the entertainment news.


    Lyndsy was wearing light make-up in the video, with only three quarters of her face visible. She was


    deliberately hiding her wounds. Cassandra proceeded to y the video and Lyndsy''s voice reached


    her ears.