31 Light in the Darkness

[ Chapter 31 ]

It's the darkness of the forest which held her gaze as Cassandra peered out of the black window. The darkness was encapsulated into a singular massive entity which stayed the same throughout the minutes of her ride.

Cassandra couldn't see where the line of horizon ended and where the expanse of the cosmos started. As the muted hum of the Bentley droned along the lush forest bordered highway. It seemed to her that it summoned her, and she acutely felt a point of no return.

Darkness had always been easy on her eyes. She's fully aware that she wasn't able to make out anything in the darkness, and in it she had dwelt. Its vastness was so comforting to the extent that it smoulders the volatile stir of emotions.

Darkness, far from vanquishes anything, merely balms the surface with its quiet dignity of an end. It's darkness which gave her a temporary respite from exhaustion. No form or likeness could emerge from what was deprived the essence of light.

The perception of time and space was lost on her. The darkness offered her nothing in return yet it's everything which her eyes needed to feast upon. She felt her inopportune senses calm down by notches. There's nothing to experience, nothing of feeling in this realm.

Cassandra felt the last, inevitable sigh slipping away from her, it had come to her expected. It's out of the blue when this darkness reminded her of something, someone, a raven-haired one with the most enchanting set of darkest orbs.

Magnetic and compelling, those eyes are beautiful, filled with nothing but maddening temptation and sweet nothings. The pitch black hue in his eyes appears mysterious, addictive, and at times, hypnotic.

Cassandra held her breath as the image of his topaz, deep-set eyes appeared before her, looking back at her, holding her cold encased gaze. It hit her hard, unexpectedly, aware of something they could bring, and she flinched a little.

She noted that something within her awakened, or rather exposed, haunting her, and long before she realised, she let it come, consuming her, as she found herself traipsing on the point of no return.

The soft light inside illuminated her gorgeous face as deep within her exquisite almond-shaped eyes, the long lasting memories flashed in wavering waves as she wended through the memory lane, seemingly lost.

It's only when she felt enough of endless nothingness that seemed to consume her from within had she returned back from her reverie. Inhaling, Cassandra closed her eyes and sorted out her weathering emotion.

By the time Cassandra regained her heartsease, with only enchanting darkness that passed through the window as her only entertainment, she held a leg over her thigh sitting relaxed on the opulent back seat while Anna could be seen driving in the front silently.

Sticking back her mind to the morning when she received a package, Cassandra reached to her side and opened her black purse, taking out a paper in what's visual of an invitation. It's a hand written invitation and a single ticket to the opera.

Exquisite handwriting, she complimented as she read the letter, its content was about him thanking her for willing to be his company. She caught her eyes rolling as she didn't expect him to be such a person, chivalry must be contented in its grave.

Aesthetically speaking, his handwriting was also very nice and pleasing to the eye, each line and cursive was precise and delicate, perfectly complementing his strong yet beautiful hand. Quite a perfectionist she could see.

He sure knows how to use those sinful hands, not just for pleasuring women they seemed.

Cassandra might not have expertise in assessing someone by their lettering but she could see some points about him in his penmanship, he also seemed to have artistic tendency. Individuals with this trait are tend to be the most difficult people to deal with.

Flash.

It's all of a sudden when a certain glow flashed in Cassandra's eyes and what followed was Anna's voice slashing through the dimly lit silence, "Madam."

Cassandra shot her eyes at the rearview mirror right an instant. "We're being followed," in a hushed voice, Anna informed.

Cassandra looked at the reflection and caught two pairs of headlights of what seemed to be unplated black sedans, speeding low behind them in silent pursuit.

Her eyes narrowing self-composedly. She had long noticed their presence. It's quite surprising to say the least but not exactly unexpected. 'It's sooner than I expected.'

"I know," Cassandra responded with steel in her voice, rolling down her shoulders she leaned her back against her seat and tightened her seatbelt.

"Speed up the drive, keep the distance, let them come if they try to catch," Cassandra instructed, her voice was soft, yet laden with daunting calmness.

"Alright," Anna's voice revealed no fluctuation, her face devoid of any expression showing no surprise at what's happening. It's for a reason that she being one of Cassandra's longest serving person.

With right hand holding tight on the steering wheel, Anna shifted up a gear smoothly and hit the gas speeding away. Her foot pressed more on the accelerator leaving the surroundings darkness and cars behind.

The smooth engine of Bentley Continental echoed through the road as Anna expertisely drove the car galloping away from the two black sedans pursuit. Her face faced straight the windscreen as she focused on the road, cutting through each car swiftly.

Seated behind, Cassandra was in a state of complete calmness as she put an elbow on the armrest. Glancing at the sideview mirror, she noticed that the cars behind were speeding as well, following in swift pursuit.

They could have outsped her car with the current speed but for some reason they kept maintaining the distance, as expected. If it had been just a random pursuit, they would have no longer been behind her as she would have them caught or she could just simply speeding away.

The point was there's no use to catch them, they're nothing but disposable pawns. Something behind them was what actually the one who's after her. Moreover, it's not yet the time for them to face her, at least not for the moment.

For the next five minutes, Cassandra did nothing else as the daunting silence enveloping her. Her dropping eyelashes concealed a hidden emotion under her cold glowed eyes, making it not possible for one to know what she's thinking.

Anna looked through the sideview mirror and noticed that there's no longer any pursuit behind. Another minute passed by as she shifted down the gear and made a push on the break, accelerating the steering wheel, the car turned left and entered the strictly guarded neighborhood of Peony Villa.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the house, a black-clothed female guard opened the gate and the Bentley pulled up inside. Cassandra stepped out of the car and stood in silence. Her eyes were distant as she looked far at the darkness of the night.

It's started, there's no turning back now. She had been thinking it through and had prepared everything for this. What she's facing and what would come after, she knew it well. She's just crossed the path that she had been distanced herself for years.

What had just happened was something she's perfectly aware of. The line she crossed earned her their message, a silent warning.

Cassandra exhaled and took her cold eyes off from the distance, turning around, she walked through the black stone tiled path towards her house. The night breeze was cold caressing her fair skin as she reached her house and stepped inside the house which door was already opened by Housekeeper Marianne.

Shortly afterwards, Cassandra found herself naked inside the bathroom. She couldn't deny that she felt exhausted, both spiritually and physically. Her full schedule and business alone was emotionally draining. She took out the clip in her hair and let her long awfully blond fall down around her back.

Walking around she stepped into the lavish designed shower, she flicked it on and allowed the hot water to luxuriate her body. Washing away her tired soul. After finished lathering her hair and soaping herself fresh, she entered the steamy bathtub and shut her eyes close once she settled herself comfortably.

It's exceptionally seldom when Cassandra decided to reach on her left where packages of Royal Virginia Slim were saved in a small hidden cabinet. She pulled a cigarette out of the package before setting the ashtray on the side of the tub.

With a premium cigarette between her fingers, Cassandra wrapped it soft around her moist, pale coloured lips and lit it up. Inhaling long, the end burned brightly as she drew the smoke into her mouth.

Her hazel orbs were lost as Cassandra dragged the cigarette, feeling as the nicotine flowed through her body, she needed it for it's awfully relaxing. Her lips kept puffing out some smoke as she felt the hot water soothing against her skin.

When was the last time she smoked? Cassandra couldn't remember but one thing for sure that she had long stopped being an avid smoker. It's something she had indulged those years ago when she's in complete loss trying to cope with the calvary of losing Nicholas.

Although in the end she could free herself from nicotine addiction a year later since she smoked, on very rare occasions when she's exhausted, simply stressed out when no one was around, just like this, she would take a moment to smoke with the silence of the night as her only companion.

The fog of smoke mixed with the steam of hot water creating an awful yet melancholic sight with her indulging on it. She should really stop smoking, completely. Aveline would have lost her mind if she knew about it, she had just broken the promise not to smoke, again.

Cassandra gave herself a self-deprecating smile.

There, looking at a faint reflection through her wet coated eyelashes on the white glossy layered wall. All she could see was a woman whose mask had been unraveled, not as beautiful as the world thought she was. A woman whose wound hasn't yet healed even after all of the passing years. A wound she had been trying to ignore for years while hiding it deep inside her, it's like a fire, the flame she possessed was bound to burn her, slowly, from within.

Her ugly side which was perfectly hidden deep within her, with almost not a single soul was aware of its existence.

"Nicholas."

Cassandra whispered the name of her supposed second half under her breath who, until now, is still the man she loved most. A sad smile spread across her face. Nicholas must be saddened had he known what kind of pathetic woman she had become.

She shut her eyes and held her lids close as she squeezed gently on the cigarette, filtering it soft before inhaling deep, once again opened her eyes a moment later as she exhaled out some smoke.

"Forgive me. I couldn't continue to live my life like this. Running away from my pain these years I had drowned myself in whatever I thought my passion. Sailing through this life with this pain, with our only daughter as the sole reason of my sanity, my existence. Thank you dearly for giving me such a very lovely and beautiful daughter."

"There are lots of things I wanted to tell you about our little girl honestly. You wouldn't believe that our little ball of cuteness had now grown into a very fine young woman."

Cassandra paused and held the smoke in her mouth, her long eyelashes batted in seemingly slow motion. The puffy white cloud rested in the oval of her painted lips, before she sucked in air and then let the smoke laze out of her mouth in a steady stream.

"Beautiful as a rose and strong as an edelweiss. You must be very proud of her up there." A proud motherly smile brightened her beautiful features. "Don't worry about what woman she becomes because I had made sure of her growing up as a strong woman of iron will. You could also rest assured because she's pretty much like me, knowing well how to take care of herself and put those boys in their place. Your role as a father I filled it on your behalf, I would make sure of everything about the man she's going to marry."

Her eyes now glinted with complete calmness surpassing any emotion she had been hiding for years. "I know what I do. I want you to understand that I need to face it, putting a complete end to what you had left behind. I know you want me to forget the past and move on but I couldn't. Aveline is the sole reason why I had been holding back all these years. You know it yourself when it comes to Aveline, I couldn't take a risk. She is my everything."

"I've been living my life without looking back at the darkness but still I couldn't, no matter how many years have passed. Years I've been walking in silence but everything is different now. The reason why in the end I took this path is because I now have the power to put our daughter under a complete protection. I've everything prepared for her. Thus even if—"

Cassandra paused, inhaling the last breath of the cigarette between her lips. "Even if something ever happened to me, I could assure you that nothing would happen to Aveline."

Cassandra closed her eyes and lost herself in the layer of steam leaning back against the headrest. She's all prepared. The bullet had been fired and she would stop at nothing even if it meant to burn herself along with it.

Everything else didn't matter; hatred, pain, sadness, vengeance, all are nothing for her. What she sought is an answer, an end to everything he left behind. The last string that held her tight the past.

The half moon peeked through the thick clouds and the moonlight shone down as the time went by.

On the following hour, Cassandra had now dolled herself in a white nightrobe faux silk with flimsy material. Her generous curves were exposed to the gentle light and her honey blond was tied back in a ponytail.

Cassandra was standing at the second floor of the main hall that connected to the living room with her hands braced on the handrail. Her gentle eyes were warm as summer light as she looked down at the woman on the opulent black piano bench.

LVB's Le Sonate Au Claire de Lune Op.27 no.2 was seeping through the night mellifluously like a sacred tune followed by the sight of a descended angel. A soft smile slid across her face as Cassandra was enchanted by Aveline's graceful play.

Aveline looked otherworldly beautiful sitting there, the light falling on her delicate shoulders. She was elegant in her clean camel-coloured turtleneck sweater, silky brown of magnificent hair cascading down her back, glistening in the glow of the light.

Her posture was beautiful and her eyes closed. Her slender fingers were dancing on the keys as the gentle melody reverberated through the living room and it drifted faintly all around the surrounding rooms.

This scene reminded her of Nicholas as he used to play her melodies with the moonlight as their only companion. Warm was his smile as his melodies were either gentle or passionate prickling on her skin, enveloping her with endearing love.

'Nicholas. Look at what a woman our little daughter had become.' Cassandra smiled, lovingly. Her daughter has always been her life, pride, happiness, everything.

Aveline seemed to notice as Cassandra descended down the stairs, she tilted her head gently and curved up a sweet smile without stopping her dancing fingers.

"Beautiful play," Cassandra praised as she reached behind Aveline's back, putting both hands on each of the latter's shoulders. The urge to hug her daughter tight was somehow overwhelming at this moment but she didn't want her to stop the melody.

"Thank you," Aveline hummed softly, enjoying the warmth Cassandra has bestowed upon her. Her eyes traced down the piano and focused on each key.

Cassandra smiled, her smile was a sealed envelope but there's no denying the deep loving of affectionate glow in her eyes. She loved the feeling around her daughter. She's the light that brought warmth upon her dark world, no matter how exhausted or tired she was, love and comfort are all she would find in her daughter.

"Your father used to play this melody for me, just like this when we were alone at night." Cassandra trailed off gently, breathing in the sweet shampoo scent of Aveline's hair.

Aveline nodded her head as she had known about it. "Is his playing good?" she asked.

Cassandra noticed the longing in Aveline's voice asking about the father she hadn't had a chance of experiencing his love in her growing up. Nicholas was no longer around when Aveline was barely four years old, but Cassandra had always been making sure of her knowing his endless love for his daughter through her stories.

Cassandra answered, truthfully. "Good. His playing was soulful."

"Better than me?" Aveline asked again, simply curious.

Cassandra smiled, picturing the memory of her late husband playing instruments. "Yes," she answered and Aveline smiled.

Cassandra followed, stroking the smoothness of Aveline's appealing hair. "Your melody is beautiful. But his was passionate, he was playing for me."

"Someday," Cassandra paused as she smiled. "When you found the one you love dearly, the one who could treasure you with all of his love. You will understand Ave."

That way, both Cassandra and Aveline continued spending their quality time as women and treasure the loving company of their dearest one.