9 CHAPTER EIGHT

Carly felt at ease as she drove down the highway. As usual, she wore her complicated gaze, she just sat inside the vehicle like an idol; maybe her vision was clenched with hatred. She looked out to the road from the driver's window; she could see all the activities going on, but was hardly seen by any because her glass was tinted.

Carly would have given up on this her expedition, but her dad's property must not enter a devourer's hand. She needed to get that fellow called Charlie and put words straight to him. She seems a bit concerned about the life of the young man that she had met earlier; she'd need to know where he resides, but after all she had gotten the most important of what she wanted.

What about Mrs. Pauline, how will she feel if she didn't get the residence number of the so called Leonard? Maybe she will understand if she can give her a good detailed explanation of what had happened.

Carly turned to face her ride as the road was free for her to drive at least some miles. She drove as fast as she could and in no time she was over her thoughts. She drove on amidst the word of Mr. Leonard which had crept into her mind and she was happy that a helper had come.

"...You have three months and lest I forget, your father didn't tell you how he became rich? It was based in agreement..."

Charlie's words hit her again, in fact, the word seem hunting her. She had to be fast with whatever she was doing so as to avoid being at loss and she was running out of time. She drove on, now in a highway of which there was no vehicle behind or before hers; she's completely alone on the long highway. She lowered herself and turned on the music in the vehicle and began to nod slightly to the rhythm; a country song.

She drove for about thirty minutes. Now, she had drove into a busy road with other road users here and there going on with their own business. She still maintained her situation as she looked at the people that passed and analyzed what could possibly be going on in their lives by the way they walked. Just then, she felt ill; that feeling of disgust, that feeling of wanting to throw up. She was terribly tired and needed to take a break.

Her eyes narrowed, and her head began to ache. She seems weak now even though she was still driving. She sought comfort but couldn't find any; she began to course mildly underneath her breath with her eyes searching the roadsides for an ice-cream house or something better. She had to rest a little and afterward continue her journey to Charlie's residence. She just had to take a break or have herself killed. Fortunately, she spotted a local pizzeria and an ice cream shop sitting beside each other some meters away. She winds down the glass and put off the AC, they weren't helping her today. A fresh air rushed in, and she was a little bit relieved from her weakness.

She swerved to the direction of the pizzeria and in no time, she was in front of it. She parked and hurriedly got out of the car holding her purse carelessly. After she had succeeded in getting out of the vehicle, she leaned on against it, trying to gather her breath; she had almost lost it. Her legs were unsteady and she felt like the most vulnerable person on earth. She glared around and no body seem to have taken notice of her.

She gathered some strength and walked into the pizzeria.

In the pizzeria, she sat with a cup of ice cream with a chopped meat mixed with pasta. She sat savouring her sweet in total carefree when her eyes caught a gentle man who just walked in. He was richly dressed in plane white polo and a well ironed black trouser; he wore a transparent spec to match. Carly glanced at the man's feet and took notice of his black Italian shoe, he was just Looking successful; she wondered where she had seen him. He looked very familiar but then again, she couldn't evoke where and when they had met; meaning that their meeting was quite irrelevant. She looked down at her sweet, scooped the last there was and looked up; he was gone, she shrugged, stood up, tucked her purse under her arm and left for the mall opposite. She needed to get a pack of sweets to keep her company at least in her ride. She glanced down at her wrist watch; the time was quite far spent. She needed to get to the eatery on time before Charlie leaves. She needed to put words straight to Charlie. As she hurried into the mall, she collided into someone, and her purse went flying on the floor.

"Damn you blind bat!" she snapped.

"Really…?" the masculine figure before her snapped back.

She glared at the figure, cowered a bit, reached for her purse on the floor and looked back up and took notice; it was him, the guy she saw in the pizzeria.

"I should be telling you that." Franklin Dexter reminded her.

She stared at Dexter again and her facial feature seems familiar to him, she was the lady that almost claimed the eatery. With that his temper returned, he glared at her blankly and her features looked quite beautiful despite the fact that they were covered by paleness.

"My stuffs are scattered on the floor, miss" He pointed to his groceries lying at different parts on the floor.

She peered down at the groceries and then back up at him.

"-does not mean a thing..." She shrugged and made an attempt to walk past him; Dexter took hold of her and dragged her back in frenzy.

"I think you should apologize." Dexter grimaced firmly.

However, he could see behind those sharp eyes staring at him with hatred -grief. He let go of her at that instant, since he knew what Carly was facing. He was the lawyer of Ben Antonio, Carly's father. He knew what was going on within her, she needed help, but he can't offer any; because he had soiled his conciseness with greed.

Carly watched him pick up his stuffs on the floor, head for his car without giving her a second glance. Carly looked at him until he started his car and drove off, she glared around and then focused her gaze towards the exit.

Carly walked up to her vehicle, opened the door and sat gracefully. She didn't start her vehicle immediately; but sat in silence for a while.

After giving much thought to the previous scene she started her car and sped off

∆∆∆

Leonard sat with a cup of coffee beside him; he had suddenly developed the habit of eating late night meals. He sat glaring at the television of which was tuned on the late night news. His gaze was tight on the TV; he was so expectant, enjoying his news when his phone rang. He took the phone without looking at it and placed it over his ear, still glaring at the television.

"-hello?" a feminine voice jerked him into concentration.

He rubbed his forehead gently and spoke into the phone.

"Hello? Who's this?"

"Christophine Drake…" the feminine voice spoke lightly.

"Is there a problem…?" Leonard inquired.

"-no, not really…" she claimed.

"Alright, why are you calling me?" Leonard lowered the volume of the noisy TV so as to get all the latter had to say.

"The lady didn't put a call across."

"I told you she is having a hard time, give her sometime…"

"-okay, I'll see to that, bye."

"-yea, bye for now," Leonard took the phone out of his ear and stared at the television; really bewildered.

"I want a court hearing!" Carly was live; on the television.

Leonard drew close, starring at the furious image of Carly. Now, Carly had gone the extra mind; which is really disappointing. He didn't expect her to go exposing everything to the general public, but now; everything is on air. Now, a hot sensation began to run in his mind, he glared at the television and saw how determined Carly was on reclaiming her father's property, tears welled up in his eyes and he sniffled; just like Carly.

"A court hearing and a valid will approved by a trusted lawyer, those two things will make me give up this fight! But until it is presented, I am not giving up!" Carly yelled and he observed in silence, still sobbing.

Leonard caught Charlie smiling casually as if a mad woman was challenging him; he was the least bothered and didn't raise his voice when he spoke.

"-a court hearing, really?" Charlie spoke and glared at the lawyer beside him. "Fine, my lawyer here will prove my talk's right."

"-that's my father's fucking lawyer, not yours!" Leonard yelled in the parlor out of frustration but now one could hear his own point of view. He kept on with his gaze tight on the television

He could see Carly at her end coursing Charlie with all the negative words she could remember.

"-sincerely speaking, I am the lawyer to the deceased man with the name 'Ben Antonio.' But since he had died and I being the lawyer who knew all about his assets and collaborations with people, I hereby pronounce that he signed an agreement with Charlie Benedict and he is the rightful owner of all the deceased man's asset!" Franklin yelled in anticipation.

"-oh, you too; joined?" Leonard sniffled and laughed out in a coy way, "but I will do you slowly, Dexter…."

The news caster summarized the scene and soon it was out of view.

Leonard glared in dismay; he sought for his coffee and took a deep slurp from it, and resettled it back on the side stool beside him. He sniffled again; trying to comfort himself.

"-Charlie, Dexter…I will do you slowly." He played with the remote in his hand with his gaze viciously on nothing.