11 CHAPTER TEN

Carly woke up the next morning, due to the fact that she slept on an empty belly, she felt weak and hungry. She glanced at the wall clock hanging in her room and took notice of the time; 1:00pm. She had slept so long, although she's not the type that sleeps late in bed. Slowly, she pushed her duvet off her body and stepped down from the bed. Hunched with hands still on her tummy, she rushed to the bathroom.

Minutes later, she was in her bath robe. She opened her room's door and walked down the hallway, leaning on the wall for support. Getting to the stairs, she wobbled down using the railings as support.

Mrs. Pauline was sitting on the couch; she didn't notice anybody at first. She was engrossed in her chore. Suddenly, she sensed a presence. She turned around and saw the weak Carly walking feebly down the stairs.

"Oh child-" She dropped all she held in her hand and ran to meet the girl. She lifted the girl's left arm and placed them round her shoulders. She led the girl to the sitting room and made her sit comfortably on a couch next to hers. Sadness could be seen written all over the girl.

"You shouldn't have drunk yourself to stupor last night, what if something happened?" the woman said with her gaze tight on her.

"-I'm hungry."

"Is that the problem?" Mrs. Pauline looked at her with pity. "Hunger...?"

Carly nodded.

The woman stood up and walked straight to the kitchen. Two minutes later, she was out with a tray. On it was a dessert cake, two eggs, and a red wine. She placed the tray gently on a glass stool and moved to where Carly sat.

"Here dear, eat." She watched as Carly ate slowly and sadly. Carly being so hungry ate all the cake; although it was just a deep slice.

Carly feeling so comfortable, sat back on the couch and took out a magazine from underneath the stool, she opened it and began to flip through while the older woman just sat looking at her.

"Carly…" the woman called, but she was silent and her gaze was still on the magazine.

The woman continued immediately Carly looked up at her. "While you were away, I got a call from your cell; it was from a woman named Christophine Drake. She said that you ought to have called…"

Carly looked at her direction then back to her magazine without saying anything.

"Won't you say anything?"

She smiled. "I'm listening-"

Seeing that Carly was paying attention, the woman continued.

"The lady from the phone said that, despite the fact that your father's friend is up to taking your property, you could locate your father's lawyer and try to obtain a valid will."

Carly shot a glance at the woman. "Didn't you or she hear what Dexter said on the media briefing…?"

"Of course, we all know about that. The lady said he's a lawyer and a hungry lawyer to be precise, but she said after all that you need the will and a court summon."

"You think that's possible?" Carly said finally. "How I'm I sure the will won't betray me too?"

"Carly," the woman wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Your father loves you so much. No doubt; he made a mistake, but there's no how he'll not include you in his will. The will is the only thing that can make peace reign."

Carly looked at the woman and her eyes became stocked with tears.

"It's okay," the woman patted her on the back. "Go find your father's lawyer and get that will okay?"

Carly robbed the tears off her eyes; she stood up to leave but then stopped.

"I'm thinking about something…" the woman fixed at her and she continued.

"How did I get home yesterday?"

The woman smiled. "A good Samaritan brought you home."

Carly walked out poker-faced. There was nothing like a Good Samaritan. She hurried up to her father's room, in search of his diary.

Standing in front of the door, she'd sworn never to pass through it; she stood transfixed in front of the door. The room hold so many memories; those of which she wasn't sure were sincere anymore. She fought with her conscience whether to go in or not, but then, it occurred to her that she had to. The solution to her present predicaments is in there and she ought to get it resolved; so standing in front of the door will do her no good. Finally, she let out a huge sigh and pushed the door slowly open.

Tears welled up on her eyes as she entered, everything was just the same. Nothing had changed. Feeling tensed, her eyes ransacked the room searching for something. The more she looked for the thing the more her tears dropped down her cheek. He had once told her that information related to him, was kept there. He had always kept the box hidden; hidden from the reach of predators.

She still moved from side to side looking for the box, a thing she must find if she ever want to get Charlie exposed to the world. All she could think of now was on how to get the will and settle the scandal; of which Charlie had put her into. As she kept on with her search, a thought of Dexter came across her mind. She argued if he will ever say the truth to her, but he ought to or else he'll get a quota of Charlie's disgrace.

Feeling exhausted in her little search, she stood at the centre of the room panting while still twitching her head from side to side.

Just then, her eyes caught a glimpse of a box at the top of her father's wardrobe. She smiled weakly and hoped it was the original box. She looked around for something to get onto in order to reach the box; she found her father's stool beside the makeup table.

She walked straight to the wardrobe opposite the king sized bed carrying the side stool with her. Gently, she climbed on it and stretched her whitish arm towards the box touching every object till she felt her hands on it. Gladly, she dragged it out and jumped down from the stool.

She sat at the edge of the bed unlocking the box slightly with her gaze hard on it.

∆∆∆

The young man in front of Charlie hard his face blunts with seriousness, he seems like a huge beast in his all black devilish polo and jean. He had an image of the famous skull on a crossed bone, but something is more peculiar about his own skull; it was a lion skull instead of the normal human skull.

"I heard you're an expert at your job." Charlie asked the young man who stood before him.

The young man didn't stir; he just stood like a dead log of wood expecting his assignment.

"-what's your name?" Charlie interrupted the calm room.

"Eddy Bernard." He said in a rather husky voice.

"Okay Eddy," the latter stood up, flipped his pipe over his mouth and approached. He moved to the young man and walked round him, weighing him from head to toe. He stood face to face with him; head stopping few meters beneath the man's jaw. He was tall, but this young man had proven to be taller and much more physically fit than him.

"I have an assignment for you."

"And what could that be?" Eddy questioned, still maintaining his position.

The latter walked back to his seat and settled down; playing with his beards altogether.

"If you are familiar with the news, you would know I'm having a problem with my little niece."

Eddy only knew a girl that is popular with the news. He had seen the lady on the news the day she was ranting. He wanted the man to hit the nail on the head, so he could know actually where he was taking the whole issue to. He remained silent, not looking at the man.

"Well, she's an audacious little brat, who might as well not know when to stop playing with fire; if you care to know." He drawled a deep breath from his pipe of tobacco and hence slipped his hand into his breast pocket and brought out a picture of Carly. He tossed it over to him and continued. "I want you to watch her closely, she'll go visit a lawyer. Follow her. The news she'll get from it will break her heart. While she's still in her grievous state, you finish her off."

"Consider it done." Eddy said and peered at the passport in his hand and then to Charlie.

Charlie glared at the young man; it seems to him that they had something in common. Still smoking his pipe, he took out a fat envelope and handed them to Eddy.

The young man took the envelope and held fast at it. Charlie took out another brown envelope which was flat and handed it over to Eddy again.

"That the address to her residence…"

Eddy looked at him face to face for once; he seems reluctant in taking his gaze away. Charlie smirked and blew out a flood of smoke from his upwardly curved mouth, which was positioned at Eddy.

"Won't you take a look at the address?"

"I will. I believe I can take my leave now."

"Of course," Charlie said with a smile. "Go get the deed done." He smirked and fixed at Eddy viciously, "But remembers, no games."

Eddy didn't respond, rather, he turned and left the apartment.

∆∆∆

Carly held a piece of paper high up in the air, swaying from side to side as she raced down the stairs, her face was full of happiness and a resounding whooping sound accompanied her joy. She held up the paper as she ran into the living room, startling the old woman.

"What is it…?" the woman inquired from the latter that was yet to recover from the joy allotted to her by the discovery of the lawyer's number.

"Carly, what is it…?" the woman asked again, already impatient.

Carly smiled as she leaned on the couch holding a page on what seems to be a diary. "I found the lawyer's number."

"Really...?"

"-yes ma'am," Carly nodded.

"Where did you find it?" the woman dragged her to a seat; close to herself.

Carly looked at her for a while, she beamed and sniffled.

"Found it in daddy's diary."

"Oh, I see. Aren't you calling the number?"

"I will, ma'am."

"-then call or you appear a bit late."

"Okay." Carly breathed in heavily and let out a breath in whisper. She took her phone from the glossy table and entered the digits into her phone. She dialed the number; placing the phone over her ear as she looked at the woman who was smiling as well.

The line went on ringing; they exchanged looks.

"Hello...?" came a masculine voice that sounds familiar.

"Hello, Good afternoon." Carly spoke as calmly as possible.

"-Franklin Dexter, who please...?"

Carly frowned, depicting her hatred for the man who just spoke, Mrs. Pauline noticing what was going on shook her head negatively towards the young woman. Carly's face was still dull, but her voice was coherent.

"Carly Antonio, the daughter of Ben Antonio…"

There was no response from the other side. Carly looked at Mrs. Pauline, she pleaded with her in signs to calm down. Carly took her gaze away and sniffled.

"Dexter, are you there?" Carly inquired.

"I am," Dexter's voice came again. "How may I help you?" He spoke sharply.

"If you don't mind, I'll like that we meet." Carly peered at the woman and she smiled.

"For what…? Okay, Tomorrow, by 12pm. Please keep to time." The line went dead.

Carly took the phone out from her ear and glanced at the woman.

"What did he say?" Mrs. Pauline asked, with complication all over her face.

"-that we should meet by 12pm tomorrow." She hissed and took her gaze away, "-he did not drop an address." The woman held her closely again, allowing her head to rest on her shoulder. She smiled and patted her playfully.

"Don't worry dear, I know the address."

"The address...? How come...?" Carly rose from the woman's embrace.

"Okay. Remember I've worked for your father almost twenty years now. So that at least should convince you on what I've said." The woman finished saying and peered at Carly.

"I trust your intelligence ma'am." Carly blushed and lay back on the woman's shoulder.

The woman held her, combing her hair with her finger; which was really pleasing to Carly.

"Ma'am, I need to go get dressed up for the day." Carly said still under the arm of the woman.

"Of course dear," she let her sit erect. "Go get yourself dressed up and come have your meal." The woman smiled.

Carly stood up, "thanks ma'am, I love you…"

The woman laughed out loud, she peered at Carly and stood up advancing into the kitchen. Carly seeing nothing funny in her words stood up also and went her own way; climbing the stairs.