Chapter 66 - Talks with the Gentlemen

After washing up and taking a shower, Cassidy proceeds to look for the only spare of clothes she has at the moment.

Since all of her belongings got burned down together with the car yesterday, she had brought nothing with her. They were originally planning to shop for clothes and other stuffs when they were in the mall last night, but they saved it for another time in order to make it to the birthday party.

"Well, not like I'm complaining with what I have right now. In fact, this is more comfortable for me even though it's a lot more modest compared to my fancy garments back at home," Cassidy mused out loud as she took out her outfit for today.

It's a plain yellow summer dress that flows all the way down to her thighs. As it is one of the spare clothes that are meant for a guest in case one stays there unannounced, the size is a matter of hit or miss. Fortunately, she just fits right in with her toned body. 

"I should remind bossman that I need to buy my personal uses today."

With that plan in mind, Cassidy wraps up her preparations and goes back outside.

Yet as soon as she reaches the terrace of the second floor, she suddenly halts on her tracks, taken aback to find a group of unfamiliar men talking with her husband. She also catches sight of his secretary and elder brother among the crowd.

It's quite a scene to see early in the morning, and it gives her the impression that something big is up. They appear to have come out from the corridor beside the living room, which probably means that they're inside the lounge a moment ago.

Right now, they look like they're already about to leave.

"Oh, could they be... investigators and detectives?" Cassidy wondered silently as she just continued to watch the exchange from above.

That's when one of the visitors notices her all of the sudden. He's a grey-haired man around his forty's, wearing a checkered polo and plain trousers. For some reason, his low-key apparel doesn't match the air of maturity and professionalism around him.  

"I believe that this is Mrs. Cassidy Millicent..." the man greeted her with an amicable smile, stealing everyone's attention.

"Good morning, Ma'am."

At that, Adrian and the others finally look at her direction. Caught off guard, the sudden attention gets her stepping away from the bal.u.s.trades for a bit. Not only three among these gentlemen appear dazzlingly good-looking so early in the morning, but the others follow the man who noticed her and say their greetings as well. The sight somehow surprises her a little.  

"Uhhh... Yeah, good morning guys," Cassidy replied coolly after they all finished greeting her.

Now that she's been noticed, she went ahead and descended the stairs to join them. What she didn't realize was how her appearance didn't only catch their attention - rather, it drew them enough to forget about their conversation for a moment. 

Even though Cassidy is wearing quite a simple summer dress, she still looks so stunning that the men can't help but watch. Then again, this is another one of those fresh looks that this new version of hers has.

To both Charles and Edward, it's their first time seeing Cassidy appear so refreshingly graceful. She was not one to wear a simple attire with so much confidence, after all. It's as if whatever it is she's wearing, she'll still look as eye-catching with that inconspicuous yet unique elegance of hers. 

"That's the dress in one of the guest's rooms, right?" Adrian started as he approached his wife. 

"Yep! Good thing it's there. Otherwise, I'll be coming out here with only a bathrobe on," Cassidy jested with her hands on her h.i.p.s and her chest puffed out, making his brow twitch a little. 

"That's not funny nor something to be proud of."

"Well, at least I still have something to cover myself."

"You don't have to bear with that thinking. Go and shop at the nearest mall after you eat breakfast."

Right then, she gapes a little, surprised that he has beaten her to it.

She's actually about to get to that topic, but it turns out that he's already thinking of the same thing. Aside from that, the way he phrased that out also gave her the impression that he's going somewhere. 

Now that she's taking a good look at him, he seems to be already all set for some work. He's wearing a grey blazer with a white V-neck undershirt and a pair of denim jeans.

She has no idea when exactly he's able to change clothes when he's in the middle of taking care of the visitors. But she guessed that he did another quick transformation like what he did when she puked on him last night. 

"Oh, now that I remembered that, I completely forgot to apologize..." Cassidy thought quietly, feeling mortified at such an embarrassing scene.

"I know that he's still a huge jerk and I shouldn't owe him a thing, but puking on someone is just... it's mortifying and rude." 

While she is having this train of mulling-overs, Adrian is telling the investigation team to meet him outside for the meantime. Charles takes a moment to step forward and greet her like the others earlier, making her snap out of her musing.

"Oh, good morning, Charlie..." Cassidy greeted back with a grin - which immediately dropped after she recalled the trouble he made him go through last night.

"B-By the way, I apologize if I bothered you too much when we ate outside. I really can't remember the most part, but I think it's... e-embarrassing."

"Not really, Ma'am. I think that how you acted was still so like you. Also, you did not bother me at all," Charles reassured her with an understanding and luscious smile.

"Really...? I'm not sure what you mean by how I acted, but still, thanks for looking after me."

"You're welcome, Ma'am."

"Both of you seem closer than before," came the comment of another companion joining their exchange. 

At that, the two turn to the side and find Edward smiling at them enigmatically.

Silently intrigued, he takes part in their conversation and greets Cassidy to which she simply returns with a friendly smile. Her airy and affable response makes him think that it's just probably that easy for anyone to get close with someone like her. Even his brother's secretary is giving him the same impression that his sons gave him last night when they talked with her.

The atmosphere around Cassidy feels loose and unrestrained. She certainly appears a lot more approachable and unreserved than before. It's as if any kind of idle talks will do with her.

"Brother-in-law is going to help in the investigation too?" she asked him after learning about their objectives for their visit this morning.

"Of course, I will. My family is in potential danger, after all. Adrian also helps me all the time. It's only a given to help him too," he answered with a humble kind of tone that made her feel like she's talking with someone at her same level.

"Hmmm... That's nice."

"What is?"

"Having a family and helping each other out."

Edward falls silent at that, a bit taken aback. Though Cassidy is smiling as she tells him that, he can sense that there's a hint of sadness in her voice, which doesn't really confuse him. This may be his first time hearing her say it out loud, but he always sees her as someone longing for that kind of thing.

His own family isn't able to give her that - neither does he. He was indifferent to her most of the time, and even though he first thought that it's only because he's busy with his children, he knows that there's no good excuse to leave her suffering the feelings of isolation and solitude.

In other words, he's just as guilty as everyone else in his family.

"We'll be going..." Adrian joined in all of the sudden, making the three of them look at him.

"You can go ahead with Charles, Edward. I'll speak with my wife for a moment."

"Alright then..." Edward replied before looking back at his sister-in-law.

"We'll see you later, Cassidy."

At that same time, Charles silently gives Cassidy a nod and bids her goodbye. She simply waves them farewell and smiles as they make their way to the door. As soon as they're out, her husband calls for her and hands over something.

"Huh? What's this?" she asked in nonplus.

"My debit card. Use as much money as you want for your shopping," he offered like a generous sponsor.

"O-Oh, I see..."

"For the meantime, I'll be giving you bodyguards. I can't really think of any suitable companions for you as of yet, so have them keep you company for now."

"I'll be fine on my own, you know-"

"No, you're not. You can't go out there by yourself, get that? I may have let you be last night when you left the party, but that isn't gonna work this time."

Cassidy only stays quiet and crosses her arms at this, still not really used with how Adrian is getting strangely protective of her for some reason.