Chapter 5 SECRETS REVEALED

Cassidy's mind refused to calm as she stared out of her office window. Gabriel's reappearance had made her unsettled and the business proposal with Shaw Enterprises only complicated matters further. Cassidy's past seems determined to catch up with her even when she terribly wanted to her past behind. Her phone rang, bringing her back from the world of her thoughts to reality. She picked it up and frowned at the unknown number which displayed on the screen.

"Hello?" she carefully answered. A deep, unfamiliar voice replied, "Ms. West, there's something you need to know about Gabriel Shaw. Meet me at the Blue Orchid Lounge at 8 PM if you want the truth." Cassidy's heart raced. "Who is this? What do you mean?" The line went dead. She stared at the phone, her thoughts spiraling. Was this a prank, or did someone genuinely have information that could change everything? By the time evening came, curiosity had won.

On arriving at the lounge, she spotted a man sitting in a corner who signaled her to come take her sit, though his face was partially obscured by a shadow since the lounge was dimly lit. All the while, Cassidy's guard stayed up. When she approached and sat across the table facing the man. "I don't have a lot of time," the man said in a rushing manner as he passed a medium-sized brown envelope across the table to Cassidy.

"What's inside will show you the truth about Gabriel and Celeste." Cassidy hesitated but opened the envelope. Photographs and documents spilled out, detailing financial transactions, personal notes, and even correspondence between Gabriel and Celeste. The evidence painted a picture far more complicated than she'd ever imagined. "What is this supposed to prove?" she demanded, her voice sharp. "That Gabriel didn't betray you," the man said simply. "And that Celeste's death wasn't an accident." Cassidy froze. "What are you talking about?" "Look deeper," he urged. "You'll find that someone wanted her gone - and Gabriel might be closer to the truth than he realizes."

Before Cassidy snapped out of her thoughts so she could ask more questions, the man had stood up abruptly and disappeared into the shadows, leaving her reeling. She held the envelope tightly with her mind racing with possibilities. Who would want Celeste dead? And why was Gabriel involved? Cassidy returned to her apartment, she spread the contents of the envelope on her dining table. As she was glancing through the letters, she came across one letter that caught her attention. It was a note from Celeste addressed to Gabriel, dated just weeks before her death and it read: "If anything happens to me, it won't be an accident. Trust no one, not even family." Cassidy's spine experienced a sudden cold; Celeste had known she was in danger. But what had Gabriel done with this information? There were a lot of unanswered questions racing in her mind.

Did Gabriel ignore the letter, or did he try to protect her? A sudden knock interrupted her thoughts. She was hesitant to respond to the door because she wasn't expecting anyone. Cassidy peeked through the door's key hole to check who was standing there. It was Gabriel, whose face was already looking so conflicted as felt. "What do you want?" she asked as she hurriedly opened the door just to get enough look at him. "Cass, we need to talk," he said in a bit of a very serious tone. "I know about the meeting at the Blue Orchid." Cassidy's eyes widened. "How?" "Because I've been followed too," Gabriel interrupted. "And I think you're being dragged into something you don't understand." Cassidy hesitated.

She was extremely pissed and it all showed on her face. Cassidy wanted to slam the door in his face but the pitiful look in his eyes stopped her. For the first time in years, so saw him look very vulnerable. "Come in" she said reluctantly. As Gabriel stepped inside, Cassidy closed the door, turned and crossed her arms. "Start talking." Gabriel heaved a big sigh, running his hands through his hair "I don't think that Celeste's death was what it seemed it. You know?, I have spent the last three years trying to figure out what happened and who was behind everything, but every lead keeps turning into a dead end." "Huh!.... and so why didn't you mention or tell me any of this before?" Cassidy demanded. "Because I didn't trust you," he admitted. "And I also did not want to drag you into danger. But now... it looks like someone else has." Cassidy clenched her fists. "I've lost too much because of you, Gabriel. Why should I believe anything you say now?" "Because whosoever is behind this is still out there," Gabriel said quietly. "Hmm.. and you know they'll stop at nothing to protect their secrets and keep it forever hidden." At that point, Cassidy had the huge to scream at Gabriel and ask him to leave her alone because her mind was already feeling like a mess, but she resisted the urge knowing deep down that Gabriel was right. This wasn't just about them anymore. She took a deep breath. "Fine," she said. "But if I'm going to help you, I need the whole truth. No more lies, Gabriel." For the first time, he smiled - a small, sad smile. "No more lies," he promised.