Cassie woke up feeling refreshed. She has been without sleep for two days thinking on how to resolve her problems. She ran away from home on the day of her wedding. How she did it was beyond her imagination. She always abide by the rules. She obeyed her parents and prided herself for being righteous in every way. Recollection of what happened brought goosebumps all over her body.
After her argument with her mother, she called her best friend Sammy to tell her about her plan. She will run away. She asked her if she can help her get out of the country without being traced. Her family and Miguel's family are very influential. They have connections everywhere and finding her will just be easy peasy when they find out that she was missing.
It was fateful that Sammy's new boyfriend will go back to the USA the next morning. His flight via his private jet was at 5 am. All Cassie had to do was get out of their estate and into the private hangar where the jet will be departing from.
That was the best solution since she cannot book a regular flight or even go to the airport without being discovered. Her face has been plastered in all the magazines and society pages of the Spanish newspapers because of the wedding and the merger.
Cassie need to go to the hangar without being caught. Sammy instructed her to get out of their estate before dawn and a car will be waiting for her.
Security for her was very tight and she had a 24 hour guard outside her room. Her parents feared that she will do something drastic so they ensured that she will never be alone even inside the house.
It was a good thing she had this personal fridge inside her room and that the guard in charge of her that night was kind to her which was very rare for her security team. She offered the guard a nightcap with her to celebrate her wedding the next evening. Unsuspectingly, he agreed. When the guard seemed to relax, she then gave him something to drink laced with grounded sleeping pills. She was prescribed with sleeping pills previously because of the stress from work and it was another blessing that she still have a spare bottle.
She thought it was easy. But it was nerve wracking. She put just the right amount of sleeping pills on the drinks for health reasons but it also took a while for the guard to get dizzy and fall asleep. When he did, Cassie did not lose any second.
Going out of the house was arduous. There were no surveillance cameras inside the house since her parents valued their privacy. But outside the house, that was a different scenario.
She decided to wore all black and some comfortable shoes in case she needed to run. At 2 am, she executed phase two of her plan. She went outside and wore the jacket and cap of the sleeping guard. She wore several sweatshirts inside the leather jacket just to have a bulky frame. The jacket, baggy pants and tied up hair inside the cap, with the proper lighting, could pass as the guard himself.
The house was dark and the yard outside was deserted but she knows that the cameras were moving and she need to act normally. With her plan, she realized she cannot bring anything with her except one small backpack under the jacket filled with her passport and identifications, her diary, cash which comprised of loose bills and some jewelries were all she took with her. As she was planning her escape she scolded herself for not withdrawing money for her to be prepared. She knew that her accounts and credit cards will be monitored and will be used to trace her once she ran away.
Without interruptions, she was able to go out of the house and into the front gate. She chose the darkest part of the grounds to walk on. She was looking for the perfect timing to go outside the gate. At some point, the two guards at the gate left their post, probably to get something to eat or drink. She was relieved that the guards that night were both lazy and unsuspecting which was not usually the case.
Cassie went out of the gate and walked up the long driveway to their estate. Constantly looking behind her in case she was followed, she knew she cannot run until she was out of the camera range.
She was very lucky that as she walked up the road and out of the surveillance cameras, she spotted the car. She knew that car because that's the car they used during high school. Sammy's sleek black convertible. She hopped inside to find her best friend or sister from a different mother. She was very grateful to her for helping her out.
"Sammy, thank you for rescuing me."
"Well, I can't let you get married with that creep and I you know I will always help you no matter what. Don't worry I will protect this little secret of ours. Im sure they can't find you in America or they can't find you easily in America."
"I hope. I will not give you the exact place I will be hiding so I won't compromise your safety in case Miguel and my parents tried to wrestle that information from you."
"Nah. I have tons of practice in denials and lying. Remember I used to sneak out a lot growing up."
"Yeah. You were unstoppable."
"I'm so proud of you that you finally disobeyed your parents. Wow, that didn't sound right. Haha."
"Yeah. It sounded just like. . . you."
"Yep! Don't deny that Im now your role model."
"Im going to miss you so much."
"Aawww. . . stop hugging me, Im driving! Of course you will whats not to miss? And besides, Im your only best friend."
"Silly Sammy!"
"Seriously, you have to find a way to be untraceable. No cards, no bank account withdrawals, lay low from the media because once they find you, it will be for keeps. We can't do this twice."
"I know. This is crazy!"
"Yes but you can't deny the fact that this is very exciting. I always wanted to experience this."
"What?! You and your crazy dreams. Just don't try having some real action scenes okay?"
"Nah. Even if I wanted to be involved in a kidnapping or crazy car chases, I am living a very boring old life here in Spain."
"Im really going to miss our conversations and your craziness."
"Just take care Cassie."
"I will. I just need to find a way to save my family's fortune without sacrificing my freedom."
"Promise me you will return after two years if you can't find anything or anyone to help you."
"Isn't two years a short time?"
"No. I think two years is enough time. If you can't find a solution we just need to try again and convince your parents. Besides, Miguel might no longer be interested in you after two years. Or. . . you might be married already by that time."
"What!? Don't be absurd. How? Nobody even liked me here, how much in the US?"
"When will you realize that you are attractive. . . just like me?"
"Haha. You are adorable. Always including your pretty self."
"Well, that's why you love me bestfriend."
"Yeah. I guess so."
Sammy drove her to the hangar. It was painful to be separated from her but she doesn't have a choice. Before leaving, Sammy made her promise to return after two years. Her best friend knew how much she valued her family and she thinks that after two years, the misunderstandings between her and her parents can be resolved.
Her bank accounts were controlled by her parents. The only money she has with her was the 5,000 USD that her best friend lent her and the loose bills on her wallet. She cannot use her credit cards for fear of being traced by her parents. She was very grateful that Sammy also packed some clothes for her.
After a 12 hour flight, they arrived in California, she thanked Brent, Sammy's boyfriend and left. She did not know where to go, she just trusted fate to guide her.
The first night, she stayed in the cheapest hotel she can find while trying to figure out another plan. She was desperate and she needed to find a job. She can't use up all her resources.
The cafe across the street from the hotel was the answer to her prayers. She thought that she was only going to have a breakfast that morning, if she knew that she will be meeting the solution to her problems or the man of her dreams, she could have dressed properly.
That same person was outside this plane's cabin door.
Remembering Lance and his proposition made Cassie smile. She was never irrational and rash. She always have at least two plans for every decision that she makes. One is the main plan and the other is the backup plan. She doesn't have a choice at the moment but she will surely make sure that this trip of theirs will be for her advantage.
She decided to go outside and talk to her saviour. But what she saw made her see him in a different light.
He was sad. He looked troubled and so deep in thought that he did not see her walk in. She stopped few paces from his seat just to get a good look at him. She was not sure where the feelings came from but a deep overwhelming desire to hold him, hug him and make him feel happy consumed her.
She resumed her way towards him when he looked up and their eyes met.