A broken code of Promise

Dinner with Danger

Cassie’s POV

I closed the restaurant and dismissed everyone earlier. I wanted to be left alone so that I could have time with Jaxon. My customers were surprised that I closed so early, while my workers were happy because they had never knocked off from work before cleaning the restaurant—but that day, they did.

Since the restaurant was not cleaned, I arranged the tables in order and mopped the floor. When I was done, I took out my special plates, which were only used on special occasions, and put them on the table. The table was covered with a white cloth and decorated with a vase holding a beautiful flower in the middle.

After that, I started to bake a cake for Jaxon. He used to like mint-flavored cake during high school, so I was making it for him. When it was ready, I put two candles on it and wrote his name. I was confident that the cake was going to make him happy. Everything was ready—the night was the only thing left. I went to my office and sat on my fluffy black sofa while waiting for Jaxon. That day, I didn’t even worry about the cost of the things I used to prepare for that night, even though my budget was tight that month.

I phoned Mary and requested her to take Cathy from school, and she easily agreed. Mary never said no to helping me in any way. She was an angel to me, always there when I needed her. She worked as a journalist and had helped me a lot by driving away the press ten years back when Jaxon turned down my wedding. Having her around made me feel safe.

After an hour of waiting, I was feeling hungry, but I was supposed to wait for Jaxon. Eating alone would have made me feel full and ruin the chance to eat the cake with him. The time went by slowly, just like it had when I waited for him when he promised to come for tea. Instead of worrying about Jaxon’s whereabouts, my mind was occupied with thoughts of my daughter. Mary’s phone was unreachable, and I wanted to confirm if she had picked up Cathy from the school gate. There was no one from the school who would have helped me because Cathy was old enough to find her own way home. However, she wasn’t used to it, and I hadn’t given her enough money for transport.

The wait became long, with Jaxon not present and Mary’s phone still not going through. I started to tense and thought of going to Mary’s house. It was already six o’clock in the evening, and the weather was unpredictable, looking like it would rain. Usually, Cathy would be home by five o’clock, so she was late. I dialed Jaxon’s number to check his whereabouts because I felt like he was no longer coming. The number didn’t go through. At that moment, I didn’t think twice about switching off the lights and preparing to go to Mary’s house to check on my daughter. After switching off the lights, my phone rang, and I put it straight to my ear.

“Hello, Mary,” I said after receiving the call.

There was silence on the line before I heard someone breathing loudly. I removed the phone from my ear and looked at the screen. It was an unknown number. I had thought the call was from Mary. Since I was tense thinking of my daughter, I overreacted, fearing she had been kidn*pped. I hadn’t expected an unknown number. I put the phone back to my ear and asked, “Who are you?”

“Cassie… is it you?” the caller asked. It was a female voice.

“Yes. Who are you?” I asked again.

“I am Jane, Jaxon’s friend,” she introduced herself.

At that moment, I thought she was Jaxon’s girlfriend. Jealousy choked me, and my stress about Cathy disappeared.

“Why do you call? And what do you want?” I questioned.

“It’s Jaxon. He sent me to you. Are you still in the restaurant?” she asked.

“Yes, I am in the restaurant.”

“Please wait for me. I will be there in four minutes,” she said and hung up the call.

I became angry at Jaxon. He had managed to tell a stranger my whereabouts without even calling me while I waited for him in the restaurant. I breathed in and waited for Jane to come. I wanted to know Jane’s mission.

While I was still puzzling over Jane’s call, Mary arrived with my Cathy. She switched on the lights while my daughter ran straight to me.

“Good evening, Mommy,” she greeted.

“Good evening, my princess,” I kissed her cheek and asked, “I was worried about you. What were you doing with Aunt Mary to be so late?”

Cathy wasn’t even paying attention to me. Her mind was taken by the cake on the table.

“Whose birthday is it today, Mommy? Is it for Jaxon?” she asked.

“What?!” I exclaimed, covering her mouth with my hands. I was aware she had heard the name from my sleep, but this time, it was different—the cake had Jaxon’s name on it.

Mary laughed and came to hug me. She complained about the traffic on the road and the unstable network. I understood and told her everything about Jaxon, including Jane’s call. She was surprised, and we both waited for Jane to show up. After about six minutes, Jane arrived. We greeted each other, and she didn’t wait to state her mission.

“I am here because Jaxon is in danger. They might even kill him. Believe me, these are the same people who killed his mom and your late husband, Linx,” she said without even taking a breath.

Mary and I looked at each other and laughed.

“Who are you to Jaxon? How do you know him? We’ve never heard of you,” Mary fired questions at her.

“You know what… I don’t have time for these stupid questions of insecurity. We don’t have time. We should go now,” she said, trying to make her face look more serious.

However, we didn’t take her seriously. I believed Jane was lying and that Jaxon was fine. It was unbelievable for sure because I had seen Jaxon on the same day, and he didn’t seem like his life was threatened. We thought Jane was Jaxon’s girlfriend. Her makeup made her look prettier than me, and she had a good posture. That’s why I was jealous.

“Know this, Jane: my Jaxon is coming for a date here, and I am sure he is on his way,” I said, sitting down.

“Cassie, I am here because your Jaxon directed me to you. He wanted me to tell you the truth, but it seems you are not ready. I am sure the truth might paralyze you,” she said.

I looked at her and believed she thought I was weak. I rolled my eyes and asked, “What is the truth, Jane?”

“Please, let’s sit down,” she insisted.

“Stop this drama. Just tell me at once. Do you also have a child with Jaxon?” I asked.

I was carelessly speaking my mind because I thought she wanted to tell me she had a child with Jaxon, but I was wrong. She removed her phone and showed it to me. I saw some of Jaxon’s texts, and her words shocked me.