Chapter 6

Cassidy cleared the last table and prepared to clock out. Just then, Shawn staggered toward her. He reeked of alcohol. "Hey, Cassidy. Come take a ride in my car after work," Shawn said with a leering grin, his eyes roaming over her body. "I'm done cleaning up, Mr. Zink. I'm getting off work," Cassidy said as she untied her apron. Shawn reached out to grab her. The stench of alcohol coming from him made Cassidy's stomach churn. "You're a pretty girl, Cassidy," he slurred. "Be my woman, and I'll give you 8,000 dollars a month. You won't have to work part-time anymore. How about that?" Cassidy sidestepped him. "Please have some self-respect, Mr. Zink." Staring at her intently and still reeking of alcohol, Shawn went on, "I'm sorry for yelling at you when you asked for a day off last time. Don't hold it against me. My wife was right there beside me. I had no choice but to talk like that." Cassidy set the apron aside and repeated, "I'm done here. I'm leaving." "Hey, don't go! I'm talking to you." Shawn reached out again to grab Cassidy again. She ignored him and walked straight toward the door. Her frosty attitude angered him. A vicious glint appeared in his eyes. "Don't act all high and mighty in front of me," he snarled. "You're lucky I even took a liking to you. You're just a broke college student! Be grateful that I want to make you my mistress. How dare you put on airs with me!" Shawn lunged forward, grabbing her wrist with one hand and reaching for her chest with the other. Cassidy was scared out of her wits. She quickly blocked his hand and shouted, "If you don't stop, I'm calling the police!" "You can call them after I'm done having my way with you!" Shawn leered, his eyes filled with lust. He pounced on her like a starving wolf. Shawn had planned this out in advance. The other two male employees had already gotten off work. He had deliberately assigned Cassidy extra tasks so she would clock out 20 minutes later than usual. Everyone else had left. Only Shawn and Cassidy remained. Moreover, Shawn wasn't actually drunk. He had only used alcohol to work up the nerve. He had lusted after Cassidy for a long time. If his wife hadn't kept such a tight grip on him, he would have made a move long ago. His wife had gone back to her parents' home that day and wouldn't be coming to the food truck for the next couple of days. So, Shawn deliberately drank some alcohol that night. He intended to make Cassidy his one way or another. He had watched her closely for a long time and knew she was desperate for money. She didn't come from a well-to-do family either. All she had waiting for her back home was her single mother. Shawn had already thought it through. First, he would tempt her with money. If that didn't work, he would force himself on her. He even had a relative working at the police station. So, even if Cassidy called the police, he would have someone to smooth things over. With a filthy grin, Shawn lunged at her again. Cassidy had barely run a few steps before he yanked her back. He reached out to tear at her clothes. Just as he was about to succeed… A dull thud echoed through the truck, followed by a man's bloodcurdling scream. The beer bottle in Cassidy's hand shattered. The jagged shards cut into Shawn's skin, quickly smeared with blood. "You damn bitch! How dare you hit me!" Shawn roared, eyes bloodshot as blood streamed down his forehead. Half an hour later, they were at the police station. With his head wrapped in bandages, Shawn cooperated with the officers as they took his statement. In another room, Cassidy gripped the hem of her clothes in unease and answered every question the police asked. "I work part-time at his food truck," she said nervously. "I've been working there for almost two years. There has never been an issue before. I don't know why he suddenly did this. "We're just boss and employee. We never contacted each other privately. I never led him on either. I'm short on money, so I'm working part-time to earn some extra cash. He suddenly said he wanted to make me his mistress. I refused. Then, he attacked me! Officer, this counts as self-defense, right?" The police officer glanced at her. "Right now, we're just recording statements. How it will be classified depends on further investigation." Cassidy bit her lip. Her eyes showed how unsettled and anxious she was feeling inside. After a while, someone came in and whispered something to the officer. He looked up at Cassidy, a trace of pity in his eyes. Another officer said to her, "You should wait outside for now." "Okay," Cassidy replied, feeling increasingly uneasy. After all, the way the officer looked at her just now was kind of strange. She hadn't been sitting outside for long when two officers came out and told her she was suspected of intentional injury and would be detained. Cassidy's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? He tried to assault me! I was acting in self-defense!" "You say he tried to assault you, but do you have evidence?" one of them asked coldly. "I…" Cassidy thought for a moment. "There are surveillance cameras in the truck. You can check the footage." As soon as she said that, she saw Shawn, who was sitting not far away. His lips curled into a sinister smile. Her heart sank. Could he have tampered with the surveillance? Sure enough, the next second, an officer said, "We already checked the surveillance footage. The cameras were broken. There's no evidence proving he tried to assault you. You can have someone bail you out. Once the bail is paid, you can leave." Cassidy asked numbly, "How much is the bail?" The officer named an amount. Cassidy immediately froze, her mind going blank. "Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?" she thought anxiously. Suddenly, she thought of someone. Isaac. Hadn't his friends said he was the heir of the Slater family? His family was so rich. Maybe he could help her out this time. Cassidy pulled up Isaac's number and called. At this hour, he should be asleep. The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. She called again and got no answer. Isaac must have put his phone on silent. With no other choice, Cassidy could only steel herself and dial another number. … Stefan woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He was usually very busy and frequently had important calls come in on his phone. Because of that, he never put his phone on silent mode, even while sleeping. So, Stefan answered the call. At first, he was still half-asleep. But upon hearing what the caller said, he instantly became fully alert. After hanging up, he glanced at the time. It was 5:00 am. He immediately got out of bed and changed his clothes. Then, he rushed straight to the police station. When Stefan arrived, Cassidy had already finished giving her statement. The moment he walked in, he saw her sitting in a corner. She looked pale, her hair disheveled. He felt a faint ache in his heart seeing her in such a state. He steadied himself and walked over. "Are you alright?" he asked coolly. "Stefan…" Cassidy looked up at him, her face drained of all color. Her voice was shaking as she explained, "I… he attacked me first. He tried to assault me! I fought back and smashed a beer bottle on his head… The police said they're going to detain me…" Stefan's expression remained calm and composed. "Don't panic. Let me ask about the situation first." He began to speak with the officers. Cassidy listened for a moment. Then, she pressed her lips together and looked down to stare at the tips of her shoes. She had only called Stefan because she had run out of options.