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n

nAfter finishing all the scheduled work that Cassidy had left in the city, she took a trip together with Asher and headed to the countryside in order to meet Josephine.

nUntil now, she is secretly connected with Cecile who continues working back in the mansion. She plans to keep her for a while longer. That way, she can have someone who will oversee the progress of all the efforts she has invested in her short-term jobs and take care of any concern or issue that she might have overlooked. Besides, she didn't fulfill her part of the deal yet.

nFor now, Cassidy needs a break away from everything - but only to confront another huge matter.

n

"Aira is still at school. She will be back in the afternoon. I'm sure she'll be pleasantly surprised to see the both of you again.

"

nCassidy and Asher are now having tea together with Josephine in her humble home.

nThey are exchanging greetings in her living room at the moment. It is a small yet cozy house with a warm and mellow atmosphere - much like the homeowner herself. She appears to be around her eighty's but still capable of walking around for a bit even with her rapidly declining health. Even though this is their first time meeting, they already feel like it will be easy to get along with her.

nNot to mention, she really resembles the deceased caretaker of the orphanage - in terms of her wavy, ebony black hair, that pair of hazel brown irises, and the overall shape of her frame.

n

"It's nice meeting you at last, Cassidy. I see that you've grown into such a beautiful woman. My niece raised you well,

" Josephine started with a delighted smile.

n

"Thank you, Mrs. Josephine. It's a pleasure to meet you too...

" Cassidy replied and grinned for a second before casting down her gaze.

n

"I owe your niece a lot of things, and I am still devastated about her death.

"

n

"It hasn't been a long time yet, so I understand that you still feel that way. But I take that you are ready to move forward despite everything that happened. You're here to know about what your foster parent failed to tell you, am I right?

"

n

"Yes. I want to know more about my family and Granny Maruschca.

"

n

"Oh, you actually call her Granny, huh? How cute! Must be a dream come true for her~

"

nAt that, both Cassidy and Asher raised their brows in surprise. For some reason, Josephine is practically implying that Maruschca has always wanted her in particular to see and treat her as her grandmother.

n

"I'll go straight to the point, dear...

" Josephine trailed off and smiled even wider.

n

"Maruschca and your grandfather, Frederick Eleanor - they used to be a couple during our college days.

"

n

"They what?!

" Cassidy blurted out, tremendously flabbergasted.

n

"A couple, huh? I see where this is going,

" Asher muttered to himself, smirking knowingly.

n

"Indeed, they were. At that time, Maruschca and I were graduating students while Frederick was our professor. They actually agreed to marry after our graduation, but that's until he found out that she'd been arranged to marry the son of his family's long-time rival, Grisham Donovan. Well, you already knew whom she ended up with. They did try to elope once, but with how powerful their families were, they could never escape.

"

nIt's still the starting point of the story, but it's already getting heavy.

nCassidy is having a bit of a hard time in wrapping this whole thing around her head. She never expected that her grandfather almost hit it off with her grandmother-in-law. That was insane.

n

"They got married with their respective spouses. Frederick fell in love for the second time while Maruschca was stuck in a loveless marriage - I knew this because I was still in contact with them back then. I did hope that they just simply went their own ways and started their own families since they weren't able to see through their relationship anyway, but unfortunately, it had to get worse than that...

" Josephine continued, her expression starting to look burdened and grief-stricken.

n

"Frederick's family met their ultimate downfall. They went bankrupt despite being nearly as affluent as the Donovan's in the past-

"

n

"W-Wait, what again? We... used to be rich before? And what business was this?

" Cassidy cut in, feeling the need to know more about this particular detail.

n

"Hmmm...? Didn't Mr. Asher here tell you?

"

n

"I-I apologize... But I was made to promise by Cassie's father to keep my mouth shut about this one. I already had a difficult time in talking her out of her dream of becoming a delinquent back then. Who the heck would even dream of that...?! In any case, her parents only wanted her to live a normal life as a normal person,

" Asher nervously reasoned out, earning a look of disbelief and bafflement from the redhead.

n

"I understand, though I think it's time to let Cassidy know. Why don't you tell her yourself, Mr. Asher?

"

n

"Uhhhh... Right, okay... I'll tell her.

"

nFidgeting a bit, he then turns to look at his childhood friend directly. She only pouts at him, feeling frustrated that she is only going to hear this now. However, she understands that both him and her parents were only looking out for her.

n

"I know that we've already proven ourselves to be more than a typical gang of school delinquents after I told you about our undercover works and all. But more particularly, we're part of a mafia-

"

n

"A mafia...?!

" Cassidy shouted at his face, consumed by utter shock once more.

n

"What the hell?! You're risking your life for that shady business-

"

n

"It's not as bad as you think, Cassie! Believe me. Sure, we do shady stuff. Our lives are constantly in danger too, but being in a mafia was also the reason why your parents were able to raise you...

" Asher explained as calmly and gently as he could.

n

"The Eleanor's used to rule a mafia. They were known to serve as couriers who delivered anything or anyone that their clients told them to bring. Those are often suspects of a crime, important witnesses or pieces of evidence.

"

n

"A-Are you really saying that I'm the granddaughter of a former mafia leader?

"

n

"Yes.

"

n

"Did t-they... k-kill people, though?

"

n

"I'm afraid they had to at times.

"

nCassidy took a deep breath at those revelations. Thinking that Asher said more than enough and there was no need to dig deeper into that part of the past, Josephine decided to chime in once again.

n

"You know why Frederick's family were rivals with Grisham's? It was said that their group had acquired a crucial evidence against the Donovan family - a concrete proof that made them suspects of a series of crimes. However, that theory was never proven, and before everyone knew it, the group had fallen apart while Frederick had been assassinated. The culprit isn't identified up until today...

" Josephine disclosed with a dead serious expression.

n

"But going by what I just revealed, I bet you could already tell who this culprit could be.

"

n

"W-Was it... Grisham Donovan?

" Cassidy asked tremulously, paling at the discovery.

n

"I'm still not sure. But that presumption was further proven when your father, Cassius Eleanor, died while disguised as a bodyguard who was working for the Donovan's in the past. He was shot after being caught trying to harm Maruschca back then - an attempted murder, they say.

"

n

"No, he did not! Why would my father try to harm her in the first place?!

"

n

"Revenge...

" Asher brought up out of nowhere, making her turn to look back at him in nonplus.

n

"Prof. Cassius wanted to take revenge on the Donovan's. He firmly believed that they were the ones who killed Prof. Frederick. He really held his father dearly - even to the point of following his footsteps as a teacher and trying to rebuild the group.

"

n

"But nobody knew that taking revenge was his true intention - most probably, Grisham did. Maruschca, his target that time, was not aware of why he went for her life. After all, she didn't even know that Grisham could've been the one behind Frederick's death. However, she did recognize Cassius as the son of her ex-lover.

"

nAfter explaining that part, Josephine took a sip from her tea, appearing deep in thought. She then spreads a warm smile a moment later, looking back up to Cassidy with a soft gaze.

n

"Knowing that Cassius was Frederick's son and that they had left little Cassidy behind in this world, Maruschca felt so much sympathy and hurt for you. She decided to watch over you when I informed her that you were taken in by my niece in the orphanage that she was managing...

" she continued to recall out loud with a bittersweet expression.

n

"Without being aware of what her husband had done to your family, Maruschca promised to take care of you as much as she could. She wanted to adopt you. But Grisham was firmly against the idea of having an adoptive child in the family. She was even accused of cheating and having a love child... For a long time, she wanted to make you her family, and I believe that this wish of hers came true when she became your grandmother-in-law.

"

nAfter hearing that, Cassidy only stays quiet as she lets it all sink in.

n