Cassandra had been busy running around for Vernon's case these days. This had left her exhausted and she assumed she had lost a few pounds in the process.
However, her efforts did not pay off. The fact still remained that a lenient sentence would cost the confiscation of his property, or a whopping penalty. This was the final conclusion and now Cassandra was in a dilemma.
It turned out that the amount of the penalty was far beyond what the Qin family could handle. In that case, sacrificing the company was the only choice left.
Cassandra announced their decision to Edith and Cloris. Her sister went wild when she heard this decision.
"No way! We can't give up all our properties! This is not going to happen!" she screamed.
This news turned her face pale. A strand of her hair waggled as she shook her head to show her disagreement in this matter.
"That's the only solution we have. If we don't do this, we'll have to pay the penalty, which we are unable to afford. It is going to be a huge amount of money."
Cassandra closed her eyes and tried hard to make Cloris understand the seriousness of this matter. If she continued screaming, Cassandra might lose her temper.
"Can't you ask help from someone? You might know someone who is more powerful. Wait..why don't you talk to your father-in-law? He could be of some help!" Edith pleaded.
Deep inside, even Edith did not think they should abandon all their properties, especially the company. It was the fundamental foundation of the Qin family and losing it hurt her a great deal.
If the company got sold, then she and her daughter, Cloris, would have no source of revenue to live a good life. Even if Vernon got a lenient sentence, he would still have to be in prison for at least a few years, which meant they would have to live a few years without him. Edith had been a housewife for many years. She had lost the motivation to work a long time ago. In that situation, she wondered who would be accountable to pay for their daily expense. 'The company could not be sold, ' thought Edith.
"Yes! Mother is right! You can turn to Uncle Horace for help. He is your father-in-law, hence he is bound to help us. Anyway, there's no way we will give up our properties. Even father would be sad when he gets to know about it. You have to remember that this company is his life!"
Now Cloris nodded her head to show her agreement with Edith. There was no way she would go along with Cassandra's proposal.
"Cassandra, please. Talk to your father-in-law. Or you can send Lionel to talk to him. Borrow some money from the Tang family for the penalty and keep the our company safe. I'm sure your father will rise from the ashes. He has the ability. We can pay back the money when your father succeeds again!"
Edith stared at Cassandra, expecting a positive reply from her.
Cassandra lowered her eyes silently when she realized what Edith and Cloris were expecting from her.
She comforted herself by telling herself that Cloris was still a young and naive girl who couldn't differentiate between right and wrong.
However, she was bitterly disappointed at Edith who was being so unreasonable.
If Horace genuinely wanted to lend a hand to the Qin family, then he would have easily done that using his connections. However, in reality, he chose to do nothing which made it evident he had no interest in helping.
He merely gave her some directions by telling her who she could talk to. In short, he kept himself as an outsider and didn't have any interest in actually helping them.
Everything Horace did suggested that he decided to stay away from this mess. There was no way he would offer any further help to the Qin family.
This wasn't realized by Cassandra until very recently. At one time, she had hoped that Horace might feel pity and lend help. But it turned out she was being too naive.
Tang Group was preparing for an important project for the government. If Horace offended anyone or was found to have any relationship with Vernon, then it would get Tang Group into trouble. She was certain this was the last thing Horace wanted at this critical period.
Cassandra was not a fool. By now, she had figured out everything and knew that only god would help her. And there was no more people she could go to for help.
She was kind enough and didn't want to reveal this cruel truth to Edith and Cloris. This would leave them shattered and hopeless. With no choice, she started to nod her head.
"Okay, I'll talk to him. But I can't guarantee that he is going to help us."
Later, Cassandra left the house. She sat in the driver's seat with thoughts swirling on her mind. She had been running up and down in G City for the last few days paying visits to almost all the people related to this case. However, her visits did not have much impact.
Some people even implied that Vernon's sentence might be the result of the fight among some officers. They insinuated that Vernon was the sacrificial lamb. Hence no matter what she did, it would all be in vain.
This stunning amount of penalty was too huge even for the Tang family. She had no idea who would lend her such a huge amount.
Cassandra was completely lost now. Her heart ached so much from all the burden she carried. It felt like she was burning in the hell.
She did not want to stay in the Qin family because she would have to watch Edith's and Cloris' frustration. That would make her feel worse, so she decided to head back to Tang house for the time being.
On her way, she noticed the road was covered in snow. It took her two hours longer than usual to get home. And when she finally arrived, she was exhausted from all the driving.
The first thing she noticed on entering was Ivy and Jill. They were chatting in the living room while Jill laughed heartily at something which Ivy had said. Their relationship had deepened with time.
Cassandra wasn't surprised since she had witnessed such a scene before. Being left out was something she was used to by now. The same happened between Edith and Cloris as well.
It wasn't that Edith didn't care for her. She did yet she just did not behave intimately as to her younger daughter. For Cassandra, being doted by her mother was like a dream which would never come true.
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