CHAPTER 154: FAMILY FIRST

While Zeke was busy speaking with several business partners over a Zoom video call on his laptop, his phone, which was placed on the desk, suddenly vibrated.

His brows furrowed in annoyance at the interruption. He shifted his gaze from the laptop screen and reached for his phone. When he saw that it was Blake calling, Zeke glanced back at the screen and said to his partners, "I apologize. I need to take this call. Please give me a moment."

"Of course," his partners replied with understanding.

Before answering Blake’s call, Zeke made sure to turn off his Zoom camera and mute his audio so their conversation would not be seen or overheard.

"Sir, I heard from Nolan that you’ve found the culprit?" Blake said as soon as Zeke picked up the call.

He hadn’t expected that the one trying to kill Claire and hurt Cassidy would be a woman. Blake was convinced her motive was nothing else but being consumed by unrequited love that had twisted into vengeance. What else could possibly drive a woman to commit something so heinous?

Zeke rose from his chair and cast his gaze over the skyscrapers outside his office window.

"So Nolan has told you. As I instructed him, look into Abigail Lorenzo’s activities over the past year. I’m certain Claire’s shooting and Cassidy’s accident are connected to that woman," Zeke said with unwavering confidence.

Abigail was behind it. And it wasn’t simply that Zeke was being irrational or relying blindly on instinct—no. In his thirty-plus years of life, he had seen and endured enough to trust his own judgment. Even without proof, the instinct he had built over the years was seldom mistaken.

"Understood, sir."

Hearing Zeke so certain that Abigail was behind the whole thing, Blake believed him too. For seven years working under Zeke, he had almost never seen his boss wrong. Just look at how he led Salvador Group under his command, how he tamed the board of directors and the shareholders. Despite his young age, Zeke’s judgment was no joke.

"I want the investigation details within this week. Oh, and if she turns out to be the one behind it—use our usual method, Blake."

"Yes, boss. I’ll handle it," Blake responded, his voice still carrying a soldier’s discipline as he obeyed Zeke’s order.

"Good. If there’s nothing else, hang up." Without waiting for a reply, Zeke ended the call.

He turned away from the tall window, walked back to his desk, and sank into the leather chair. Switching his camera and audio back on, he refocused on the Zoom meeting.

"Alright, where were we?" he asked his partners.

Meanwhile, Cassidy, who was staying at the villa, received a call from Georgia.

"Hey, Georgie..." Cassidy greeted her sister.

After Claire’s shooting and the accident, Cassidy and Claire had spent most of their time at the apartment. Because of that, she and Georgia rarely met. Georgia was also busy with her own matters and with taking care of Teresa, their mother. Still, they talked on the phone every day about Teresa’s condition.

"Hey, Cass. Mom’s doing a lot better. Her awareness and memory are starting to come back," Georgia explained, updating Cassidy on Teresa’s progress after more than a month of rehabilitation.

After several examinations by doctors and neurologists, it had been confirmed that her mother suffered from memory loss.

"Thank God, Georgie. Has she started to remember the past?" Cassidy asked, feeling relieved but also uneasy. She was afraid that once Teresa’s memory fully returned, she might also remember the painful things that had once pushed her to attempt suicide.

Honestly, Cassidy preferred her mother not to remember those things at all. She would rather her mother stayed in that state of amnesia.

"She started to remember our childhood memories," Georgia explained. "You know, when she talked about those moments, I could see the happiness in her eyes, Cass," she added, her voice carrying emotion.

"Really? What did the doctor say about her memory? Did they mention if it might recover soon?" Cassidy asked, feeling a bit anxious. While waiting for her sister’s answer, she bit her lip.

Georgia let out a long sigh before replying, "You know the doctor said Mom suffered a mild brain injury. She’s also been seeing a psychiatrist. And from what the psychiatrist observed, it seems her memory loss isn’t mainly from the injury. It’s more psychological." Her words came heavy with concern.

Hearing Georgia’s explanation, Cassidy’s chest tightened as if she couldn’t breathe.

"It looks like before she reached that point, she went through really heavy emotional trauma. That’s why, when she woke up, her brain chose to block the memories she didn’t want," Georgia said, her voice shaking with sadness. "I just feel guilty because when she was under that kind of stress, she had to carry it all alone."

Cassidy felt like she had been slapped. She knew her mother did it because she felt lonely and abandoned. She could imagine what her mother went through living with their self-centered, selfish father. Cassidy felt regret and guilt because when her mother needed her the most, she had chosen to close her heart and walk away.

"Georgie, I feel so guilty. I still remember the look in her eyes the last time I saw her," Cassidy said, closing her eyes as she held back tears.

She remembered that day so clearly—how her mother seemed like she wanted to say something but chose not to.

She also remembered what she had thought and felt back then. The guilt cut even deeper.

"Cass, this isn’t your fault. It’s all of ours—mine, yours, Raymond’s, and Sandro’s. We failed as her children," Georgia said softly. "But maybe this is part of God’s plan. Now we get another chance. We can spend time with her again and give her the care she needs."

"You’re right, Georgie. We can start making it up to her now," Cassidy said, promising herself she would be a better daughter. She knew how hard it was to be a mother—she had felt it herself.

Maybe Georgia was right. Maybe what happened was a blessing in disguise. Now they could spend more time with Teresa, create happier memories, and make sure she never felt lonely or abandoned again.

"I want to go see Mom," Cassidy said, deciding to start that very day.

"You want to see her? What about Zeke? Will he be okay with it?" Georgia asked. She already knew Cassidy was back together with Zeke. And what made her happy was that this time, their relationship was built on love.

"Of course. He’ll be fine with it," Cassidy answered with confidence.

When Cassidy told her about her relationship with Zeke back then, Georgia burst out in joy, loud enough that her husband, Thiago, looked at her in confusion.

She was just so happy for her sister—Cassidy really deserved it. And she was happy for Zeke too, because she knew he truly loved Cassidy.

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