It was far late into the evening and night was gradually approaching. Jasper returned to his office and found Jasmine quietly and beautifully asleep at the spot he left her. She left his table rough with paint and different papers filled with her drawings and painting. He carried her up and laid her on the long leather chair in his office after which he returned to sit back on his swivel chair.
He picked up her drawings and looked at them for a long time making him remember what she said once before. That day, he had seen her drawing with an uncertain look. He had picked up the drawing and told her how beautiful they were and she smiled.
Unable to understand what the drawings signify, he asked her what she meant with each of the drawings. She had explained each by saying one is for her father who is as handsome as a king, and herself who will always be his princess.
The third drawing she drew that day, was more or less like a lion. Jasper asked her why she drew a lion, and she said she watched a lion character in a cartoon and it fits perfectly with what she wanted to draw.
Shocking the hell out of him, she had asked him what he wasn't expecting from such a little girl.
"Does it not look like mum?" she had asked. Jasper wanted to laugh at her childishness, but seeing that she was not happy, he held it in.
"Why will you compare your mum with a lion?. That's not a good thing to do." he had scolded her but she shut him up with another question.
"Is she not scary like a lion? She never smiles at me, and she never plays with me. Did I do something wrong?" she cried out, making Jasper let out his tears too. He understands his daughter quite well, but there's nothing he can do about that—all his effort to make Cassandra accept Jasmine failed time and time again.
Visions of that incident flashed through his mind. Jasper sighed shuffling away from the thoughts and stacked the drawings on a remote part of his table. He completed his work and stood up preparing to leave.
As he was about to leave, his secretary knocked at the door and he told her to come in. She placed the files she brought on his table and smiled at the sight of Jasmine.
"She's finally slept. She made a lot of trouble this afternoon."
"What do you mean Bella?"
"Oh, I'm sorry sir. Perhaps, you didn't know, she came to my office this evening asking me to give her some money. I asked her what she wanted it for, but she wouldn't tell me." Bella paused and continued.
"She was like, ‘did the company not have much money do? I only need some to buy something’.I told her I don't have any to give her and she yelled at me telling me this is her father's company and I should do what she says. When I didn't respond to her, she looked sad and left." Bella gesticulated amusing Jasper.
"But I heard her saying things like daddy would get angry I didn't get his ice cream," Bella added and Jasper smiled.
"It's okay, I understand."
"Should I help you carry her down?" Bella offered.
"It's alright, you can go home. I'll do that myself."
Half an hour later, Jasper drove into his compound. He alighted from the car after parking properly and went to the other side to carry Jasmine. He took her sleeping body into her room and helped her undress. Then he put on her pyjamas for her and covered her with the duvet kissing her goodnight.
He went to his room and found no one there which means his wife was not home. Since Jasmine began to grow up, they had agreed to sleep in the same room so that the little girl won't develop bad ideas about the family.
Jasper glanced at the wall clock across the room and sighed in frustration. It was some minutes past ten p.m, yet his wife was not home.
"Where does she go?" he wondered as he undressed and headed into the bathroom for a cool shower. Jasper stayed longer in the bathroom than expected.
The sound of the shower could be heard for what looked like hours.
"Come what may, I'll wait for this woman tonight. She would have to tell me what she used so much amount of money for," he muttered finally coming out of the bathroom.
While he was bathing, his thought was all on his discussion with Carl earlier that day. They went through several files and pieces of evidence that showed it wasn't Cassandra's first time withdrawing money from that account and she does it with the help of the accountant.
Jasper and Carl questioned the accountant about her relationship with Cassandra, but she denied to the end that she ever knows her. With an immediate effect, Jasper had her fired, which was the only right thing to do to save his company from further harm. Much or not, the amount of money withdrawn from the account can fill up some spaces in the financial needs of the company bringing in more profit.
After that, he instructed the planning and strategy department to work together with the security department in order to tighten and restructure the security of all company accounts.
He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself some cereal to feed on for dinner.
Just as he finished washing the plate he used, Cassandra came in. She looked at him briefly and headed straight to her room- the room they shared.
Jasper was hurt seeing her action. For heaven's sake, she couldn't even spare a greeting. Just a greeting!. He followed her immediately and closed the door behind them when they were already in.
"Where were you coming from?" he asked politely, but she didn't answer.
"Tell me, Cassandra, where were you coming from?" he asked again with a calm voice.
"And what's your business with where I'm coming from?" Cassandra fired.
"What? What's my business?"
"Yes, you heard me right. What's your concern?" she repeated. This angered Jasper a lot that he yelled angrily letting out his pent-up emotions.
"I have every right to know where you're coming from. I have the fucking right to know because I'm your husband."
"Husband? Did I want to marry you in the first place?" Cassandra asked with a raised voice.
"Neither did I. But no matter what, we already did and you have to act responsibly. Act responsibly woman!." he shouted at her making her flinch. That was the first time since the five years they got married that Jasper would act that way towards her.
However, she mustered up the courage and turned her back on Jasper ignoring him but he was quick to turn her around again to face him.
"If you won't say where you're coming from, fine!. But I'm pleading with you to please, be responsible. I don't mean to insult you, but please change for good. If at all you don't want to accept the fact that you got married to me, care for your daughter. She needs you, she needs your love, she wants to see her mother give her attention." Jasper was on the verge of crying as he pleaded with her despite being angry at her.
"I have to be calm and plead to her. Just for Jasmine." so he thought.
Cassandra stared at him emotionlessly and hissed.
"For heaven's sake Jasper, let this be the last time you'll speak to me about that bastard. I never wanted her. She's a fucking mistake. A damn mistake, okay?!"
Jasper was hurt beyond words. He felt like hitting her, yelling at her, tying her up somewhere, and teaching her a life lesson. Yet, he controlled his anger, his pain, his urge to force his way with her. Since the past five years after Jasmine was born, he had remained celibate and despite all her silly attitudes, he never cast aspersions on her person.
In recent times, the urge to get laid hit him constantly, but no!. He wanted to remain faithful to his marriage. He wasn't bred to act in any manner nor did he like such right from when he matured into an adult.
"What did you do with the ten million dollars you withdrew?" he changed the subject.
Cassandra was stunned. She didn't expect him to find out so soon. No, she didn't even think he would know about it, just like the previous times. She made a straight face and asked Jasper what he was talking about.
"You know well what I'm talking about. What did you make do with such a huge amount of money?"
"What money?"
"The ten million dollars you withdrew from my company account. What did you do with it?"
"What ten million?. You should explain what you mean right now. I'm so tired right now and I need to sleep"
"It's okay, you won't talk. You can continue feigning ignorance. The accountant has been fired anyway." Jasper announced and retired to bed. Cassandra's eyes widened at the revelation and she directed her glare at him, all alert.
"You won't dare." she spat.
"Why won't I?"
"You're making a big mistake Jasper, I guess you've forgotten. That accountant is my father's, right-hand man."
"So?"
"You won't want me to say a word to him right?" she threatened.
"And I bet you won't want me to tell him about your promiscuity, irresponsibility, and how you treated your daughter,—his granddaughter." Jasper also threatened, to scare Cassandra. Her father must not hear about all Jasper mentioned, she would be in for it no matter what especially if her mother was to hear about it.