Two weeks after the accident, Harrison was still in the ICU. Josephine was nowhere to be found, and no one under Harrison knew he was even in the city. To prevent unwanted gossip, Emilia had made sure the hospital said nothing about the call they received after the accident or admitted to anyone that Harrison was hospitalized. It was a fixed decision to keep it hidden, so neither Josephine nor news-hungry journalist had anything to go on.

Emilia took control of the company in her son's absence, and she was doing an excellent job. She sat at the head of the conference table, facing every employee in the office with her back straight; her face was a mask of professionalism. Cassandra stood far to the right of the office, closer to the window where she could look around while everyone settled in.

In the office, only Maria was aware that Harrison had been involved in an accident. Emilia decided it was better for other people, like the shareholders and a few employees, to know, so they could all plan their next steps together. They didn't plan on giving away too much information. Only what seemed necessary at that moment, in case, anyone spoke to the press, they wouldn't be able to say too much.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you are all well?"

They nodded with a smile, but Emilia only managed to return their happy smiles with a sad smile of her own. Cassandra sat down at the table, close to Emilia, to lend her support. Since their biggest project was with her company, she decided to be present when the news was broken. If anyone needed any further clarification or they had any questions, she was there to provide all of that.

"As of two weeks ago," Emilia began cautiously, her fingers interlaced on the table. "As of a week ago, Harrison was involved in a car accident and was admitted into the hospital. He had extensive surgery but is still recovering from his injuries."

The room was dead silent, but from the side of her eye, Cassandra caught the tremble in Maria's feet even as Emilia raised her hand to halt all questions. She took in a deep breath, but she still smiled. "There is an investigation going on, but it is not going to affect the company or your projects. My son, your boss, will not be able to be here until he is fully recovered, so I am taking over the running of this company. I am aware a lot is going on, and I don't intend to allow anything to fall out under my watch. Maria has been helping me get acquainted with a few things, and I hope the rest of you can do the same."

One of the men looked over at Emilia. "Why are we only now hearing of this?"

"The culprit is still out there, and we are trying to limit the amount of information leaked to the press. We don't want to give them a heads up on his condition or his whereabouts."

"The detective on the case, do they have any clues. Something to catch whoever did it." Another person asked, looking as worried as they felt.

Cassandra would give the company crew credit for all their genuine concern. She appreciated them, not only for how much love they seemed to have for Harrison but also for sympathising with his mother's suffering. The woman walked around the hospital when she was not at work, spending nights by his bedside, in hopes that he would wake up at some point.

"The culprit is Josephine Claymont; some of you know her, some of you might not," Emilia said as she stood from her chair. "Josephine has gone into hiding. From her parents and from the world. No one knows where she is. The security guards have been alerted; she is dangerous and unstable."

Cassandra stepped in. "The officers are trying to starve her of information. They believe that if she really loves or cares for Harrison, having no news of him would drive her to make a mistake. She may be interested in coming to see him, so they would arrest her there."

"On that note, we want to kindly ask that you bear with us, things I may not know how to work out. You all are here to be my mentors and my teachers, all of you, including Cassandra. We all have a duty to this company, to its projects, and to my son, to make sure that everything goes according to plan. In the same way, you helped Harrison after my husband passed, I am asking you to do the same with me."

Subsequent nods moved around the room just as Emilia gave Cassandra the go-ahead to speak. "I hope we can all work together in peace. The project with the foreign stores are still ongoing, so we would have to catch up whatever time we might have lost."

A couple of questions were passed around before everyone left and Emilia locked the door behind the last employee. They each took a breath, then Emilia stepped up, and Cassandra allowed her to hold her hand.

"Thank you, Cassandra. For everything that you have done for my son and me. I wish we were spending all this time together under different circumstances, but here we are, and I'm still happy that you are here."

After her recovery, Cassandra had spent the better part of four days getting to know Harrison's mother while they were in the hospital. Down to earth but still expensive, Emilia dressed to impress wherever she went. Emilia and her mother had gotten closer as well, but, unlike before, Cassandra didn't see how she was ever nervous about meeting the woman.

"Harrison did a lot for me, and I am sure as soon as he is strong enough, he'll come back to try and give me a run for my money, you'll see. He will be healthy and competitive, like before."

Emilia's facial features relaxed, and she lifted her hands to frame Cassandra's face. "I am still glad that you are doing this with me. Your mom and I have a plan to go out and shop for some things to redecorate my house for when he wakes up, so Maria and you will be in charge."

"Okay."

"Are you sure? I know you also have plans for your own company."

Cassandra nodded and picked up her purse. "I'll drive you to meet my mom, then go to the office from there to get some files."

Cassandra had not worked in her office for three days. She spent most of her nights and days beside Harrison. Taking care of him, watching over him until his mother was there to take her own shift. Shantel really stepped up as a friend during her recovery and with Harrison. She also worked from the hospital sometimes when Cassandra stayed late at night. The joy of having supportive friends.

Emilia pulled the door open. "No need to drive me; she is meeting me at the mall, so I am driving there. According to your mother, this would take my mind off things while we wait for my son's recovery."

They said their goodbyes and went their different ways, Cassandra to her office and Emilia to the décor store. It only took an hour and a half to go to the company for her files before she found herself in the hospital. Dylan rode out, left her standing at the parking lot, and for the sixth time that week, her feet didn't want to move in. She wasn't ready to go in like she used to, the floors she knew before had changed, and her feet were memorising new ones.

"Cassandra?"

She turned to greet Shantel, and both of them walked into the hospital, arm in arm. The nurses smiled at them, but Cassandra waved back. They were accomodating while she recovered, trying not to push her too much while also trying to make sure she followed the doctor's orders. Jacobs had checked in on her also, making sure she wasn't given his colleague, who treated her, a hard time.

"How are things at the office? Julia called to remind me to tell you that you have to get a refill of your pills."

Cassandra rolled her eyes then. "I told her I would, and I will. As soon as I am done going over the files, I will stop by your boyfriend's office to speak to him and then by the pharmacy for my refill."

Shantel baulked then laughed as they turned into the hallway. The hospital had a chill to it, more than the one provided by the air conditioners. It carried its own air of doom around with all the waiting patients and families inquiring about one thing or the other. A two-sided coin of life and death, the eerie feeling of dread when your family laid in between the two.

"Here we are," Shantel said as she took her place on the sofa and dropped her bag. "Earlier than usual, but that means we have time to talk before we begin work and have to say nothing to each other. Oh, I got your coffee, by the way."

Cassandra smiled at her friend and moved to Harrison's side. She leaned forward and kissed his still lips with a grin on her lips as she pulled back. She turned and accepted her warm cup of coffee just as she took her seat and dropped her bag down as well.

Since their friendship began, Cassandra only recently learnt how much work Shantel actually put in at her pool. Shantel, as it turned out, ran her business more deeply than anyone would expect. There was a hotel extension, and the bar was worth thousands. Hundreds of businessmen flooding in to stay sometimes and have their business over there. The investor list was something to marvel at.

"Okay, I think the hosting of your next line should be done over at the pool house. You know, sexier, less formal than the others. To welcome not only clients but also investors for you and for me."

Cassandra nodded, the butt of a pen shoved between her lips while her eyes moved over the papers. "Good idea, but I am not sure. It's not my style at all; never tried a less formal setting for my design lines."

"You are kidding." Shantel gasped, "You have to be kidding. Look, if anything, give that idea a spin in your mind, and it would just blow you away."

Already excited by the plan. Shantel dug through her bags and dug up a photo album, passing it over to Cassandra with a quirk smirk. The pictures revealed more about the platform of the pool house. The rooms were exquisite, and there was more than one swimming spot as it seemed. Shantel was opening another spot for her pool house, one closer to the edge of town and with a bigger pool.

"Your reveal can be my reveal. Fifty-fifty patterners."

"Explain that."

Shantel shrugged and folded her legs up on the couch. "My pool house needs more exposure than its little circle of investors, and I want the reveal of my extension to be a memorable event. Picture the headlines, Placer del Cuerpo coupling with Shantel Pool House in a great reveal."

"Too long a headline"

Her eyes strayed over to Harrison, his fingers laying lifelessly of at his sides while his chest rose and fell slowly. He would have been all over the deal; he dealt with anything informal and fun. Yet, there he was, confined in his own mind until he could talk himself out of it. Once Josephine was found, Cassandra was sure if she would drag the woman by her hair just to hear her apologize, or send her straight to hell.

She did know that, if anything, Josephine would never get away.