Cassie's P.O.V

Her hand hurt from holding it in a tight fist, but she maintained a smile towards the visitors—the visitors who could have been hers and not Moyo's. She moved towards them, her smile getting wider and awkward. "Who do we have here?"

No one responded, but she leeched on Aaron and Bayo for a hug they could barely refuse. "It's so good to have you guys here. Don't tell me you are leaving so soon."

Moyo opened her mouth to talk, but Bayo beat her to it. "Of course, we are leaving. We already saw who we came to visit and she's doing fine. So, there's no reason to remain here."

Cassie's finger bruised her hand, but she nodded politely, "I guess I can't ask you guys to wait a bit. Right?" Her eyes moved to Aaron, who looked easier to manipulate.

"I'm sorry Cassie, but I have other engagements. Maybe, next time."

He turned towards the door and they exited without another word. Moyo followed right behind them. Their laughter sounded bitter to her. Cassie stormed towards the staircase and right back to her room. She threw her phone on the bed, before holding her head tightly and screamed, "Why!"

"Why? Why? Why?"

She controlled her breath as she felt her heart ached. "Why does everyone have to pay more attention to her? I'm not good enough for them no matter how I act or what I say. I'm never good enough."

She flopped on her bed and took a deep breath. With everything going on, there was no way she would regret partnering with that man. The earlier Moyo left her life, the earlier she would feel at peace with herself. She frowned as she picked up her phone and sent him a message.

'It's time.'

Dinner time was tense; everyone had their phone beside their plate as if it was normal, but the only sound heard was the clicking of sa poon on plates. No one spoke, and whenever anyone's phone chimed, everyone turned their head towards it.

Cassie sometimes couldn't help the smile that lingered on her face whenever she caught sight of Moyo's face. She could barely swallow her meal and was just turning it in her plate. Cassie stared at her well and could easily see some of the features on her face that looked exactly like her father's – like her nose and lips. Her eyes moved to her father and she sighed. It was a good thing she wouldn't be seeing her face anymore; very soon.

She pressed her phone. It was almost eight; soon Moyo's phone should ring. She focused on her food while waiting for the phone to ring.

The ringing of Moyo's phone made everyone stop eating and stare at her. Moyo stared at the phone, then at her parents – her father nodding at her, eagerly – before she turned back towards the phone to pick it up.

"Hello."

She placed her phone on loudspeaker and placed it at the center of the table.

"Hello..." the voice was deep and unfamiliar. It sounded too calm too.

Cassie smirked at that. If she hadn't known, she would have thought it was someone else too, but it seemed the man knew exactly what he was doing.

"Hello..." Moyo's response was shaky and all her focus was on the phone now; her food and surroundings were long forgotten.

"Am I speaking with Moyosore?"

"Yes, you are."

"Great. Well, I saw the flyer of the missing persons..."

Moyo leapt closer to her seat, "Did you see them?"

The voice chuckled.

"Did you see them? What's funny about the question she asked?" Cassie screamed into the phone surprising everyone. Her parents and Moyo took seconds to stare at her before turning back to the phone.

"I'm calling to do you a favour. Don't you scream at me."

Before Cassie could let out another scream at him, Moyo was already pleading, "We're sorry. We just wanted to know if you saw them. We're bothered that's why."

"Well... I saw the reward on the flyer. Is it real?"

"Do you think we are joking here?" Cassie was quick to reply. She needed to play that part, so they wouldn't guess she was involved with this person at all. If everything goes south, she can easily withdraw herself from everything.

Moyo glared at her, "It's real, sir. We're ready to give the reward to anyone with information of their whereabouts?"

"The whole one million naira."

"Yes! Yes! So, please do you have any information on their whereabouts?"

There was a minute of pregnant silence before he responded. "I do."

Everyone shared a look as they waited for the man to give them more information on their whereabouts. Moyo cried silently as she listened to him. "So, I will send my account number for the reward."

This time, it was their father who responded, "We will send half the reward to you, and we will send the balance once we see them." A pause when the man didn't reply, "Do you have a picture of them or evidence that you saw them?"

The man didn't reply again. Cassie bit her nail as she waited for his reply. Then the man sighed, "Fine. I'll send a picture after you send the first half."

He hung up.

Moyo stared at their father, "Can we trust him?"

Her father sighed, "We just have to take a risk. We won't know exactly who is telling the truth until we see them."

Cassie nodded, "I agree with Daddy. Let's just send it to him. It's not as if we can't afford it."

Her father frowned at it, "We can afford it, but doesn't mean we should allow others to take advantage of us, Cassandra."

Cassie nodded again. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm just bothered about my parents. I'm bothered about their safety."

"No problem. Let's just pray, he is not a scam."

Soon, Moyo phoned beeped with a message. It was the account number of the man. It had an unfamiliar name, but it was expected. Cassie frowned at the number. Where did he get the account number from?

But before she could deliberate more, her father already sent the money to him.

Immediately, the phone beeped with the pictures of her parent.