Noel

"I won't lie but the story does seem unbelievable," Dolores spoke from across me. "But once you get to know Jayce's habits and Christa's past with him it just clicks together."

"Not many people know but he is surely an addict and had been a part of this secret sex club that is run by some notorious people," Alex piped in and I looked at him with curious eyes.

"Have you been there?" I asked with the thought in my mind that if he had been there then he could bring evidence related to Jayce.

"Once and I had avoided that place like a plague. It just rubbed me the wrong way," he replied.

"I have been there," my eyes widened at the response Dolores gave me. She just shrugged as all three of us looked at her.

"There is a level of the club where many people meet and greet. It's a sex club but there are rooms where people deal with illegal business. I have met some of our clients right out there who need a little more than money to sign the contracts. You might find a good amount of bureaucrats there too." Dolores explained to us.

"I have seen Jayce and Adam there too," she adds on.

"Do you think Adam might have been a part of it?" I ask her as I look at Christa.

"I think so," she answers. My eyes turn towards Alex. "I think the same," he replies.

"It's really hard to think that they wouldn't have been involved in it. His car keys were proof of that. Moreover, Adam's law firm has been the one for years who has been protecting the Peterson's. Their family relationship runs deep and for generations. Whatever shit they do they are backup up by Adam's team of lawyers who himself has some political influence." Delores emphasized why she believed Adam was part of what had taken place.

"But he never showed a hint of," Christa was out of words and the way she was distressed about it was evident on her face.

"Never had Richard when he met you while Cheryl was asking you to but charge on Noel. You might not believe this but none of them have ever had shown a hint that they had something like this. Noel had met them in numerous conferences and they have always been normal. If it wasn't the truth that we had found out there wasn't a reason to even point fingers on them." Christa nodded to Delores's words.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Christa asked resigning to the fact that she couldn't insist on the fact that Adma was innocent.

"I think we should have this talk with him face to face. Christa agreed to it," I told the others.

"It's a nice idea," Delores said. "We have his key for sure so him explaining this would be interesting," Alex added.

"Christa, I think it should be you who should call him and ask him to come over," I just ordered her and others nodded their head in affirmation.

"What would I say to him? I mean I had just talked to him once in the last many months."

"Ask him on dinner or something. Present it out as if you are just friends and she needed to talk to someone. Maybe about old times or present times." I gave her enough reason but she had been the one to make him believe that there was nothing wrong.

"Wouldn't he think it to be suspicious?" she questioned.

"Christa, only we know the truth and he has no idea that we know something. If you had seen him in the last few months then it would be easy." Dolores tried to ease her worries. "All you have to do is talk normally."

"Keep it on the speaker so we can tell you whether everything is going in the right direction or not," Alex told her. "We can surely guide you if you felt like you were going the wrong way." Christa nodded to both of them. For the first time, I felt lively. I was under no delusion that this truth was going to change the time or bring back Cheryl but it surely would help me in clearing the blame that had been placed on me and Christa.

"Do you want me to make the call now?" She asked in hesitation.

"Of course," I answered to which she got up to bring her phone. I had waited for so long for something like this.

For the last three years, I had cut myself from society and people because I was scared that they would judge over what had happened in the past. Everywhere I went. I felt like the dark cloud of my past allegations moved with me. It might have been just a few hours since the event of that night had come to light but the sense of relief it had brought was enormous. Now all I needed was to let the other know the truth so at least I wouldn't be looked at as I have done something wrong.

I could look in Cheryl's eyes and tell that it wasn't me who was wrong. It wasn't me who didn't love her but it was her. Her love for me was nothing but a fake. I wanted to tell her that she was the one who had lied to me about the love we shared. She was the fool and naive girl taken advantage of. There was so much I wanted to say to her. All the months I had yearned for him and the pain I had gone through I just wanted her to suffer ten times a fold of it.

All these years she was the only woman I had in my mind and soul and she had tarnished me as if I was no one. No faith in me, not even an ounce of minute did she give me to explain myself. All the warning I had given her she had given no heed to them. So easy it was for her to get rid of me. Slashing my heart and turning it into pieces she had been the one to break all of me. Now she was living the dream with that Richard which I had once woven with her. I will never forget the pain she had stabbed me with.

"I'm ready," Christa's voice drew me out of my thoughts.

"Let's do this," Delores said as Christa made the call and we all settled down around. Putting it on the speaker she placed it on the table. The ringing of the phone filled the room.

"Hello," Adam's voice boomed in the quiet room. Christa looked at us as his voice came through. Delores made the gesture for her to talk.

"Hey Adam, this is Christine," Delores gestured to her to keep ongoing.

"Oh hi, Christine. How are you?" It felt like he was outside somewhere.

"I'm good. How have you been doing?" she kept the conversation going.

"I'm doing fine myself," he replied.

"Are you doing something tonight? I just wanted to talk to you and kind of catch up. I mean it's been too long for me to be holed up with myself. I don't have any friends left who knew me since childhood besides you and I thought maybe we could sit down and just talk for a bit." Christa went through it one go. Delores gestured to me that everything was fine.

"It's just that after seeing you that day and others I just wanted to talk with someone. I have got no one besides you who would talk to me and I could even talk to." I heard the tremble in her voice and the realization hit me how hard this was for her.

"Christine," he paused. "I'm really glad that you called me. I have seen you grow up and even though many things happened I will be there for you always but I won't be able to see you tonight," he replied. Christa looked at Dolores for direction on what to do next.

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you were free because it's Friday that's why," she answered back. Delores mouthed her off tomorrow. "How about tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?" she added without any of us saying anything.

"Umm," we heard him breathe a sigh. "I'm sorry, Christine but I really can't meet you for a while. It's just that I'm not in the states right now and it's going to take me a while to return. However, if it is something urgent or you need my help I can ask my sister to drop by your apartment maybe." No, this can't be fucking it. Rather than hearing much of it I just stood up. My mind went frenzy as I saw the one chance I had going down the hill.

"No, it's alright. I think I would just go on a vacation for a bit. Do call me when you came back. It would be nice to talk," I didn't hear any more as I walked into the balcony.

With my head in my hands, I stood as anger rose inside of me as I saw the downfall of my hope. What use would this truth be if we couldn't prove what had happened? Having half the part of truth felt much like a loser than I previously did. I had thought of moving forward in life but after knowing all of this how I could move forward? How could I see those people who destroyed me without wanting to kill them?

"Hey, you need to calm down for a bit?" Alex was the one who came out for me.

"How do expect me to do that? We had one hope and it got shot down even before it could rise." I yelled frustratingly.

"It's not the end of the world," he tried to reason.

"But it feels that way for me." How the hell was I supposed to react to this? It was so hard to think all of this through. In a span of a few hours, a lot had happened.

"Come inside for once and stop reacting this way. You have no idea how distressed is Christine right now. So hold in your words and anger, at least for her," I looked inside and I saw tearing Christa.

"Okay," I replied taking in deep breaths. It was hard. I was fighting my anger and demons. This wasn't the time for me to do something like this. Christa was in a worse position than me. If I acted like this she was going to break.

"It's going to be alright. We will come up with something," I heard Dolores trying to calm her down as I entered inside.

"Don't worry dear," Dolores looked up at me and gave me a nod. Moving towards her I bend down on my knees and looked at her.

"Hey, we will find another way," it was hard to tell her that because my mind wasn't really in the right mind but I had to do this for her.

"I'm sorry, it's just that," she sniffled. "I thought maybe we would be able to put an end to this with his help but it was of no help."

"At least we have something now. There is no need to cry about it," I held her hand. "I pay both of these enough to come up with something." I pointed at Dolores and Alex.

"You know I can resign," Delores piqued in with a smile on her lips.

"I will raise your pay," I replied.

"What about mine?" Alex butt in and this led to Christa laughing.

"You will turn bankrupt at this pace," she tried to uplift her mood with a laugh.

"Don't worry they will help me make double the money I spend on them." We all laughed at those and I realized that there was no point in getting angry. I just had to sort things out together with others' help.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked as I sat beside her.

"We will figure something out for sure," I assured her even if I didn't know anything about it. We sat in silence for a bit and Christa got to make us more coffee.

"Any ideas," I asked after a brief silence.

"I have got none," Alex answered as he sat back. "I don't think anyone of us will be having anything right now," he added.

"We will have to come up with something for sure," I told them. There was no way I was letting this chance go. We just needed to know where Christa was abused and what all they had done. I needed to find evidence to prove that Richard, Jayce, and Adam had done something like this.

"I have got an idea," Dolores spoke up drawing both of our attention towards her. She stared at me and looked behind to look at Christa.

"Adam would surely come back if there was something important or urgent right?" I nodded to her words. She paused as if she was thinking something.

"Umm," whatever she wanted to see wasn't going to be easy. "How about we lie to him that he is going to be a father?" I just stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"What?" She asked as I stared at her with a serious expression.

"Dolores you know how that works right? Even a lie like that requires someone to have slept with Adam," I spoke sarcastically. I took a sigh of frustration thinking that the woman who was so experienced and at such a high position came up with such an idiotic idea.

"I'm not an idiot," she replied. "I know what I am saying. All I mean is if someone does tell him that I'm sure he would come back for once. Maybe not urgently, I'm not relying on that but within a week or something. It's the best shot you got." She spoke confidently.

"But the problem in this whole idea remains the same. We don't know anyone who had slept with him and who would even in their right mind do something like this for us," I pointed that out as Christa came in handing us a refill of coffee.

"Actually we do and maybe we can pursue her," she said hesitantly. She stared and Christa made me look at her in confusion.

"What you guys are talking about?" She questioned settling beside me.

"Dolores came up with a plan to lie to Adam that he is going to be a father and we are discussing the fact that this plan is shit because we don't know anyone who had slept with anyone. The plan is lame I tell you," Alex explained to her and the horror I saw on her face was something that I hadn't expected. Turning towards Delores she just stared at her as if she had offended her.

What was going on?

"You really didn't," she spoke irritatingly. I saw her anger rise and that is when it clicked.

"No," I said with shock. "Christa didn't sleep with Adam, right?" At my words, she turned towards me immediately.

"No!" she yelled. "I didn't sleep with him. Not at all. I haven't talked to him for years."

"How could you even think about this, Delores," standing up she paced the floor. "She didn't tell us that for this," now her words had me confused.

"If she isn't the one who slept with Adam then who did?" I asked looking at both of them who stared at each other.

"Allison did," Delores was the one who let out the secret.

Allison slept with Adam. I just closed my eyes thinking about the fact that how the end would we pursue her for something like this.

.....................................................................................................................................

Hello everyone!

Here I am!

Here is the update. I'm sorry that it was delayed but it had to be because my book got stolen by a website. It was irritating.

Now Delores feels to be more of a devil than Noel?

Do you think Allison could be pursued for something like this?

But would Christa agree to someone like this?

And how would they do something like this? Can they pull this off or it would be once again a lost chance.