Twisted Fixation

『 Chapter 29 』

Yuri had already revved up the engine of the bike when she realized that she had not told Giancarlo that she would be leaving. For a moment, she thought of going back inside the villa, but she is in a rush now and couldn't afford to waste more time knowing that her mother could be in danger.

Her heart raced as she sped away on the bike, her mind filled with worry for her mother's safety. The wind whipped through her hair as she navigated the crowded streets, hoping she would reach her destination as soon as possible.

Thoughts of Giancarlo lingered in the back of her mind, a pang of guilt tugging at her conscience for not informing him of her sudden departure, but she has an intuition that he would understand her, so there is no need for her to worry.

As she arrived at her mother's house, she was relieved to see that everything appeared normal from the outside. However, a sense of unease still lingered within her, so she decided to be careful. She almost cursed out loud when she realized that she had not brought any weapons with her, not even the hair pin. She was so preoccupied last time that she forgot to grab anything, even a gun.

She knocked on the door, and it didn't take ten seconds for it to open, and she was welcomed by her mom. The first thing she checked was whether she was hurt anywhere, but it seems that she is perfectly fine.

When she looked inside the apartment, she found Cassius sitting on the sofa and looking at her emotionlessly. It took her almost everything not to run into him and slam his face on the table until he bled.

For a moment, she considers talking to her mother in Tagalog, but she figures that Cassius has learned a lot during the time they were still together, so it's useless doing it now, as for sure, he would understand the conversation.

She took a deep breath and mustered all her composure. "It seems like our Cassius is eager to die," she said sarcastically.

Cassius sighed heavily, as if clinging to the patience he had left for her. "I will not come here if it isn't something important, Yuri. I am not here to reminisce about our past, but I am here about something I think you are doing."

She narrowed her eyes and sat on the seat across from him. That's when she noticed the notebook lying on the table.

The notebook that she thought she just misplaced in the villa. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that Cassius must have found it when she walked away from him the last time they met. She was so overwhelmed with her anger that she did not notice that she had left it.

Panic washed over her, but she quickly composed herself. "What are you talking about?" she asked calmly, feigning innocence.

Cassius raised an eyebrow, his gaze piercing through her facade. "Don't play dumb, Yuri," he said firmly. "You've been digging into things that you shouldn't be."

She balled her fists and looked at him fiercely. "What makes you think that I care about what you say?" her voice trembled with suppressed rage as she retorted, her eyes ablaze with defiance.

"It seems that you have already forgotten that we are no longer together, so why should I be reporting to you?"

Cassius leaned back, an exasperated smile playing on his lips. "I have been noticing a lot of things at the precinct that don't add up," he started.

"For the past two years, a lot of my comrades, including Elijah Smith, have been raiding drug dens nonstop, but it looks like not all of the goods they were able to recover are being logged in the records. It has been going on for a while now, but I do not want to jump to conclusions without concrete evidence."

Yuri did not hide her surprise upon hearing that, as it's not what she was expecting. From the flow of their conversation last time, it sounded like Cassius was actually threatening her.

"I found Elijah Smith's name on that notebook, Yuri. I won't force you to tell me whether you are the one who killed him or not, but I just want to remind you to be careful as you do not know what you are dealing with."

She smirked at that. "I do not need your worry about something so trivial. I know what I am doing and I do not care whether you are going to use that notebook against me. I know you have a dream of becoming a captain too so why don't you start kissing Miller Jones' ass?"

Cassius let out a harsh breath as he was evidently misunderstood by Yuri. He had no interest in using any sort of leverage against her, especially not a mere notebook. He knows that she has every right to treat him however she wants to but he couldn't help but feel slightly insulted by the last words she said.

He had no intention of stooping so low just to advance his career. He was confident in his capabilities and believed that hard work and dedication would ultimately pave the way for his success.

The reason he even put his life at stake to see her is to offer his help.

"No one knows cops better than a person who is one like them," he replied, his voice tinged with skepticism.

Yuri leaned back in her chair, deep in thought. She may hate Cassius to the bone, but she can't deny that he is good at what he does hence he was able to manipulate her back then. But still, there's something about him that she finds unsettling.

"With your history of lies and betrayals, I do not see the need for your help. I have a very influential person working with me, so I do not see why I should need you. And who knows, maybe you are working undercover right now to gain something from me."

She stood from her seat, and before Cassius could react, she had already pinned her arm on his neck, pressing him down.

"What are you really doing here?" she hissed in his face.

"Calm down, Yuri." It was her mother, but she just ignored it. She tightened her grip on Cassius' neck.

"You perfectly know that I am not exactly someone who is patient, so I am going to ask you for the last time, what are you really doing here?"

The room fell silent as tension filled the air. Cassius struggled to catch his breath, his eyes pleading for mercy.

Agatha stepped forward, her voice filled with concern and authority. "Yuri, please release him," she pleaded as she tried to pull Yuri's arm away from Cassius, whose face was already turning blue.

Thankfully, Yuri listened as he released Cassius, who was coughing continuously. Cassius gasped for air, his lungs desperate for oxygen, as he looked at Agatha with gratitude.

Yuri might have ended up killing him if it wasn't for her.

"I know that I would have to prove myself in order for you to trust me on this. Just like you are desperate to know what really happened to Tito JC, I also care about exposing the truth and restoring faith in the system. I couldn't afford to work for people who are supposed to uphold justice but are doing something completely opposite."

Yuri is at a loss for words, as she doesn't know what to tell him. Given that Cassius may seem sincere about his purpose, is it still a good idea to trust him again? She learned the hard way that trust was a luxury she couldn't afford, and the scars from her past experiences with misplaced trust are still fresh, reminding her of the consequences she faced and she is still suffering from those right now.

This was the very same man who cheated on her and left her during the time she needed him the most so her heart is torn between the desire to believe in his sincerity and the fear of being hurt once again. The memories of his betrayal haunt her, replaying like a broken record in her mind, causing her to wonder if people can truly change and if redemption is possible for someone who has caused so much pain.

Is this the closure that other people are talking about?

"I do not know what to tell you, so I would appreciate it more if you're going to leave," she said, turning on her back and walking towards her bedroom.  As she entered her room, a whirlwind of emotions engulfed her. Doubt and confusion battled with the flickering hope that maybe, just maybe, this time things would be different.