The Formidable Stranger (Trilogy)

A Time for Everything

It was time for a new week, with any luck this week would be better than the last but somehow Casper knew that was a fool's hope; with everything that had transpired he knew it was only the beginning of something he hadn't even begun to understand. The morning came of a bright and beautiful Monday, the sunlight beaming through the window of his room, the birds singing in the trees and the sound of people on the road going about their daily plans; the grown folks went to work and the kids went to school. As far as the eye could see everything was flowing in harmony and peace, everything and everyone except Casper. He got out of bed with his eyes as red as fire, barely any sleep due to his near-death experience the previous night.

However, he had breakfast with his mom and got ready for work, during a lovely freshly prepared meal of pancakes both Katherine and Casper were awfully quiet; with her worrying about her husband and what he had told her earlier "thieves broke into the company" and Casper with all his mind-bobbling suspicions of his father and Jasper Wong. At around 7:30 he left for the company, hoping for a turnaround in his day regardless of everything, on the other hand, Casper pulled up in front the main building and lo and behold there was Jasper Wong driving up in the parking space across from him, Cas took his helmet off and placed it on the seat of his bike and began walking towards Jasper not knowing what on earth he would do or say to him, suddenly he stopped in the middle of the parking lot as his jaw dropped to the floor. He couldn't believe his eyes as Jasper went to the passenger side of his car and opened the door, the beautiful Penelope Shanae stepped out with the help of holding onto his hand, Casper turned away and walked straight into the building.

"Cas! Hey!" Penelope shouted as she recognized that he was in her sight, but the brooding and heartbroken Casper held his head straight, he could always hide the way he felt about anything except when that feeling was anger. Penelope knew this, although she hated it about him, but he was always one of her closest friends whom she cared for deeply. With that in mind she had to know what was wrong, she told Jasper she would contact him later and she ran to her friend who was already waiting on the elevator, he caught a glimpse of her running towards him through a reflection in the glass and bit his lips while shaking his head, hoping the elevator doors would just open already. "HEY!" she said as she arrived at the elevator too "I know you heard me Cas, What's wrong?" as she held his hand in hers.

"I'm fine" he said

She looked at him with disbelief and squeezed his hand tightly letting him know she doesn't want that answer.

"Penelope.. ugh fine" he looked at her "why are you running around with this Jasper guy?"

"What do you mean.. He's a friend" she said

"I don't like him, there's something strange about him, and.."

"And, what?"

"Never mind" he said abruptly as the doors to the elevator finally opened and stepped right in, she followed behind him and said "Casper Lee if you don't talk to me right now I will follow you straight to your office and annoy you all day, I already lost one job at The Raft, don't let me lose this one by slacking off".

"Well! If you must be so determined, I think your friend and my father are up to something that they don't want anyone else knowing about"

"Something like what?"

"The other day I went to Jasper's office to set things straight between us after what happened with me, him and Drew, I heard him talking to my dad in his office and then when I went in he was alone, my dad says they were just on the phone but I know for a fact that he was lying, Ming thought there was a panic room or something in his office"