The pain was head shattering. It was none like she had ever felt before. Her head felt like the heaviest thing on her body. She groaned and rolled out of bed, became dizzy almost immediately and fell back on the bed. She had no idea how she got home. The last thing she recalled was receiving that creepy text. She had no idea someone had attacked her, or rather she had attacked someone.

She felt knots tying in her belly and something was coming up. She ran into the bathroom and shot loads after loads of vomit into the basin, gripping it tightly.

She almost hit herself in the head. What was she thinking when she drank a 100% alcohol?

A maid came in and helped her to her bed, accompanied by a pill and water.

"Thank you" she returned the cup.

"Mr Jones would like to see you in his study"

She nodded and dismissed her when she received a call from Amy.

"Are you okay? You passed out yesterday, I had no choice but to call Kevin. He carried you in"

"Kevin did?"

"Yes. I just want to check up on you. I have to start working now"

Amy's family was not as privileged as hers. Her father was dead, leaving Amy, her mother and her sister. Amy worked at a convenience store while applying for different white-collar jobs and going for different interviews. However, none has been successful so far. She was basically the sole provider in her family of an unemployed mother, and a sister had just gotten into college, so the responsibility just got bigger.

For her, Cressida was ready to speak to her father to get her a spot in his company, but Amy refused her help saying she wanted a job on her own merits. She had no choice but to concur, but she doubted she could keep watching her friend continue in that way.

She headed to her father's study. He was seated at his desk with his glasses on, staring intently at some items. They were........pictures.

"You asked for me"

He slid the pictures to her.

"Choose who you want to go on a date with"

Pictures of about six men were laid out before her.

"Date? What are you talking about?"

"Exactly what you think it is"

"You want me to go on a blind date? Never! That is not going to happen. I just came back"

He hit his fists against the table. "You just came back? You should have thought of that when you went to a bar and got wasted? That friend of yours, I knew she was a bad influence on you"

"This has nothing to do with her"

"I'll have no choice but to separate you"

"You will do no such thing" she said through gritted teeth. She didn't trust him one bit. His ways were cruel, and she feared he will do something to Amy or her family.

"Then pick one of these men"

She gripped the sides of her dress tightly to rein her anger in. He was threatening her with Amy. She took a deep breath a grabbed one at random.

"Happy?"

He smiled. "Hopefully it will lead to marriage"

She almost flared up.

"You wish" she spat and dashed out.

She met Kevin on the way and bumped shoulders with him. She was too angry to apologize, and she didn't care.

That evening, she was on a call ranting to her friend about what her father had done.

"He wants me to go on a fucking blind date just a day after that my arrival. What father does that? I know he just wants me out of his house as soon as possible, and I'm going to give him that but not in the way he wants" She kept going on and on until she realized Amy was unusually silent. She glanced at her phone. The call was still on.

"Amy, are you there?"

"Yes. I can hear you"

"What is wrong?"

It took her a while to reply.

"I failed my interview today. I wasn't picked"

Cressida wanted to bite her tongue. How could she not notice something was wrong with her? She cared about the blind date she will be forced to go.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a bad friend"

"There is no way you were to know"

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I'll have to keep on trying. It will work out one day"

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"You already know the answer to that"

She sighed helplessly.

Cressida sat at a café, the meeting place for the blind date getting a tad bit impatient. Her date was fifteen minutes late. She had no idea how her father knew all those men he had suggested for her. Probably son of his business associate, but she didn't care. She had no plans of dating any of them.

She glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time getting really upset then he walked in. A tall man in a tuxedo, thin lips and well-defined face. He looked around till their eyes finally met.

He approached.

"Cressida?"

"That's me"

"Paul"

They shook hands then he sat and ordered coffee for both of them. Cressida frowned. He was thirty minutes behind the schedule time, and he was just going to sit and say nothing? He even ordered her coffee without asking if she wanted or liked it.

She blew out a sharp breath.

"You are thirty minutes late" she pointed out.

He smiled. "I'm sure you haven't been here for that long either"

"I arrived her 2:55, five minutes before the schedule time"

"I see you are looking forward to our date" he chuckled, but she didn't find it funny. Whatever even she wanted to attend, she made sure she wasn't late.

She hated latecomers and this one obviously didn't feel anything wrong with it. He was laughing even.

She cooled her temper, breathing in and out. Their coffee order came, and she finished it in one gulp making the guy raise a brow.

"Are you okay?"

"I am"

"Let me officially introduce myself. I'm Paul Craig. Twenty-six years old. I'm a plastic surgeon and I own a little clinic not too far from here. Your turn" he took a sip of his coffee.

Cressida had lost everything interest whatsoever in this date and just could not wait to leave.

"Cressida Jones"

He waited for her to continue but after a while, he knew she had no intention of proceeding.

"I just finished college"

"What did you study?"

"Art"

"Oh. Basically, you are an ......artist?"

"What?" She thought she saw a mocking look on his face just now.

"This is a blind date. We must be honest with each other"

Something told Cressida she didn't want to hear the gibberish he was about to spit out.

"I don't consider painting a job. I think it's just something you do for fun"

Cressida's lips twitched trying to conceal her anger. This man ridiculed her work to her face. She laughed and ordered a cup of black coffee.

"You mean I should get a serious job just like yours"

She took a sip, ignoring the hotness. It could not compare to the heat she was feeling inside.

He nodded. "I love women who understands things quickly"

"It was nice meeting you Paul" she said, standing up.

"Wait. We are done?"

"Well I am"

He grabbed her wrist to stop her. On impulse, she picked up the cup and poured the steaming hot coffee on his face.

His hands went to his face which had turned red.

"How dare you!"

She slapped a bill on the table.

"This is for your treatment. You might need to see a doctor"

He blurted out a string of curses, but she didn't hear him, or rather chose not to.

She arrived home and met her father waiting for her.

"How was it?"

"It didn't work out"

"There are other men you can choose from"

"I did what you wanted, now leave me alone and don't even think of threatening me with Amy"

She headed to the stairs when the doorbell rang. The maid opened the door, but Cressida didn't see who was outside. She had reached the middle of the stairs but stopped when she heard her name. She went to the door where her father was now standing and saw three policemen outside.

"Are you Miss Cressida Jones?"

"Yes. What is the matter?"

"You are under arrest for the murder of Paul Craig"