The crime rate had increased in some parts of Edinburgh. It was the work of a whole gang. They were executing their plans from outside Edinburgh. Murders, thefts, and bank robberies had become quite prevalent in those days. The police were working tirelessly to catch that gang, but they couldn't, as the thieves left no evidence behind. The policemen gathered in the house of a businessman, where gunshots were heard last night and a dead body was also discovered. "So, any evidence?" The commissioner asked.

"Not at all, sir. Here is that same thing again." The cop acknowledged. He pointed at the burned substance. It melted too. The samples were taken and sent to the laboratory.

The commissioner went to the lab and asked the forensic expert, "Did you bring out anything from those samples?"

"Yeah, I've gone through all the samples and found out that they were the burnt particles of rubber. After studying a lot of these samples, I can conclude that they are face masks."

"So, the thieves are using rubber face masks while doing this stuff."

"I'm afraid, yes."

"Alright pal. Thanks for the information. I'll catch up with you later."

*  *  *

The news regarding a terrible accident that happened to Nina reached the Barrels the next day. Chaos was created in the house, and of course, Lady Lynda fainted. Nick crept into depression. The frequent visits of policemen were made to their homes. Each time, they said that they were not able to find the body or that the body was buried deep in the ground. Within hours, that news was on television. The Clarks went to Barrels to share the agony and also to console Nick.

Victoria was stuck before the television screen, listening to every syllable that every person had to say. Whereas, Matt was in the bathroom, having his first bath since he committed that crime. He thought that the hot shower would wash away his sins. As he came out, Victoria asked, "Did you see her body when she was dead?"

"No. I thought she must be buried in the sand and gravel that lay there."

"They didn't find her body. Is she still alive?" Lines appeared on her forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about? No one can survive after falling from that height." Matt decided to go home at last, as he hadn't visited his mom after that accident.

No birthday celebration happened. They waited for Nina, and when she didn't arrive, they all got worried. After informing the police, her phone got tracked and was found at the accident site. While going home to meet his mother, Matt didn't ask Victoria to come along. They both knew the reason.

Actually, according to Clark, their daughter, Victoria, has been missing for days. John had done the same as he did to search for Nina. He had hired men to find her out, but there was no news regarding her as Matt had bought an apartment for them in a lavish area so that no one would ever dare to break into that place. John didn't inform the police about Victoria's missing case because he couldn't risk making the same mistake again that he did years ago. Before he was into the business of cars, he used to deal with the merchandise of antique porcelains. Once, a rich party accused him of a fake ceramics scam. The commissioner, being covetous, favored that party. Those people had roots in the mafia world. They offered the commissioner an enormous share for arranging false proofs against John to prove him guilty, which he did. John squandered a massive amount of money to bring things under control, but he was just a single person against the mafia and an avid cop. He even received threat notes from them, persuading him to rest the case. Eventually, the case was closed once he was found guilty, based on false proofs, and he was heavily penalized to see himself as liberal again. That's why he trusted hiring men to search for someone rather than confiding in the police, which involved the commissioner.

*  *  *

After so many days, he was standing at the entrance of his home. He went inside, and the first person he saw was Lady Lynda. She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. She was crying on his shoulder. "At last, you're back home."

"Yeah, mom, I'm sorry."

She continued crying.

He continued, "I left her alone. I had almost abandoned you all." Just then, he saw Nick pass by him. Matt called him. He looked back, stared at him, and went to his room. "Don't worry, dear. He is a bit troubled these days. He'll be normal. You can cheer him up." Lynda said. "You must go and meet Sir John. He was asking me about you." Matt went to him. John greeted him with a sad smile.

"I'm terribly sorry, father."

"What are you saying? It's not your fault. She did a shameful thing, which made you leave her."

"I never left her. I was severely upset."

"Yeah, I know." John sighed.

"Are you still looking for Victoria? I can't imagine where she has gone." Matt framed that question to get any updates from him regarding the hunt for Victoria.

"It's of no use now. It's too late."

"What?" Matt asked. John kept on staring at Kate, who had been crying since morning.

"Nothing." He mouthed.

Then he brought up the actual question for which he came there. "Father, is there any news about Nina?" John stayed shut for a moment and said, "You are her husband. You have the right to know." He continued, "The police found Nina's dead body lying on the ground. They stated her condition, which I can't even tell. Her body was filled with bruises, her hands were twisted, and glass protruded from her flesh in many places. I rushed to that site. I couldn't even stop myself. She seemed like a corpse taken out of the earth after centuries. I couldn't bear that sight of my daughter and got her buried in the graveyard as early as I could." He burst into tears. "I pray to God that she rests in peace."

Matt was stunned. John begged him, "Please don't talk about this with Lady Lynda, and of course not Nick. I've seen her condition since I gave her this news. She was not able to handle it. Please try to stay with her. This is the time she needs you badly." Matt nodded, but all he was thinking about was getting out of there and spending time with Victoria, not going to see his mother's face for a long, long time. Sir John looked at his wife and said, "What a terrible fate has fallen upon us that we have witnessed two simultaneous deaths."

"Sorry, what?"

Just then, a young man came to John, shook hands with him, hugged him, and left. He was a middle-aged man who stood out due to his audacious and unique appearance. His well-fitted clothes in bold, dark hues perfectly suited his powerful, chiseled features, giving him a confident, contemporary look. His well-groomed hair, which had a dash of edge, accentuated his dominant demeanor. His clean-shaven face accentuated his well-defined jawline, and his sharp, focused eyes exuded knowledge and profound comprehension. His whole look was confident and well-groomed, but it was also very aggressive, with a hint of youth mixed with resolute confidence. Matt asked John about that man. "He is Pablo. He is a great psychiatrist and was going to be Victoria's groom, but now everything is finished." Matt couldn't believe what he was listening to. John continued, "I don't like him very much. Victoria once called him to our home, and Kate took him as her son-in-law at first sight. He seems a bit rude to me." Matt was not able to stand there, even for a moment. He left at once for his apartment without saying goodbye to his mother.

*  *  *

"You are worse than Nina! You concealed such a big lie from me." Matt nearly screamed at Victoria.

"Do you even know who Pablo is? I met him a few months before I met you. He was just a friend to me. We haven't met each other for years. I don't know why on earth he returned to my family."

"Haven't I told you? He wants to marry you!" He became more intolerant.

Victoria commented harshly, "How can he, if he is not able to find me?" Matt said nothing. She came to him and said, "Matt, listen. You are the only guy whom I love. Do not let the ridiculous conversations from that hell bother you. We came here to live in peace."

"Fine, but your father was talking about another death that took place at that same time. Do you know anything about that?"

"How can I know about that?" Her words made Matt think. She dragged him out of his thoughts. "Matt, our only enemy is dead. It's all sorted. So, please don't make yourself upset again."

"Okay, now all is sorted." Matt said. Victoria kept staring into his eyes. Matt said, "Oh! Come on. Not again. I'm terrible at this eye-blinking game. I can't keep my eyes unblinking for at least one minute." She didn't register anything. "Alright, I'm in." After fifty-five seconds, he did what he had said in his last statement. He blinked. His eyes were aching. "I'm far better than you in this game. You'll never surpass me." She said it with a smirk. Matt grinned at her and pulled her towards him. They kissed. It was the heaven that Matt always wanted.

*  *  *

Time flew by, and life was getting back to normal. Nick seemed to be coping with his grandmother.

One night, Lady Kate was taking some rest. Sir John was sitting out in the garden, drinking whisky, and reminding himself of every second of that night when the accident happened. He couldn't erase any frame of that scenario he witnessed from his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

*  *  *

A month passed...

One day, Lynda texted Matt, "Tomorrow is Lady Kate's birthday. She invited all of us and especially asked me to bring you. You have literally cut yourself out of the world again. We all want you to spend some time with us. So, you're coming with us. Alright?"

Matt showed it to Victoria. She insisted that he should go.

"Are you serious?" Matt asked.

"I am, Matt. I know my mother. She had seen you there when you visited your mother and had a conversation with my father. So if she does not see you there in her party, she will hold some grudge against you for life, and it could turn out that she doesn't offer you anything that she ever wanted to give to Nina. I don't know if there could be many outcomes to that ill feeling. So it would be better if you just participated in it as a formality. That's it. Keeping fair relations with my mother can be beneficial for us."

Matt nodded and texted back his mother, "Alright, mom. I'll be there on time."

*  *  *

The next day at Clark's house, Sir John was doing some sort of packing. "Are you leaving somewhere?" Kate asked with confused eyes.

"Yeah. There's a meeting organized regarding the business of antique cars, so I need to attend it. I'm going out of town for two weeks."

"You can't! Today is my birthday. Everyone will be here for the support. I need you by my side that moment."

"Kate, please. I've also not attended the last meeting. I can't do that again. I have to go, or I'll miss my flight. You can do my part for enjoyment." He hugged her and left with his suitcase.

*  *  *

That evening, a marvelous party was thrown at Clark's house. There were no lavish arrangements as the Clarks had gone through a terrible tragedy. It was merely a get-together. There was no cake cutting, and dinner was about to be served. Small groups of guests were seen in the entire hall. Many gathered around Kate to console her. Matt was accompanying Pablo. They were having a formal conversation that didn't involve Victoria at all. At nine, the dinner was laid. It was a buffet system. Matt was starving, so he went first and picked up a table. As he turned around towards the pantry of food items, he found a woman in a wheelchair just behind him. The bandage was tied around her head. She was calmly looking at him with a subtle grin. It was Nina Clark.