Candice wished that she could have a good night's sleep, but with so many revelations and questions, she didn't. When the sunlight started to peek through the blinds, she decided that she might as well give up.

She found a pair of slippers in the guest wardrobe and put it on. It wasn't like she hadn't already used the pajamas inside already. She exited her room quietly, making sure that the door didn't slam shut. It felt weird to tiptoe around, but she didn't want to wake anyone and she was hungry.

The house was surprisingly cool and Candice shivered as she made her way to the kitchen, which she caught a glimpse of yesterday. She also wanted to find some pen and paper, so she could try to straighten her thoughts by writing.

But it seemed she wasn't the only one who was hungry.

Eric was already there, cooking away. The scent of fried bacon and eggs wafted through the air and Candice found herself walking right towards him.

"Good morning," she said quietly and Eric jumped. He relaxed when he saw it was her, going back to frying the food.

"Can't sleep?" Candice asked and Eric nodded with a slight smile. The slightly awkward atmosphere was back and Candice wanted desperately to diffuse it. Eric was the only anchor she had, and if she lost him, she didn't know what to do.

"Yeah," Eric said and the awkwardness resumed. Candice wrecked her brain for something to say, but all she could do was look at the food in the saucepan. Eric chuckled and pull out another plate.

"Thanks," Candice said and sat down in front of the kitchen island. It finally felt less strained, and the food was brightening Candice's mood already.

"Do you think we can trust David?" the question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. Candice's heart was in her throat as she watched Eric's reaction.

"I don't know," Eric answered, moving onto making pancakes. Candice couldn't resist starting on the bacon as she waited for Eric to elaborate.

"He didn't seem to be lying. He could have just got your DNA and signature already, but he hadn't," Eric said. "But I think we should reserve judgment until we find out more."

Candice felt a bit confused by his words. "How are we going to find out?" she asked. There wasn't a laptop in sight and she had lost her phone along the way. While Candice was no tech genius, she didn't think it would be too hard for David to track their internet browsing history one way or another.

"I've got my phone. Eva is on it," Eric leaned forward and whispered in Candice's right ear. A blush formed on her face as his breath tickled her face, but she held herself together. He had reacted unfavorably to their moment last time, and for once Candice decided that she should play it safe.

"Regardless, we should go along and find out who is going after you," Eric continued. Candice almost felt like she was being tutored. It felt good to be taken care of, and as Eric dished up some pancake, she felt like things were actually starting to look up.

"You two have made the news." David suddenly appeared without so much as a greeting. He had a satin navy robe on, marching towards the living room that was in sight from the open plan kitchen. He found the TV remote and turned it on with a flicker.

"Authorities are now searching for two students from UCLA that had gone missing for almost four days. Eric Goodman and Candice White were last seen at a fraternity party on campus. Originally thought to be a simple runaway case, new witness report had come forth that the duo was spotted being chased by masked attackers in downtown LA on the same night. Candice White also happened to be the only daughter of the recently deceased Richard and Linda White of the White Jewelries, both were killed in a tragic shooting during the Sacramento Charity Ball..."

Candice felt a shiver down her spine as a blurry image of Eric and her appeared on the screen. It showed them in the middle of the crowd, facing the two masked attackers. They also pulled up their student photos, which was not the best photo of her.

"Detective Wallace," Candice whispered, attracting the attention of the other two. "We've met him in Sacramento. He'd know that we were missing by then, what will he think?"

"The will is not made public," David replied thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on his face. Candice realized that he had a habit of doing that. "The detective won't know about it unless he gets a warrant to question the lawyer. We could do without the extra attention, but this shouldn't be a problem."

David pulled out a cell and stalked off, typing on it rapidly. Eric shrugged as Candice looked at him. While meeting the detective seemed innocent enough, Candice couldn't help but felt like something bad was going to happen. Her sorority sister would likely have been the one to report her as missing, seeing as she never went a day without texting one of them. Candice didn't like to worry them, but she really was in no position to reassure anyone of her own safety.

"This is getting out of hand," Candice whispered. "Do you think Eva can check on everything on us? Maybe she should let Detective Wallace know that you are not missing. We don't want people to tie you to me. I've gotten you in enough trouble already."

Eric blinked, as though surprised by what she said. Candice gave him a look and he quickly nodded. "Sure, but I think David is taking care of it anyway."

Candice pursed her lips. She wanted to trust David desperately, but her parents had taught her that if she wanted something done, it was best to do it herself. Well, Eric was as good as herself.

Her thought startled her, and Candice stared at Eric with wide-eyes. He didn't notice her gaze as he typed into his phone fervently. Candice had fallen for someone before, but never this fast and not with someone she barely knew. And never before she knew for sure that he wasn't using her as a way to get rich.

"All sorted." David walked back into the kitchen, his eyes still glued to his phone. "They won't be looking for you anymore. Though it might be best if you lay low."

The doorbell rang and the three of them looked at each other. It was barely seven in the morning, way too early for any kind of social call. David gestured for the two to hide and Candice looked at the plates in alarm. Eric saw their predicament and grabbed the plate. The two of them was ready to run when they heard voices, so they ducked behind the sofa instead.

"...extremely early for a visit, detective," David said. Detective?

"I'm sorry for the trouble, but we are on a time-sensitive case," the voice of Detective Wallace sounded and Candice had to put a hand on the back of the sofa to steady herself. Their footsteps approached and Candice shrunk lower, her heart hammering so loudly that she swore it was audible to all.

"What do you want from me, Detective?" David asked, his voice cool and polite. The two of them had now sat in front of the hidden duo, and Candice felt a thrill despite her fears. It was like she was a spy!

"You work for Richard White as his assistant, are you close with his family?" Detective Wallace started.

"No. I've met them on several occasions and Mrs White knows my name, but that's it," David answered.

"When was the last time you saw the Whites?"

"I was with them at the charity ball, but had been backstage with the technicians working on the presentation," David replied. Candice almost jumped out of her hiding place. David was with her parents the night they died! He must know something.

"What about Miss White?" Detective Wallace asked. David remained silent longer, as though pondering.

"I don't remember. I don't see Miss White a lot as she's still in college. I think she came to the office before she left," David answered convincingly. "I saw on the news that she's missing. Is she okay?"

There was a scrabbling noise, presumably someone writing, before she heard the two of them step up. "I'm afraid I'm unable to comment. If you remember anything that might be useful, or if Miss White contacts you, let me know."

The two of them exchanged a few more words before Detective Wallace leaves. Something was nagging at Candice, but she couldn't grasp exactly what it was.

"Were you really there the night my parents died?" Candice blurted, unable to hold the question back. David nodded grimly.

"I was backstage when the shooting happened. The police were there in seconds and I was escorted out. I didn't know your parents were dead until the news came on at the station," David answered. Eric patted Candice on the back to comfort her, but she felt ice cold.

"We don't have much time if the police are involved," David said, his voice strained. "If they lock the will up, it would take years of legal battle to get it back. Without your trust fund, you won't be able to get by."

"Without my trust fund?" Candice repeated, her face draining in colors as the reality of her financial situation sank it. They had frozen all of her accounts until she claimed the will.

"I thought we'd have more time, but we need to move fast," David said. Candice threw a look at Eric, who tapped his phone. Whatever information had Eva found, they needed to know it fast. Because with no money and no allies, Candice had no choice but to trust David. And however genuine he seemed, you never know what a person's true intentions were.

"My sister is a computer genius, she might be able to help us dig up some truth, so we know what we're dealing with," Eric spoke out. Candice had to school her expression to hid her shock. She thought Eva was supposed to be a hidden card.

"I have a team of experts who can help us at the push of a button," he said, waving his phone. Candice eyed it in jealous; it was the latest iPhone. She needed to get a phone.

"None that wouldn't link you to suspicious activities if the police find out," Eric said and David's face changed. It was soon settled that Eva would join them to help unearth more information before they try to get to White Falls, to learn as much as they could."

Eric excused himself to sort everything out with Eva, leaving Candice and David in the room. The idea of this stranger being her cousin was settling in, and she found herself curious about his upbringing.

"I know that it's all very overwhelming," David suddenly said, his tone almost paternal. "But you are not alone. You have me."

His words touched Candice's heart. And she nodded. "How did you...?" she asked, then trailed off as she was unsure of how to phrase it.

"I found the photo with my mom's face when she passed," David replied openly, understanding Candice's unfinished question. "I grew up in a single parent family on the outskirt of San Francisco. My mom died when I was twelve, and I was sent to live with my grandparents. It took me a few years to find out who the people in the photo were when my grandpa finally let slip that my mom dated Robert White."

David was rambling slightly, but Candice could tell that he hadn't had the best childhood. He had referred to her as his only living relative, meaning that his grandparents must have passed, too.

"At first I couldn't find any information on Robert White, only Richard," David continued, seemingly on a roll now. "But the White Family was huge, all over the news. It took me months of digging through old newspaper archives to find Robert and Ronald White on newspaper, Robert died first in a car accident, and Richard second in a tragic fire."

All accidents. Candice wouldn't have thought much about it before, but given that Robert had perished during a random shooting, the three brothers' demised seemed suspicious.

"I thought your father—" David started, but then stopped as though he thought better of it. "I knew it wasn't just an accident. So I started working for White Jewelry. The deeper I dug, the more I find. The company was a shell of itself. There were no funds left. The White Jewelry had been covering up its debt with earning for years, running on fumes. It's only a matter of time before the company goes bankrupt. But there's no mention of where the money went."

Candice shifted uncomfortably. The idea that her parents were embezzling funds didn't make sense. They attended charity gala and had many philanthropic causes. It never felt like they were lacking nor did it felt like they had excess compare to what they should have as the chief shareholders. At least, she thought so.

"Either way, without access to the frozen funds, we won't know for sure," David said. Somehow, Candice could tell from his tone that he was sure that they'll know the truth once they get to White Falls. Candice wanted to believe that, too. But it didn't feel right. Her parents had been obsessed with the family name, and it was impossible they'd do anything to hurt its legacy. There had to be something that she was missing, something that she wasn't seeing. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what it was.

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A little bit of answer is finally revealed! Well, relatively. I'm stuck again but I've got a chapter stored up - so I've got a week to unblock myself! Finger crossed that'd work. Let me know your thoughts!