After spending most of the night in Matt's apartment, Vanessa managed to sleep only two hours. But the morning had come with the tension of what was about to happen next.

Cole had fired her yesterday. Although his words were a result of the situation, Vanessa was still not sure what would happen today.

It was time to find out, so after drinking her coffee with a few cigarettes, she got dressed for work. The outfit she chose consisted of black high-waisted trousers and a black top with a lace-up neckline. She put on her hated-heeled shoes and a formal jacket.

It wasn't long before she was in front of the office. The situation in the building seemed normal.

"Hey, Mike." Vanessa greeted him as soon as she saw him leaving Cole's office, where she was headed.

"Good morning, Nessa," Mike replied to her.

"The boss is busy," Marissa, who was standing at her desk, said, though no one even looked at her.

Vanessa patted Mike on the shoulder. "Have a nice day." Then she turned to Marissa. "Do I look like I care?"

As always, Vanessa did not wait for an answer but went directly to Cole's office. Before closing the door, she heard the secretary's squeaky voice behind her. "Mike! She can't act like that!"

"No, Marissa, you can't act like that. She—obviously, can."

Vanessa smiled and closed the door behind her.

"You're late," Cole said a moment later, in his typical tone, without even looking at Vanessa.

"I came to pack up and vacate the office."

Cole closed his laptop, leaned his hands on it, and crossed his fingers. "Look, Vanessa..." He looked as if he didn't know exactly what to say or how to say it. "About what I said yesterday... I was angry. And you have this audacity not to respect my orders. But you just tried to help, and hell, you did. I appreciate that."

A small smile appeared on Vanessa's face while listening to Cole.

"What I'm trying to say—" He continued, but Vanessa interrupted him.

"That you still want to be my boss?"

Cole looked Vanessa in the eye seriously, answering nothing.

"Thank you, Cole." Vanessa continued, looking him in the eye, too. "How is Rebecca? I wanted to call her, but I didn't know if she would want to talk to someone."

"She's doing well, given the circumstances."

"What happened?"

A typical spark of anger appeared in Cole's eyes for a moment. He didn't like being asked personal questions, much less explaining something to anyone.

Yet he did. "It was Tom. You were right."

"It was logical. Love, lies, hurt. People always do that. Pathetic."

Cole raised an eyebrow slightly, once again impressed by Vanessa's thinking.

"Did the police arrest him?" she asked.

"He wasn't there when we found Rebecca. Perhaps he had regretted what he did because he sent me a location to find her. He's on the wanted list right now. But I don't count on the police to catch him."

"What do you mean?"

"I have much better resources to look for a man. Before he goes to prison, he will deal with me first." And the little spark of anger turned into a big fire as Cole spoke.

"I hope you won't do anything stupid, Cole."

"Mind your own business, Vanessa!"

His voice was very harsh now. The limit has been reached.

It was time for Vanessa to step back. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business," she said in a sad voice and bowed her head, though, at that moment, she wished to punch him in the face.

She turned and left the office.

"Vanessa, wait," Cole said after her, but she didn't hear him. "Damn it, this girl."

Cole got up from his chair and walked out of the office to catch up with her.

Vanessa had already passed the secretary and was about to enter her office.

"Vanessa, I told you to wait."

Now what? Vanessa thought, rolling her eyes, and turned to him after that.

"Take a day off," Cole said. "Rebecca will be happy to see you. Mike will drive you to our house."

Marissa, who witnessed what was happening, turned red with anger, while Mike, who was also still there, just smiled.

Vanessa clenched her fists for a moment because of Cole's commanding tone but then turned to Mike with a fake smile. "When the boss gives the order, who are we to oppose? I'll be ready in ten minutes."

She turned, but instead of entering her office, Vanessa headed straight for the restaurant, where she took a toast from Rebecca's favorite ones and was in Mike's car precisely ten minutes later.

***

"Nessa!" Rebecca shouted from the doorway even before the car stopped.

After Mike parked and they got out of the car, Vanessa looked in amazement. It was as if she were in a small palace.

The front yard was huge, with a central driveway and smaller sidewalks on the sides, among beautiful gardens. There was a large fountain in the center, from which the water was gushing, and its sounds echoed the space. There were a lot of guards in front of the central nearly three-meter gates, maybe at least seven people.

Vanessa noticed that the security booth was small, only for one person, but probably due to the current situation, there were more people now.

While she continued looking around, Mike was already with Rebecca. They greeted each other, hugged, and started talking.

A few minutes later, Vanessa joined them.

"Becks, I'm sorry, but just... Wow! I have to say it. Anyway, come here." She pulled Rebecca towards her and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're fine. You scared us a lot."

"Well, I am... back, alive and kicking, weren't that the words?"

"Yeah, something like that." Vanessa laughed, seeing that, apparently, Rebecca looked pretty well.

"I'll leave you, girls. I'll see you later." Mike kissed Rebecca on the cheek and headed for the security boys.

"Let's go inside." Rebecca invited Vanessa.

Entering the house, Vanessa could not hide her impression again.

The living room was huge, probably over four hundred square meters. The exterior walls were entirely floor-to-ceiling windows, dark gray curtains hung on them, and others in burgundy were tied in front. The furniture was modern, with simple square shapes, and their light colors combined with chrome made the room even more spacious. A dining area with a large glass table and ten chairs upholstered in burgundy leather was on the right side. At the far end was a huge white leather sofa arranged with small pillows and a coffee table in front. A few armchairs were positioned on the sides. The stairs to the second floor were to the left, and behind them was the kitchen door. Everything was luxurious and very stylish.

"The house is wonderful, Becks!"

"Yeah... But let's go to my room. It's kinda overcrowded here."

Although Vanessa was captivated by the interior, she could not help but notice a dozen guards there.

So, the two headed straight for Rebecca's room on the second floor.

"It's not that spacious here like in the living room, but at least it is more private," Rebecca said to Vanessa as she opened the door.

"It's perfect," Vanessa replied, looking again at the size of the room, which was at least three times the size of all the rooms she had lived in.

Rebecca nodded at Vanessa. "Come on. I made coffee. It's still warm."

The girls sat down in the yellow puff chairs by the window. There was a small wooden table between them, and cups of coffee were placed on top.

Vanessa put the paper bag she was carrying and pulled the sandwich out of it for Rebecca. "And, the toast is also still warm. Here you are!"

"You're the best, Nessa!" Rebecca exclaimed, opening the box in the meantime.

"Well, I thought you'd miss your favorite sandwiches!"

"Oh, sure I did!"

Vanessa smiled but then continued with a more worried tone. "Now, seriously, how are you feeling?"

"Seriously—I don't know, Nessa." Rebecca set the sandwich on the table and changed her expression. "My brain still can't process what happened. Yes, Tom behaved awfully towards me in the past, but I can't believe he went so far. To kidnap me?" She took a deep breath. "But thanks to the pills that Cole keeps trampling on me, I feel pretty calm."

Vanessa caught a hint of irritation in Rebecca's voice. "Don't be mad at him, Becks. He is worried about you."

"Yeah, I know that. But didn't you see the situation downstairs? I feel like a hostage."

"Becks, Cole has taken the necessary precautions for your safety."

"You sound like him."

"Maybe because that's the right thing, don't you think?"

"Alright, I guess you have a point. But I just want my life back."

"And you will have it." Vanessa shrugged. "You are here. Alive and healthy. Nothing irreparable happened. This is what matters. I am sure that you will continue your life in a normal way very quickly."

"Thank you!"

"For what?"

"For being here for me. For giving me strength." Rebecca looked out the window as if remembering something. "When I was with Tom, I cut all my friendships. My friends kept asking me why I was with him, advising me to leave him. But not out of concern. They knew nothing about our relationship. They just thought he was below our level—he did not have much money or expensive cars. I realized I didn't need such toxic people in my life. Tom was enough for me. But then... Then I saw his real face as well. And just when I had lost faith in people, you showed up."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything, Rebecca continued. "I can't explain it, but I have a strong inner feeling that I can trust and count on you. That I can consider you a true friend."

"Becks, I..." Vanessa didn't know what to say. Yes, she could feel it, too, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She was worried about Rebecca. She had saved her. But all this, all these feelings were so new to her.

"Nessa, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I had this idea the night before the incident. You told me you were going to look for a place to live. Have you thought of having a roommate?"

"Ahm... I have never thought about that. I knew no one here, so I really haven't. But do you know what? I like how it sounds!"

"Great!" Rebecca clapped her hands.

"But... What will Cole say about it?"

"I don't care what Cole will say. I am not a baby. And it is not like I've never lived somewhere else before. Besides, I will live with you, not with a man."

"Well..." A slight smile appeared on Vanessa's face. "In this case, I think this would be amazing, roommate!"

Living with Rebecca would undoubtedly be helpful in Vanessa's work. But what bothered her somehow was that she felt genuinely excited. Again, these unfamiliar emotions overwhelmed her.

They scared her.

And she was not getting scared easily.