7:30 a.m.

After only an hour of sleep, Vanessa opened her eyes. Just another new day, probably for most people. Not for her.

But she had to get her shit together, as Karevsky put it. He was right—she couldn't let her emotions rule her and control her.

So, dressing. Going out. Work.

***

"Nessa!" Rebecca shouted as opened the door to Vanessa's office. "You have to help me!"

It had only been ten minutes since the start of the working day. Vanessa was still finishing her first coffee, which she had hastily made at the house and taken on the go, and was trying to collect her thoughts to start working.

"With what, Becks?" she asked Rebecca, realizing that even if she needed to be alone, that was not possible.

"I don't know what to do!" Rebecca replied.

"With what?" Vanessa asked again.

"With Mike, of course," Rebecca said, sitting on top of the desk meanwhile. "Should I go talk to him? What if he acts like nothing happened? Or like we're together? Or like it was just sex?"

Vanessa leaned back in her chair. "Calm down, Becks. Breathe. What do you want it to be?"

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. And unexpected. I'm afraid of getting hurt again."

"Then talk to him. Look, I'm the last person who can give you love advice. But you're both adults. You've known each other since you were kids. You both have feelings for each other—that's clear. So, you owe each other a clear relationship, no matter what kind it will be."

Rebecca sighed. "You're right. Thank you, Nessa. What would I do without you? Oh, I almost forgot." She abruptly changed the subject. "Mom is coming home tonight. We're having a family dinner. I hope you don't have plans and will join us."

Vanessa propped her elbows on the desk and rubbed her face with her palms.

"Are you okay, Nessa?" Rebecca asked her worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm okay. I just didn't sleep well last night." Vanessa took the last sip of coffee and got up from her chair. "Come on, let's get more coffee."

The two walked out and headed for the elevator. At that moment, Mike came out from there.

"Oh, hi, girls. See you later," he muttered without even stopping by their side and continued walking to his office.

"Hmm," Vanessa exclaimed as she and Rebecca stopped in front of the elevator doors. "He didn't act in any of the ways you assumed. He just ran away. You didn't predict that, huh, Becks?"

Rebecca said nothing. Her eyes watered.

"Becks, come on. Nothing happened."

"Sorry, Nessa, I can't. I'll be in my office."

Rebecca slammed the door behind her, and Vanessa stayed on the other side. She hesitated for a moment but then just rolled her eyes. "Damn you, Mike," she said loudly and walked towards his office.

***

Meanwhile, Mike was already there, and Cole was waiting for him inside.

"Any news from the boys?"

"Yes. Clive called. He's gonna send you the address of one of Owen's attackers in a while."

"Good."

"What are you going to do, Cole?"

"What I have to," Cole answered shortly.

At that moment, the door opened, and Vanessa came rushing in like a tornado.

"Mike!" She turned to him, but the moment she saw Cole there, she turned back to the door. "Nevermind." And quickly got out.

"What was that?" Mike asked Cole, puzzled.

"Damned if I know."

"You should know. Did something happen yesterday?"

Nothing much had happened yesterday. It was a wonderful day. Cole had had a lovely time with Vanessa up there on that hill. On his spot. And till that moment, he thought she had just as good a time.

"Would you like to share something?" Mike continued to push.

Cole just looked at him for a second and then headed for the door. "Are we gonna go or what?"

The two left the building.

***

For Vanessa, this day was long and filled with countless thoughts. Her conversation with Karevsky replayed hundreds of times in her head. She occasionally looked at the photo she had on her phone of the sheet she had found in the house safe. There was no doubt about it. The handwriting looked just like Cole's. Everything had now become personal. But the question of who had actually sent her there did not give her peace. And why? There was something wrong with this assignment right from the start. And she had sensed it even then. But if then questions like 'Who? How? Why?' didn't matter that much, at that moment, her main task became to find out just that.

After the workday was over, she came home and went directly to her room to try to get some sleep. She had to collect strength for the upcoming dinner and the inevitable meeting with Cole. She needed more time. To rethink things. To prepare. But there was no time at all.

But her attempts to sleep were utterly unsuccessful. The clock already showed 8 p.m. It was getting dark outside. She went downstairs. There was still no one in the living room. So, she decided to take a walk outside.

"Hey, Nessa."

Jackson's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Jacks, hey. I didn't see you."

"What were you thinking so deeply?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, right?"

"Just about stuff."

"Do you wanna talk about this stuff? I don't like to see you sad."

"I am not sad, Jacks. Don't worry. Everything is great."

"Alright. Anyway, if you need anything, I'm here."

"Thank you."

"Now, let's go inside and have a glass of wine each. Cole and Mom should be here soon."

Vanessa took a deep breath. "Sure."

They entered the living room through the back door. Rebecca was sitting on the couch, tapping away at her phone.

"I'll go get the wine," Jackson said and headed for the kitchen.

"Nessa, I was just about to call you."

"I'm here, Becks." Vanessa sat next to her on the couch. "Well, did you talk to Mike?"

"No. He was out of the office all day. If he doesn't call me, I'll go to him tomorrow."

"Everything will be fine. You'll see," Vanessa replied and looked out the window.

***

Meanwhile, Cole stood patiently in a small cul-de-sac in front of the building where one of Owen's attackers lived. He had rolled up his shirt sleeves and was smoking cigarette after cigarette.

"Did you have fun?" he yelled as he saw the man he was waiting for walking towards him. "Beating innocent people?" Cole finished as he also walked towards the man in the meantime.

"Who are you?" the man asked him rudely.

Cole swung and punched him directly in the face. The man swayed but a moment later swung to strike back. Cole blocked it with one hand and punched him again with the other. "Not so good when you're alone, ah, rat?" Another punch followed. Blood spewed from the man's lips. Then another punch. His eye turned blue. But Cole didn't stop. "Three against one, how fair was that?" He continued hitting him harder and harder, and the man could not fight back. "This is for Owen!" With one kick, Cole knocked him to the ground. He dropped his shirt sleeves, looking calm, in complete control, and delivered another final kick to the man. "Tell your miserable boss to come directly to me next time when he has a problem with me. Not to attack my boys. And, if you haven't figured out who I am yet—I'm Cole Willker."

With a feeling of deep satisfaction, Cole walked into his car.

Just in time.

Although there was blood splattered on his shirt, Cole put on his jacket, buttoned it up, and drove to the airport to pick up his mother.

***

In the house, Jackson, Rebecca, and Vanessa were already sitting at the table.

As soon as Cole and Kristen arrived, Rebecca rushed to hug her mother. Cole approached the table, his eyes immediately drawn to the wine glass in front of Vanessa. He clenched his wounded fists and closed his eyes for a moment. Whenever he saw Vanessa drinking alcohol, he remembered the evening of the ball. The thought of what could have happened to her then was driving him crazy. However, he sat down without saying anything. At the same time, Jackson and Vanessa got up to meet Kristen.

"Hi, my boy," Kristen hugged Jackson and Vanessa as well. "Hello, Darling."

Vanessa was taken aback by her gesture and barely muttered, "Um, hi, welcome back."

"I'm starving, children. Let's eat." Kristen put her hands around Vanessa's and Rebecca's waists, and they all sat around the table and began to eat dinner, talking about how the youngers had been doing while Kristen was away.

"Cole, honey, I'd like some wine," Kristen said to her son.

Cole took the bottle that stood beside him, poured some wine into his mother's glass, and placed it in the middle of the table. However, when Vanessa reached for it, he retook it and poured the rest of the wine into Jackson's glass. No one seemed to react, although Rebecca and Jackson both chuckled slightly. Vanessa didn't react. But the tension between her and Cole could already be felt, no matter how hard she tried to avoid his eyes.

Even just standing at the table with him was a challenge for Vanessa. Adrenaline began to rage in her blood again. She needed to get out of there, at least for a few minutes.

Vanessa got up and went to the kitchen. She rested her hands on the kitchen island, closed her eyes, lifted her head, and took a deep breath.

"What's going on with you, Vanessa?" Cole's voice came from behind her, his footsteps getting closer.

Vanessa swallowed and turned, leaning against the counter. "Why do you even care?"

Why did he care at all? It was a question Cole had asked himself a million times, but there was no answer. He just did care about her. And he had already accepted that.

After getting even closer, he gently touched her cheek and entwined his fingers in her hair. "Did something happen?" he asked gently.

But Vanessa felt like she was suffocating. "Cole." She took his hand with hers and looked into his eyes. Then moved it slowly away from her face. "Stay. Away. From me." She said each word slowly, pausing between each.

Then she simply left.

***

The following morning

The night was restless. Not just for Vanessa. But also for Cole. He had allowed a woman to play him. Something that until recently sounded utterly impossible. It was happening. But what was even stranger was that instead of being furious—it wasn't that he wasn't angry at all—but he actually couldn't stop thinking and being concerned about what had happened to Vanessa. Why was everything fine one day, then the next, she pushed him away so adamantly?

But the new day had begun without asking if they were ready for it.

***

As early as 6.30 a.m., Danny had arrived at the house to introduce to Cole, the new gate guard, following the surprise departure of the previous one. The three were standing in the middle of the living room before the stairs, and Kristen and Jackson were drinking coffee at the dining table.

Cole gave his final instructions to the new guard, then the boy left the house and positioned himself at his workstation.

Danny and Cole stayed inside to discuss something further.

In the meantime, Vanessa got up, took her phone, and headed directly downstairs to make herself some coffee. Perhaps because of the sleepless nights, she didn't even think she was dressed only in Cole's shirt.

While taking the first steps down, she felt an inexplicable tension.

Cole was standing downstairs talking to Danny.

But it wasn't that.

Next step down. Her heart pounded.

Jackson and Kristen were sitting at the table—nothing unusual.

Next step down. Anxiety. Silence. Although everyone downstairs was talking.

Last two steps. There was something in the air.

Danger.

Vanessa glanced to the left.

A man. Standing by the kitchen door.

Unknown.

A gun.

Aimed straight at Cole.

"Cole, lay down!" Vanessa cried out.

Split of a second.

Everyone, terrified, turned to her.

So did the man with the gun.

And the finger pulled the trigger.

Shot.

"Vanessa!" Cole screamed and jumped on her, blocking the bullet's path.

They both fell to the ground.