"Fergus wants Neil to have the business, and he was planning to announce it tonight at the festival, but Neil yelled he doesn't want it, and well... They had a terrible fight."

Looks like Neil was honest with me about not wanting the business.

I was about to open my mouth but stopped when I heard Isla giggling at something Blair said. I placed the comb on the dressing table and turned toward the girls, who were still doing their makeup.

"I'm ready." They looked at me, and I jerked my thumb toward the door. "I just need to get my phone. I forgot it in my room."

"Awright, we er almost done." Isla beamed.

"Meet uz at the gates then," Blair said.

"Sure..." I mumbled and slipped out of the room in a hurry.

When we were out of earshot, I glared at Finlay.

"First, never go MIA on me like that again. I was worried sick for you-" I halted when I saw the smirk on his face.

"Nice to know you care."

"Shut up," I growled. "And second, why has Fergus brought this topic up now?"

"According to him, this was their chance to name it to Neil since Fergus is retiring and I'm in a coma." Finlay shrugged.

"I still need to figure out why Neil doesn't want it," I murmured, walking towards the gate since I already had my phone in my back pocket. "And why Fergus couldn't wait for you to wake up before announcing this sh*t. Something is going on which we're not aware of."

When I reached the gates, I saw Neil in a tuxedo leaning against his Audi. He peeked up from his phone when he heard my boots and gave me a once over.

"Wow... Ye look... Stunnin'." I almost tripped on air when he said the exact words of his brother.

"She's my fiancée, Scabby Bassa," Finlay grumbled, and I felt giddy at his words.

"Um..." I cleared my throat and gave Neil an appreciative smile. "Thank you and... I could say the same about you."

He looked nice in his black notch lapel tuxedo suit with a white shirt underneath it. I couldn't help but imagine how smoking hot Finlay will look in a tux.

"Glad ye like it." He winked, while Finlay scoffed.

"So... Where's everyone else?" I asked, looking around. There were only a few cars parked and no one else was there.

"The elders already left." He answered, taking his keys out of his pocket. "Alistair will take his fiancée, and Isla will go with Angus."

"And me?" I frowned.

"Ah'll be yer es'cort for the night." He grinned, opening the passenger door for me.

"What about Finlay?" I asked.

He told me Mr. Butler and the maids will take care of him while we were gone. I wasn't sure about it, but I had no choice and sat in the car. He told me about the festivals that happened last year on our way to the event. The festival is held in the Summerhall in Edinburgh and we reached it in no time.

• • • • •

Summerhall is an art complex and events venue in Edinburgh. I followed Neil as he showed me the music concert to the arts and tasted different whiskeys. After an hour of looking around, his father called him and he went with him the preparation for the tasting competition.

"It's a nice place," I mumbled to Finlay.

"It feels familiar." He answered, looking around.

I stood near the window and watched the people as I sipped my drink. Rosa and Dolina introduced me to many people, and I got tired of meeting them, knowing I won't ever see them again, so what was the use?

"You must have come here when you were young." I glanced at him, but my eyes caught someone else behind him.

To his left, I saw Alistair standing alone. I haven't once talked to this guy, so an idea popped into my head and I walked to him.

"Where are you going?" Finlay frowned, following me.

"To have a chat with your cousin," I murmured, and with a huge smile on my face, I stood next to him

"Hey, Alistair! Do you know where Blair is? I haven't seen her."

"She iz in the muwsic concert hall widh Isla." He gave me a curt answer, not even looking at me.

I compared our heights and sighed in relief when he didn't reach the one I thought he was.

"So... Who do you think is going to win tonight?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"He doesn't do small talk." Finlay chuckled, but I kept my eyes on Alistair.

He didn't answer or looked at me, but I kept blinking my eyes at him. After a few seconds, he sighed and glimpsed at me.

"I dinnae ken, Amber. But ah hope it'z Fergus."

"Me too." I grinned, satisfied that I made him talk. "You also work with them, right?"

"Aye, ah do. It's our family businezz." He said as a matter of fact.

"But it belongs to Finlay," I said on purpose to see if he reacts to it, but he frowned and looked at me like I had two heads.

"How lon' hae ye known Finlay?" His sudden question surprised me.

"A year."

"Do ye guys share everythin'?"

"Uh... I mean yes, of course." I let out an uneasy chuckle. He stared at me and I nervously shifted on my feet. "What?"

"Ah have a feeling you dinnae ken everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" My brows dipped in confusion.

"Ah'm sor'ry. Ah can't say anything." He walked away not before uttering. "It'z between ye an' Finlay."

"What the f**k?" I glared at Alistair's walking figure.

"He knows something that we don't." Finlay tilted his head. "What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea..." I darted my eyes around the room and saw Neil and Fergus talking with some guys. "But I'm going to ask him."

There is a puzzle to this mystery that I'm missing, and if Alistair won't tell me, I'll have to ask Neil about it.

I strode towards Neil and Fergus, but my steps slowed down when I noticed Neil. He had his expressions masked well, but if you inspected him, he looked anxious. Like how he was bouncing his one leg and kept clenching and unclenching his hands.

"There is something wrong-"

"Amber..." Finlay whispered.

"What?" I looked at Fergus and he had a smile on his face which looked hella fake.

"Amber..." Finlay said again.

"What?" I said in frustration and glimpsed at him, then frowned when I saw him clutching his arm. "Are you alright?"

"Someone just injected me." He gulped and my eyes bugged out.

I looked around the room. Rosa, Dolina, Aunt Jessica, and Uncle Lewis all were sitting at the table gossiping. Neil and Fergus were in front of me and Alistair was at the bar. Everyone was there except Isla and Blair. I ran towards the concert hall and searched for them.

"Amber!" I turned my head toward Isla's voice. "Come and dance with us!" Blair standing next to her waved her hands at me.

If all of them are here, then... Mr. Butler!

Ignoring them, I sprinted out of the hall and got outside. I couldn't ask anyone to drive me home, so hailed a cab and went to the Cockburn's castle.

It was dark when I entered the castle and couldn't hear a single thing except my boot clicking on the black and white check marble floor. I followed Finlay to his room and there was no one inside.

"I don't feel good." He grumbled.

"Let me check you." I put a hand on Finlay's forehead and frowned when I felt it sweaty and cold. "What the..."

"AMBER!"

I heard Finlay scream before something hit the side of my head. A zing of pain shot from my head down to my body and I fell onto the bed. Wincing in pain, I put my hand on the side of my head and something dripped down onto my side.

F**k!

"Got ye, Bonnie." Someone laughed behind me.

I twisted on the bed and saw the Hoodie guy with a lamp in his hands before everything faded to black.

• • • • •

A/N

Please. Don't. Kill. Me. 😬