"That's impossible. She's been taking her pills, right?" Tonia asked, pacing back and forth while Evan sat on a rock in the small garden.
"Yes. I make sure she does. I even doubled the dosage," Evan said.
He rubbed his hands together, restless.
"I just can't shake this feeling that I'm missing something. Ever since this killer appeared."
"You doubled it?" Tonia stopped mid-step, staring at him in disbelief.
"Yes. Remember what the doctor said? Any event related to her past life could jog her memory," Evan protested.
"Evan, that's too much." Tonia glanced around carefully before lowering her voice. "It's already bad enough that we're secretly compressing her memories… her mind."
She sat down on the bare soil, troubled.
"The brain is a sensitive organ. Too much of this and we might kill her."
Evan swallowed.
"So what do we do?"
"We relax," Tonia said firmly. "It's not Vicky. The girl is always with me at Sarge. And the Vigilante still hasn't been identified."
She looked at him, steadying his nerves.
"So let's not go mad yet."
A man with glasses sat alone in a dark room.
Dim light reflected off the lenses resting on his nose as he stared at the laptop screen in front of him.
The screen flickered as a video call connected.
A masked man appeared.
"Confirm your secret code," the electronic voice demanded.
"Owl," the man replied.
A pause.
"Your report."
Owl touched the bandage across his face.
"It's her."
The masked figure tilted his head.
"Did she do that?"
"Yes."
For a moment there was silence.
Then the masked man burst into manic laughter.
***
Dinner at the Shikongo mansion was both quiet and noisy at the same time — a family gathering where tension hid beneath polite conversation.
Servants stood nearby, ready if anyone needed anything.
Adam broke the silence.
"So. Is the upcoming marriage still on? Or did something happen between the lovebirds?"
"It's cancelled," Monica said flatly, staring straight at Catherine.
Catherine smiled coldly.
"The wedding is on," Alexander said calmly, scooping food onto his plate. "And I'm looking for a planner. The best one, of course."
Monica leaned forward slightly.
"So Catherine… since you arrived from SA, you've basically been here the whole time. What about your family? Who are they?"
"Yes, Catty," Kuku Veronica added. "We've actually never met your family."
Catherine wiped her mouth neatly.
"I only have my mom. My father died when I was young, before we moved to SA."
She paused.
"My mom is now the CEO of Samuels Group."
Alexander frowned.
"Your mother is Vivian Samuels?"
"Vivian Ernest," Catherine corrected firmly.
Daniels frowned while eating.
"Wait… isn't Samuels Group drowning in debt after the viral divorce between Jonas and Vivian? I always wondered what happened there."
"In debt?" Monica echoed dramatically.
She leaned back, folding her arms.
"You aren't marrying my brother for money, are you?"
The table went silent.
"Monica?" Betty warned, shooting her a sharp look.
Adam, however, smiled slowly.
"I'm just wondering—" Monica began.
"It doesn't matter," Alexander cut in calmly. "I'm planning on buying Samuels Group anyway."
Adam's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
He leaned forward, excited.
"I'm proud of you, son."
Alexander frowned slightly. That was rare.
Adam almost never praised him — especially not at dinner in front of everyone.
"So when are you signing the papers?" Adam asked.
"Yes," Catherine repeated slowly, though her teeth were clenched. "When are you signing?"
Her mother hadn't said a word about this during their visit earlier that morning.
"Um… soon," Alexander said, running a hand through his curled hair.
He glanced at Ruben, who suddenly seemed very interested in his plate.
"Vivian still needs to draw up the papers with her lawyer. I made her an offer and she accepted. We haven't discussed the details yet."
Kuku frowned.
"But even if Samuels Group is in debt, buying it could cost almost everything you've worked for. At least fifty-one percent of your shares."
Clearly, she thought it was a terrible idea.
Ruben finally spoke.
"Kuku… imagine buying gold with all your savings."
He lifted his glass slightly.
"That's what Samuels Group is to Alexander."
Alexander narrowed his eyes at him.
Then he smiled.
Blue stepped out of the casino after the night's entertainment.
Across the street, Xavier sat inside his car.
He casually checked the tracking signal on his phone.
Earlier, while they were drinking and laughing together in the casino, he had secretly pinned a small tracker onto her jacket.
Getting information about her had been impossible.
But now he would know everything.
Where she went after the casino. What she did. And who worked for her?
Because he still refused to believe she had taken down his best armed men alone the previous night.
He signaled his shadow men. They moved.
Blue walked calmly down the street, unaware she was being followed.
Or so it seemed.
She turned into a narrow alley.
At the end of it, bushes led into the woods.
Xavier's men followed carefully.
Blue suddenly stopped. They immediately hid.
Minutes later, she continued walking and disappeared deeper into the woods.
Xavier waited in his parked car beside the road.
He had already given one clear instruction.
Bring her in alive.
One of the men hid behind a tree, watching her through the darkness.
Then he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned.
Blue stood behind him.
Smiling like a clown.
Before he could react, she snatched his gun and smashed it across his skull.
He dropped instantly. Unconscious.
The forest erupted with gunfire.
Blue moved like a ghost between the trees.
One shot. Another. Another.
Xavier's shadow men fell one by one.
An hour and a half passed.
Xavier frowned, checking his watch.
Something wasn't right.
THUD.
He jumped as something slammed hard onto his windshield.
He looked up.
One of his men lay sprawled across the glass.
Bleeding.
But alive.
A moment later, Blue stepped out of the darkness.
She walked straight toward the car.
Her clothes were stained with blood.
She opened the passenger door and slid into the seat.
The gun in her hand belonged to the first man she had knocked out.
She slammed the door shut.
Then she turned slowly toward Xavier.
"If you want to know anything about me," Blue said through clenched teeth,
"Ask me."