[[ Veronica's Pov ]]

The voice wasn't unfamiliar to me. I stared up at the doorway with the hope of a glimmer in my eyes. I muttered under my breath in relief,

" DAD!! "

My dad walked in followed by a poker-faced lawyer who shot Blake a cold glare. Whatever he was doing with me here wasn't accepted by law. He wasn't a police officer nor belonged to any army. But powers gave him the advantage of interrogating me in such a way. My dad wasn't a simple figure in the country at all. He had his own well-established company and had quite an influence on higher-ups but unfortunately, it was no match with Blake's power.

Blake craned his neck towards my dad. His anger didn't ease up a bit instead it grew further at a dangerous rate. He chuckled in a deep voice,

" Mr.Knight has finally shown up to save his dearest daughter."

My dad corrected shooting him with an unfathomable look,

" Both are my favorite daughters. But that doesn't mean that I will let you torture her."

Blake lifted his weight and growled beastly pointing at my dad,

" You know everything that your daughter is doing. Your one daughter has left this world probably but you come here to support a murderer who caused the death of my wife and unborn child. For what reason you thought that I am going to let you take her away from punishment?"

The word 'unborn child' caused a clench in my stomach. I had no idea that Victoria was pregnant. Tears started to gather again as I stifled down the uncontrollable sobs in my stomach.

No wonder Blake was so furious!

My dad sighed deeply and reasoned patiently,

" I know Blake that you suspect Veronica. But you haven't seen her doing with your own eyes, did you? Besides, everything must be just a co-incident. I believe that Veronica won't ever be so cruel to her sister. She loved her dearly."

Blake stomped on his feet causing my dad to furrow deeply and heard his enraging voice,

" Bullshit! She was there with the foreign mafia. She lit the stove on her own. What's more, do you want as proof, Mr.Knight?"

My dad rebuked sharply,

" It doesn't prove that Veronica is behind everything. I am going to bail her out now. Without any solid proof, you have no right to file a complaint against her. There is a law in our country. Your words aren't law here."

My dad signaled at the lawyer who slightly nodded in approval and headed off to continue the procedure of my discharge. I smiled gratefully at my dad. He was the only person left who believed in me.

Blake's eyes changed color as if he was holding his patience not to kill my dad. He suddenly laughed, his laughter reverberated in the walls and caused me to jerk in my chair. His tone became threatening this time as he emphasized each one of his words,

" Of course, your law can get her out of this prison, Mr.Knight. But outside the prison, there will be only my laws."

My dad frowned further at his words and tried to read through his intention. Blake resumed in a dangerous voice,

" You might have forgotten the last incident that happened with Winston's empire, Mr.Knight. It will take only a few hours for me to burn down your whole Knight empire."

He paused shooting me a side look and continued with a smirk,

" Regarding your daughter, she can forget about being a model or show her pretty face in front of the whole world."

My dad's body stiffened lightly as he kept staring at Satan in human form disbelievingly. Shortly after, he replied in his cracky voice,

" Bla..Blake...We are family..."

Blake formed into a hateful sneer and replied looking up at my dad hatefully,

" Family? My relationship started with Victoria. Since she isn't here anymore, why must I show sympathy for your family? I strongly believe that your second daughter has something to do with my Victoria's disappearance. I am not going to let her go and roam around freely unless I gather a piece of solid evidence against her filthy crime."

My dad stammered in anger,

" You..you..."

I could see his body shaking after Blake's allegations. I knew how hard it was for my dad to raise us alone without my mother around. I couldn't sit back and watch Blake destroy my dad's hard work just because he held grudges against me.

I interrupted my palms to muster up the courage,

" Dad! Let him say what he wants! I don't want to cause you any more trouble. Please!"

My dad was going to deny it again since he knew what kind of monster Blake was. But I shot him a pleading look and shifted my attention to Blake whose aura emitted like an erupted volcano.

Since he didn't care about our family relationship at all, I called him by his name nervously,

" Mr.Blake, what do you want now exactly? Don't drag my dad into this mess, please. Since you think that I am at fault, I will cooperate from my side gladly. But let me repeat myself that I am not involved in Victoria's murder or the missing case."

Blake tilted his head back at me after a moment and narrowed his gaze dangerously as if he was irritated over my repeated statement.

He tugged his fists inside his pockets and tiptoed towards me in his predatory steps. I maintained a calm posture but deep down, I was sweating and hard.

His tall feature was towering me though I was tall enough as a Runway model, his height was a few inches higher than me. He took a moment to pick up his words and narrated with dominance, authority lacing out from his voice,

" Since Victoria's body isn't found yet, I believe that she is alive out there. Even if she managed to stay alive on an island, I am afraid that she will be in the hands of Raven Mafias who rule over the nearby states that end after BNS ocean. I want to stay by my side till I find Victoria from overseas. Even if I have to dig out the whole world, I will find her off any corner of this world. Unless I find her, you are still my suspect Veronica."

My dad replied first before I could decide to reply,

" You are going to keep my daughter as your prisoner? Blake? Aren't you going too far? She has her own life."

Blake barked shooting him a challenging glare,

" Victoria had her life too, Mr.Knight. I can't believe that you are biased towards someone who is the main suspect behind your elder daughter's disaparence. Shame on you! Talking about her career, who will offer her a job when half of her reputation is already ruined?"

I kept hanging my head down and dwelled in my thoughts. Blake was pointing at the truth. Even If I managed to get outside, nobody would offer me an opportunity until I proved myself innocent.

I nudged my bottom lips nervously and finally gave him my answer,

" I will follow you around."

My dad looked astounded and stared at me madly. I dodged his dagger-like eyes and looked up at Blake who seemed utterly blank,

" Since I am the reason behind this accident unintentionally, I will accompany you until you find out my sister. But that day, I will prove that I am innocent, you must let me go and my dad."

Blake took a while to decipher the sincerity of my words and promised through his gritted teeth,

" Deal! I don't have any fantasies of keeping you as my guard anyway."

I hung my head down and muttered oddly,

" It's settled then."

My dad was furious and didn't utter a single word. He left us after giving us a huff and closed the door with a loud bang. After he left, Blake ordered coldly,

" Follow me outside! We will leave for the C nation tomorrow morning. You are going to stay with my people."

I hummed at his response and dragged my tired footsteps behind his hasty footsteps. After taking one step clumsily, my vision turned blurry. I shook off my head to stabilize my mind and stubbornly took another step.

This time, I couldn't stay on track anymore. The following moment, I gasped loudly before my whole weight fell into the air. Before I lost my consciousness, I heard someone cursing in a low voice. Surprisingly I didn't fall on the floor. A pair of slender arms quickly wrapped me like a piece of ironic shell and I fell deep into the world of darkness.

I heard Victoria's accusing voice in my subconscious mind,

" You killed me and my baby, Veronica! "

" You killed me! "

" You must die too! "

" Killer! You are a killer! "

[[ Veronica's Pov ]]

I regained consciousness after an unknown amount of time. Opening my eyes groggily, I discovered myself back inside my pink-walled bedroom. A sudden hope hit my mind.

Was it a dream?

My hope didn't last longer when a mechanical voice rang from my bedside snapping me back to reality,

" Enough of acting?"

I snapped my head aside only to see him sitting with his legs crossed on the armchair. He looked so disheveled. A few buttons of his t-shirt were unbuttoned revealing his sweaty collarbone inside. His thick locks of hair seemed messy as if they hadn't been combed for years. He looked like a pure mess, a mess that I had created. A burning cigarette was hanging between his forefingers as he hauled up from the chair before making his way towards my bed.

My heart raced in anxiety violently. He was looking for nothing but a complete devil who could suck my soul anytime. He spoke in his voice,

" Get ready now! We will leave within an hour for C Nation."

I whispered looking away from his emotionless glare,

" But my dad.."

" He will be fine as long as you cooperate with me.", his threatening voice cut off my words. I went silent for a few moments and supported my heavy arms to sit up.

I spoke after going through an internal battle inside,

" What.. what about Victoria? Have you found any traces anywhere?"

His expression changed faster than flipping a page. A dark layer of hatred quickly appeared on his expression. I regretted the second time for asking too much.

He took a domineering puff from his cigarette and bent down slightly to look through my fearsome eyes. Fanning hot breath on my lips, he replied between his gritted teeth,

" You are in no position to ask about her."

My tears threatened to fall but I stubbornly held them in my eyes. Breathing erratically, I managed to squeeze out a few words harshly,

" It doesn't prove that I am at fault, Mr.Davidson."

I pronounced his surname to create a clear distance between our relationships. His face grimaced before taking another puff from his cigarette and spraying them on my nostrils.

Immediately my stomach tightened into a heavy pain when the smoke traveled down to my stomach. I understood what was going to happen when I struggled to breathe this time.

Still fighting with my breathing regulation, I heard his disgusted voice on my face vaguely,

" If I find out that you are behind everything Veronica, I will make sure that you regret each moment for coming into this world."

I couldn't register his words anymore. My breathing had started to work out erratically and soon I was lacking oxygen in my stomach.

My hands went up to rub my chest in the hope that it would stop anytime soon. My asthma attack didn't come back, was it?

I had recovered a long time ago. He gave his final words before puffing another one and making his way outside,

" Faster! "

My vision started to turn blurry around me. I straddled the bed before reaching for my drawer. I scattered through the staff but my inhaler was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that he wouldn't give a damn, still, I pleaded through my irregular breathing,

" B.. Blake...My..My inhaler..."

His track halted abruptly before turning around and staring at me coldly. His emotions didn't change at all upon watching my struggles. Instead, he cracked into a hilarious laugh before spouting venomously,

" Another Play, Veronica. You can keep dreaming that I will let you."

He attempted to walk out but fortunately, my old servant made a sudden appearance. She ran onto me with her white apron and spit non-stop,

" Young Lady? Young Lady? Are you all right? Has your asthma attack come back?"

I waved at her as an indicator that she should find out the inhaler first. Luckily she was a smart kid and went through all the drawers in a while.

Soon she found it lying in a corner and passed it on to me. As if my life had gotten back, I inhaled the medicine deeply before exhaling a relaxing breath.

Blake watched us from the doorway like a show. His expression expressed that even if I would die like this, he wouldn't care.

A chuckle escaped through his lips as he spoke with sarcasm,

" Karma is a bitch."

Well, he had already assumed that God had punished me for the sin which I had never committed before.

He took his leave without sparing a single glance and strode through the stairs downstairs. My maid cast a hateful glare on his retreat before cursing under her breath angrily,

" Such a devil."

She faced around to speak to me with a gentle smile,

" My lady..how..how are you feeling now? Any better? What did he do to you? How can a man be so ruthless? Didn't he know that you are suffering to breathe? "

I ignored her accusations. Though Blake was being mean to me a moment ago, I could understand his emotions. Anyone could be angered to death if he assumed that I could be the planner behind his family's death.

The sound of his boot tickling against the marble floor was gone. I heaved in relief that he was no longer around me. I was away from the devil momentarily.

[[ Blake's Pov ]]

I hate her!

Every nerve of my body screamed telling me that I hated her from the core of my heart. She was acting again a few moments ago!

She was doing fine but why did she start to feel suffocated then? Did she think that I would let her go just because I would pity her for being sick?

No way! I wanted justice for my unborn child!

I strode downstairs slowly and saw my so-called father-in-law sitting down there with his pale face. He jumped on from the sofa after finding me and whispered more likely in pleading,

" Blake, Veronica.. Please don't do this to her...Her career would be shattered if you take her away now. For Christ's sake, Victoria is already gone."

I felt another round of pain stimulating my heart when he talked about Victoria. Our life could have been perfect with her baby bump growing now. That night when she told me that she was pregnant, I had gone almost crazy in excitement. She planned for the whole night telling us how she would raise our child as a perfect human being.

Those words repeatedly rang in my ears. My pains all turned to rage after finding Veronica's involvement in everything.

I cast him a death glare before speaking with disgust lacing out my voice,

" You should thank me for letting her be alive so far. If you utter any more words, I will simply burn down your empire. Trust in my words! "

The old man's face was horrified but nothing compared to the pain that I felt for losing my unborn child. She or he was innocent and Victoria. She was the love of my life.

I ignored his existence before heading outside with my large strides. As I came near the entrance, I encountered a bunch of over-excited reporters who had been trailing me off since last night.

I stopped facing the shouting and screaming crowd in the opposite direction. I made a signal of huss as they all went dead quite almost instantly.

My threatening words fell out icily,

" Anymore shouting and I will see who can have his hands tomorrow for writing headlines."

They were all just a bunch of idiots. They only cared about how to make random assumptions and got a popular headline for tomorrow's newspaper. My warning did work though.

Taking a puff from my cigarette, I spoke tugging my fist inside my pocket,

" One by one! "

They all nodded with understanding. The ironic gate stood between us like a third wheel as one of the female reporters asked from the other end,

" Mr.Davison, the citizens want to know what you are going to do with Veronica Knight. Now she is a promising star and your family, are you going to put her behind the jail or any investigations going on?"

I pondered after hearing her series of questions. It was a perfect opportunity to destroy the name of 'Veronica Knight' from the world of modeling. One rude word from my mouth was effective enough to lose her most valuable resource " The Rira Fashion Show", one of the highest demanding cloth brands in the world. Victoria was their runway model for years. Then Veronica scouted this rare opportunity very recently. If any model managed to showcase her talent on their runway, the supermodel of the year title would be hers. Everyone knew all of it and that's the reason, her dad pleaded numerous times.

My eyes danced in amusement when I imagined the scene of her breaking down after the news.

How would it feel Veronica after losing your most valuable opportunity?

*** CHAPTER THEME SONG:

Stand Still By Sabrina Claudio ***

[[Blake's Pov ]]

Blame me for anything!

My hatred for Veronica Knight was stronger than anything. I pursued my lips together in an attempt at spilling out everything. Her cries would satisfy my inner demon the most.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Pausing my intention for a while, I slipped my hand inside to take out the phone. My brows pressed together when I saw the caller ID. It was a call from my Granny who lived in foreign for years. She had deducted every connection with me since the day I married Victoria. She firmly believed that women from the modeling industry were no good for my career or our family business.

I pressed the answer button despite having so many grudges for her. Since my parents died, she was the only relative left for me.

The call connected at once. Without saying anything, she ordered in her old grumpy voice,

" Don't utter anything nonsense in front of the reporter, Blake."

I was furious at her words. After ages, she had called me to boss around. I held the urge to be rude. Yet I had something to say to vent my rage.

I replied icily,

" Who are you to command me?"

There was dense silence from the other party. I felt happy to give her a taste of her own medicine. Her breathing heavied before reasoning patiently,

" I have heard everything, Blake. I am so sorry for your loss. I told you at the beginning that don't marry her. You never bothered to listen to me. The presses and news are waiting for another topic to pen down. Besides the girl who was suspected of this incident is also from your in-laws. For god sake, don't respond to the reporters anymore. Keep quiet until the incident is fully investigated, You hear me?"

Though her words made sense, I was blind to my grievances. I growled at her words angrily,

" You weren't by my side all this time. What made you think that you could order me?"

Her words came out softly,

" But I am here for you now when you need me the most. Have you ever needed me in all these years, Blake?"

She was right! Victoria was full of mind. Instead of pursuing her, I spread my hatred towards her more and distanced ourselves further.

The call was spent in silence for a while. Hearing no more words from me, she cut off the call. The beep tone of the phone took me back to reality.

I inhaled deeply before looking up at the over-excited reporters. A part of me was scowling, and refined as a coward.

I tore my eyes from them before locating my BMW parking on the garden side. Picking up lousy steps, I strode over to my car.

The reporters screamed in madness and threw several punches at the ironic gate but nothing worked out.

I made up my mind!

I stole a look from my wrist and started a countdown.

She should be here anytime soon or else I would add another punishment for her.

[[ Veronica's Pov ]]

I saw everything through the window. He just skipped the reporters and walked over to his expensive car. I had not much time left here.

I heard my maid bickering in a low voice. She imposed him like a complete devil and was putting clothes in my suitcase. My eyes traveled toward the image that was hanging on the wall.

It was a picture of me and Veronica. The picture was taken just when I landed down from the plane. We both looked perfect family.

I sighed caressing the hem of the frame and murmured painfully,

" I wish that you were here, Victoria."

The maid announced closing off the shutter with a thud,

" Your bag is ready, Young Lady."

I was jerked off from my painful memories. I hummed with a faint smile and started dragging my suitcase outside.

I found my dad downstairs. He was sitting across the couch with his head hanging down. It seemed like he had aged in a day. Sorrows were engulfed around his body. He looked so vulnerable. I felt so guilty for him.

I called him softly,

" Dad! "

He looked up at me numbly. Pains were evident in his old eyes. He stood up before walking toward me. Pulling me into a tight hug, he murmured in my ears,

" Veronica.. Don't go.."

I held back my tears and responded between my muffled sobs,

" I have to go, Dad..For the sake of Victoria.."

His shoulders jerked lightly before uttering one fearful line,

" What if Blake kills you, Victoria? What will I do in this life alone then?"

I sobbed hard between my replies,

" At least, you won't be bankrupted, Dad. Have you heard any news of Victoria?"

He released me from his hug and replied seriously,

" Oh yes! I forgot to inform you. Blake has done a DNA identification of the whole ship. Victoria's DNA wasn't found anywhere among the burning ashes."

My eyes flaunted in hope. I murmured beaming into a sadistic smile,

" It means..She may be alive out there somewhere."

My dad nodded wiping off his tears with his palm,

" Yes. At least I hope so, Veronica. At least you will be free from this crime."

I nodded repeatedly and replied with a faint smile,

" Being the murderer of my sister feels too heavy, Dad."

My dad sighed and encouraged me after planting a sweet kiss on my forehead,

" Take care of yourself, Veronica. After this mess is done, I will send you abroad again. This city is too toxic in front of your naiveness."

I hoped for the same. At least I wouldn't be called a murderer.

My dad led me to the doorway from where we could notice the screaming crowd of reporters. I genuinely suggested it to my dad who had a deep frown between his brows,

" Dad... Ignore them and don't step out of the house for a few days."

We exchanged a few words before making my way toward Blake's parked car. Out of habit, I pulled out the backdoor door to step in but It was locked.

I frowned before watching the glass piling down. His expressionless face came into view and his voice sounded like a devil,

" You are just an outsider. Sit in front beside my driver."

I swallowed the uneasiness before compelling his bossy command. I slid inside his instructed seat and looked at his tough demeanor through the rearview mirror. He was worrying about no emotions. In my eyes, he felt as though he was hiding himself from this world.

I questioned my nervousness,

" Where are we going now?"

He responded without humiliating me this time,

" C Nation."

I decided to go quiet but my phone ran disrupting the odd atmosphere that we were in. My expression turned deathly pale when the caller ID showed up.

It was no other than the managing director of " The Rira Fashion". I was trembling to press the answer button. Inhaling a deep breath to lighten up my mood, I finally received his phone call.

His voice came out as professional through the call,

" Sorry for this sudden call, Veronica. But I thought of checking on you."

I tried to soothe my cracked voice,

" I am well, Mr.Jake. Thanks for being concerned. Is there something that you need from me?"

Jake responded from the other end with a polite voice,

" No. I just called you to inform you that you are still on our team. Rumors like this happen in this industry. As long as you start working out, everything will fall into place naturally. The public will forget about it after a few months. But...are you participating in this week's fashion show?"

I was going to respond to him politely. But my phone was snatched from my back by a powerful hand. I was startled before looking back at Blake who just had my phone in his palms.

He pressed the phone directly into his ears and responded to him coldly,

" Veronica won't be joining any fashion shows anytime soon, Mr.Jake. Her manager will notify you again when she is back at work. For the time being, don't trouble her."

He was rude and showed no politeness. I heard Jake's questioning voice through the speaker vaguely,

" Who.. who are you?"

Blake gave his answer in short,

" Blake Davison, Veronica's brother-in-law."

He ended the call without saying any more words. Throwing the phone on me, he warned with his murderous eyes,

" If you accept any more professional work during your days with me, I will forget my promise, Veronica. Do you think that they are being patient with you just because they truly admire your work? No! Since Victoria isn't here any longer, they just wish to use you as her replacement."

I bit down my tongue painfully. Blake's words hit the core of my heart. He might be speaking the truth but through these years, I had never relayed my relationship with Victoria nor did I ever seek any help. I worked my ass off, trying hard to reach a noticeable point but when I achieved my goal, everything was shattered. Now my contract with The Rira Fashion wasn't solid enough. Denying their shows would only push me away from working with them in the future.

Future? I didn't even know when I would get out of this hell.

The car drove away through the backdoor without even notifying the over-excited reporters who expected to seize an opportunity of blocking us when we passed the door.

The roads were all empty except for a few emergency vehicles. The car went straight into his mansion. I frowned trying to understand why we were here rather than the root of the C nation.

He climbed down from his seat before straightening his collar. Without entering the house, he started to proceed towards the backyard.

I stood there bewildered but luckily, the driver showed a little sympathy for me. He spoke dragging the suitcase near my feet,

" Miss Knight! Please follow him to the backyard."

I inquired out of curiosity,

" But aren't we going to C Nation?"

He responded respectively,

" Yes, we are. The president doesn't visit local planes. He has his private jet."

Oh, Rich people!

Well, I belonged to a prominent family too but my father wasn't lavishing enough to spend a million dollars on a private jet. I nodded with understanding before trailing the driver off closely.

Before taking my final step, I took a glimpse of his house. I didn't get much time to observe yet but it looked huge more likely a castle from a fairy tale.

I hurried my pace when the driver signaled to me.

We arrived at the backyard of his mansion. Awe escaped through my lips when I discovered his silver-colored jet.

He turned around to face me and pointed at the jet,

" We are going to board through this jet. Remember to take your suitcase. I don't wish to spend a penny on you."

I rolled my eyes at his words as if I was waiting for it. His driver brought the suitcase behind me and was going to put the suitcase inside the jet.

But his stern voice cut off his actions,

" Wait, why are you serving her? She isn't your Mistress. Leave her suitcase here. She can take it on her own."

The driver seemed hesitant and cast me a pitiful glare. I assured him with a smile and took the baggage from his hand,

" It's okay. I am strong enough to take it with me."

Without waiting a moment, I started to take the stairs with my suitcase. It felt too heavy and I was palpating.

God knows what my maid put into it!

When I was at my second stairs, Blake's anonymous ringtone rang disturbing the peaceful night here.

Then all I heard was Blake's anxious loud tone,

" What? Do they have a piece of news about Victoria? Are you sure?"

My pace froze as overwhelming happiness spread through my veins.