Meanwhile…
Patricia walked aimlessly, her eyes glued to the screen of her phone as she moved down a busy street.
The early morning sun cast its soft glow on the tall skyscrapers. The sky was still painted in orange‑gold hues from the rising sun, the magical colors bouncing off her flower‑printed dress. Her hair was loose, held in place by a flower‑embroidered headband. A white‑and‑gold crossbody purse swung at her hip, perfectly matched with the white‑and‑gold pumps on her feet.
"You know… you should watch where you're going, otherwise you'll bump into someone—or something."
Patricia lifted her gaze from the phone and found herself facing a woman in a white blouse, brown jeans, and boots, topped with a brown sun hat. Long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and back. Her soft brown eyes, small flat nose, creamy skin, and pink lips gave her an innocent allure—but those who knew her better understood it was a trap. Behind that gentle façade lay a fearless tiger, waiting for prey foolish enough to step too close.
Nicole smiled. "He's going to reply. So stop worrying your silly head, drama queen."
Patricia sighed and slipped the phone into her purse.
"Drama queen, seriously? As if you were any better?" she muttered, resuming her walk. "Seriously, Nicky, I don't understand why he's ignoring me. I've been calling and texting since last night, and he still hasn't replied. Urrgh, it's so frustrating. Isaac never behaves like this. Unless…" She froze, turning wide‑eyed to Nicole. "What if something bad happened to him? What if he collapsed from his illness? Or was hurt during a mission? What if—"
Nicole quickly stepped forward, gently touching Patricia's arms. "Hey. Hey. Calm down. You're hyperventilating for no reason." She rubbed Patricia's arms soothingly. "Relax, okay? I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he's just in a position where he can't answer right now. But he will. Trust him."
Patricia exhaled softly. "You're right. I'm just overthinking. He'll reply. He will."
Nicole smiled. "Yes, he will. So calm down."
Patricia took a deep breath, then clasped Nicole's hand. "Thank you, Nicky. I really needed that—especially you being here. I know it must be a lot for you to come out in public after months in hiding. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. I promised I wouldn't miss your big debut at the Derby race for anything in the world. I'll always be here for you. Now, enough chit‑chat. Let's go to that café and enjoy our time together before you get pulled away for training for tomorrow's big event."
Patricia chuckled, holding Nicole's hand firmly as she tugged her along. "You're right. Let's go."
The two women giggled as they raced down the street toward a café at the end of the block. Inside, they settled at a table in the backyard garden, adorned with a variety of flowers. It was beautiful, private, and perfect—Patricia had booked it in advance to spend quiet time catching up with her best friend.
.......
Later
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe he had the audacity to invite you to his wedding after blowing things off with you in such a harsh way. What a scumbag jerk!" Nicole yelled.
The two were now enjoying their favorite dessert—ice cream—and chatting.
Patricia sighed. "You know, Richard was always a snobby, arrogant boyfriend. Sometimes I wonder how I ever fell in love with him. He's an asshole—and always will be."
"Just like I always say, girl: a pig will always remain a pig, even if it wears fancy clothes or drives luxurious cars. It's still a pig," Nicole quipped, and the two women chuckled heartily.
"You're right, Nicky. A suit can't change a person's character. If anything, it just makes him look more ridiculous," Patricia said.
Nicole chuckled. "Indeed. So… who's he marrying? Jenna? Olivia?"
"Neither. He's actually marrying a brunette from Munich—with big artificial breasts and ass. Can you believe it? I think her name is Amia or… whatever. She looks more like a plastic doll than a human being. Unbelievable."
Nicole burst out laughing. "Do you have their photo?"
Patricia shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe I still have it—if I didn't delete it out of disgusted boredom." She pulled her phone from her purse, scrolled through her gallery, and finally found the photo. She turned the screen toward Nicole.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Nicole exploded with laughter. "Seriously—does that even look human? More like a big fat ass doll! Ha! Ha! This is too hilarious. Wow. A pig marrying another pig indeed."
She took deep breaths to calm herself. "Wow… this is just too rich."
Patricia laughed lightly, retrieving her phone. "Ha. Ha. Hilarious indeed. And I'm not keeping such trash in my phone. No way." She pressed the delete button. "Trash deleted."
The two women laughed heartily together.
"So… any progress on the Zach case? Did he finally confess to his mischievous crimes?" Nicole asked.
Patricia sighed. "Yes. He said some kid named Adilo approached him at the university. At first, he acted friendly—until one day Zach found a syringe and an envelope stuffed with cash in his bag, along with a threat note attached to a picture of Alisha. That's how the whole showdown began."
Nicole hummed. "Mmm… do you think that guy might be involved with our most wanted?"
Patricia nodded. "I have strong reason to believe so. Alisha even confessed that she once saw him talking with that monster X's nephew. So yes, I think he's involved."
Nicole's expression darkened. "And what about Alisha? Is she okay? That must have been terrifying—being in the presence of that monster, knowing her life was in his hands. Fate is so cruel, always dragging us into the orbit of the very people we're trying to bring down, and in the most unexpected ways. It's just so unfair."
"Yes, it is. Truly unfair. But what can we do except hope things don't blow up in our faces, leaving us without justice?" Patricia paused, taking a spoonful of ice cream. "Anyway, don't worry. Alisha is fine. Shaken, yes—but fine. I just pray it doesn't happen again. Otherwise… I don't know how I'd go on living. My siblings are my life—the only family I have left. If anything happens to them… I don't think I could take it."
"Mmm. You're right. So… is what she said about the sabotages true?" Nicole asked.
Patricia sighed. "Yes. It's true. All the sabotages I've been seeing in the race match exactly what Alisha said that woman McCoy told her."
Nicole hummed. "Well, that's good, isn't it? At least you're prepared for them in time, so they won't harm you."
Patricia shook her head slightly. "Mmm… I don't know, Nicky. Strange things have been happening lately. And not just unsettling strange—the kind that makes your blood run cold, chills you to the bone. I'm telling you, something big is coming. I don't know what it is… but it's definitely not good."
"Mmm. I understand. So what do you think?" Nicole asked.
"I don't know. But I have this unsettling feeling that Isaac is hiding something from me. Something he doesn't want to tell me. Something big must've happened the night he went to the old McCoy mansion in Peruz," Patricia replied.
"But what makes you think that?" Nicole pressed.
"I know Isaac. I know exactly how he behaves when he's avoiding me or holding something back. The night he came back from scouting the mansion, I felt him trying to reach out—but he hesitated. And when he collapsed into my arms and cried… I knew it. Something big happened, and he just doesn't want to tell me."
Nicole nodded slowly. "Okay… so what should we do then? Reinvestigate ourselves?"
Patricia exhaled softly. "I think we should first find someone who has that book. If we can figure out what Dad wanted me to discover in it, then we can decide our next move."
Nicole hummed in agreement.
"Did you finally get in touch with that contact of yours from Rose? Did he say anything about Queen Adriana Wiltshire's house or relatives?" Asked Patricia.
Nicole shook her head. "No. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from him in weeks. I think I'd better find another contact—this one doesn't seem useful at all."
"It's okay. We'll investigate ourselves once the Derby is over. If it does get over," Patricia said.
"What—you think you can't beat the Bulldog? You think you can't claim the title of second world champion Derby racer?" Nicole teased.
"What? No, of course I'll do my very best to win and reclaim my father's title. I just… hope things don't turn out for the worst, that's all," Patricia replied.
"Don't worry, Patty. Everything's going to be fine. Even if you don't win tomorrow, you'll try again and succeed. I have faith in you. You've got this," Nicole said warmly.
"Thank you, Nicky. I promise to do my best to win that cup and that title—and make everyone proud," Patricia said with a smile.
"Now that's my girl," Nicole replied, smiling back.
Just then, Patricia's phone began to ring.
She checked the caller ID—it was Zach.
"It's Zach," she murmured, before answering.
"Hey Zach, what's up?"
"Come back to the hotel. Now!" Zach's voice boomed through the line.
"What? Why? What happened?" Patricia asked, hearing raised voices in the background. "Wait—is that Alisha yelling? What's going on?"
"Come see for yourself!" Zach snapped, then cut the call.
Nicole frowned. "What's going on?"
Patricia shook her head. "I don't know. But we'd better go check it out."
The women stood, grabbed their purses, thanked the waiters, and hurried out of the café.
.....
Later, Back at the Hotel
"Look, I don't care what you want—you're not welcome here! You should've thought about that before you left!"
Patricia and Nicole heard Alisha's voice the moment they stepped into the presidential suite. Since Patricia had become such a sensation at the Derby, the hotel had upgraded her to the suite as a show of support.
"I only came here to speak to Patricia! I don't have time for your nonsense!"
Another voice responded—husky, smooth, and unmistakably tense.
Patricia and Nicole exchanged glances as they moved further inside.
Just then, Zach hurried toward them.
"Zach," Patricia called.
"Patty, thank God you're finally here. I don't think I can keep this under control any longer. And by this, I mean me," Zach said, his voice strained.
"What's going on?" Patricia asked, stepping into the suite's lounge.
Alisha's voice rang out again, sharp with fury. "Just admit it! You only came here because of the money—and because Patricia is famous now. You want to crawl your way back in. Well, that's not happening on my watch!"
"You've got it all wrong. That's not what I want at all…" the other voice replied.
Patricia's eyes widened as she entered the lounge and saw the man arguing with Alisha.
Short brown hair. Brown eyes. Flat nose. Plush lips. A heavy black coat, sneakers, and shades pushed up on his forehead.
Nicole froze beside her, muttering under her breath, "The fuck…"
Patricia's heart ignited with fury. She stomped forward, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.
"Jonathan!! What the hell are you doing here!"
Jonathan looked at Patricia's furious face and swallowed.
"Hi… Patricia…" he muttered.
"Hi? Ha! Hi! Is that all you're going to say, you scumbag? Unbelievable!" Alisha exploded.
Patricia exhaled sharply. "Alisha." She shot her a look—an unspoken command to be silent.
Alisha huffed and stepped aside. "Fine."
Patricia turned back to Jonathan, her expression cold. "What do you want?"
Jonathan stood there for a moment, watching her. Then, without a word, he began unbuckling the belts on his coat, shrugging it off to reveal the straps across his torso.
He unfastened them slowly, then moved both hands to his back.
Everyone stared, confused, wondering what he was doing—until they saw a small hand reaching forward.
Jonathan carefully pulled the figure free, cradling it gently in his arms.
Gasps filled the room.
It was a little girl—long curly brown hair, eyes closed in sleep, pink rosy lips, and a delicate nose. She wore a red flower‑printed dress, white stockings, and black pumps.
Jonathan looked at Patricia's furious face and swallowed.
"Jonathan… what the hell… who is that? What are you doing?" Patricia demanded.
Jonathan didn't reply. Instead, he dropped to his knees, still cradling the girl in his arms.
Everyone was taken aback.
"Jonathan… what the hell are you doing?" Alisha pressed, her voice sharp.
Patricia's eyes darted to the little girl. She looked lifeless at first glance, but the rosy flush on her cheeks revealed she was still alive. Patricia turned back to Jonathan, who was staring at her intently.
"Jonathan. What is going on? What is this?" she asked, her voice trembling between anger and confusion.
Jonathan drew a deep breath. "I didn't think it would ever come to this. But… I've lost all hope. Patricia… I need your help. You're the only one who can help me. Who can help us. Please… help me. And I promise—I'll tell you everything I know about Mr. X. Just help us… please."
The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, then turned back to Jonathan and the sleeping girl in his arms.
One thing was certain:
Things were about to get more complicated.
But would it be for the better—or far, far worse?