Nathan stepped into the store, his irritation still fresh from earlier's encounter. But the moment his eyes caught Vicky—headed to the cashier with a basket in hand—his blood boiled.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.
She hadn't seen him yet.
"Hey—stop!" he barked, drawing attention from nearby shoppers.
Startled, Vicky turned, eyes narrowing. "Are you following me?"
They spoke at the same time. The tension was palpable.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nathan demanded, stepping closer.
Vicky stared at him, confused and irritated. "I thought you were some kind of robot—emotionless, above it all. Didn't you say money doesn't matter to you?"
Nathan smirked coldly. "Is this your workplace?" she added, glancing at the cashier, who was now awkwardly frozen between them.
"Do I look like a cashier to you?" Nathan scoffed.
"And what's wrong with being a cashier?" Vicky challenged. "This morning, you said you were in a rush to get to work. I didn't realize my life was more interesting than yours."
She turned and placed her items on the counter. The cashier, hesitating, reached to scan.
"Don't scan that," Nathan said sharply. "That's an order."
The cashier looked between them, terrified.
"Are you seriously going to listen to this madman?" Vicky snapped.
"Yes," Nathan said coldly, stepping in front of the counter. "She's going to listen to me. And you—take your stuff back. Now."
Vicky raised her chin. "Are you ordering me?"
"Yes."
"And who exactly do you think you are to order me around?"
"I'm the owner of this market."
Silence. The words hit her like a slap. She blinked.
Nathan leaned in, smirking. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Vicky steadied her voice. "Why should I put them back?"
"Because you're banned from buying anything here," Nathan said, his voice like steel. "I don't want your money. I don't even want your shadow in my store."
Vicky stood frozen, emotions swirling behind her eyes.
"You humiliated me yesterday," Nathan continued. "You threw my money back at me. So today, I return the favor. Your cash means nothing to me."
He turned to the staff. "Listen up. No one—no one—sells to this woman. Print her picture, hang it at the door. I don't want her walking in again. Ever."
Vicky's lips parted in disbelief, eyes shimmering.
How am I going to restock now? she thought. The stock won't survive if I take a cab all the way to town…
Nathan saw her still standing.
"I said leave!" he roared and, before she could react, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the door.
He threw her out.
Vicky staggered, her empty carrier bag falling beside her. She looked back through tears at the man she once thought was just cold… now he looked almost heartless. But behind Nathan's glare, something flickered—regret? Guilt? It disappeared before it could fully form.
Vicky picked up her bag and walked away, the weight of humiliation hanging over her like a storm cloud. Nathan turned and drove off, his grip on the wheel tighter than usual.
Back at the Agency
Natasha, Ruben, and Robert were already waiting in the office when Simon was brought in.
Robert wasted no time. "When I asked you to collect Paige's ashes, you said no proper samples existed. But now… we're getting fragments. After everything that happened yesterday, I need to know—what's really going on, Simon?"
Simon sighed. "You can think what you want about me, Robert. But accusing me of being a mole—"
"He asked you a question," Ruben cut in sharply.
Simon leaned forward, defensive. "After the explosion—the moment we all witnessed—we saw the same thing. I don't know where these ashes came from. Maybe whoever stole Aid is behind it."
"I didn't witness it," Ruben said, arms crossed.
Natasha stepped in, calmly. "Victor Samuels was Paige's father—and the founder of Aid. Together, they developed the Safety Weapon, Aid. Paige sensed something wrong with him, with Aid itself. She asked for our help to protect both."
"What was the danger?" Ruben asked.
"She never said," Natasha replied. "But she hinted it involved her uncle… possibly an enemy agent."
"Mmm. Go on," Ruben urged.
"Simon told us to distance ourselves from Paige. He thought she was hallucinating. Less than 24 hours later, Victor was dead."
Ruben turned to Simon. "Why did you tell them to back off?"
"Because Victor himself warned me," Simon said. "He believed Paige was heading down the wrong path—that she wanted to sell Aid. I didn't know what to believe. I was trying to make sense of it, but before I could—boom."
Robert stood, frustrated. "Something from back then is still haunting us. We lost Victor. We lost Paige. And now… Aid."
"Nathan's life is at risk," Ruben added solemnly.
"Does he still have the shield?" Natasha asked.
"Yes," Ruben replied.
Robert narrowed his eyes. "And how do you know that?"
"It's a hair thread, people," Ruben deadpanned.
Simon broke the tension. "I have a suggestion. Given how bad this is getting, let's work together. I'll help find Aid. Ruben can guard Nathan."
"No," Robert said firmly. "Natasha and I will work together. You're staying right here." He stepped forward and tied Simon to the chair.
"That hurts… a lot," Simon muttered.
"I want to meet Paige's uncle," Ruben said.
"He's not in Namibia," Natasha answered. "And raising that kind of money just to return in a body bag? We've lost too much already."
As Robert passed by Natasha, his shirt snagged on her earring. A sudden click—a beam shot out of it and hit the wall with a loud zap.
Everyone flinched.
"I'm so sorry!" Natasha yelped. "My gadgets activated—accidentally."
Ruben whistled. "Wow. Fancy."
"Paige gave me these…" Natasha whispered, then paused. Her eyes widened.
"The earrings… Oh my gosh, why didn't I think of this before?!"
"Think of what?" Ruben asked.
"Paige had similar earrings. She never took them off…"
"So?" Robert said.
"Show me Vicky's picture," Natasha ordered, voice rising.
They reached for Ruben's phone.
Gone.
Check the system.
Still gone.
"We just saw the picture together—how did it vanish?" Robert asked.
Ruben frowned, disturbed. "I don't know. Someone hacked our system. Even my phone. Vicky's image has been erased."
"These ashes… Vicky's missing picture… This isn't random." Natasha looked around, stunned.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with realization.
"…Could it be… that Vicky is Paige?"
Everyone froze.