FIVE HOURS EARLIER BEFORE THE FIRE INCIDENT

As soon as Norah walked out on him and headed to her car. Liam followed her with his gaze, and stood there for the next ten minutes until she was out of sight. He then entered his car and asked his assistant to follow her to the company.

While his assistant followed her, heading towards the company, they eventually arrived, and at that moment, Liam spotted her father exiting the parking lot.

“Wait, isn't that Ms. Norah's father?” He inquired, watching him drive his way out.

“I believe so; that's one of his frequently used cars,” Jerry responded with a nod.

“I should introduce myself and express my intentions regarding his daughter.” He sounded like this is the first time he is meeting her father. They have met a couple of times at events and even exchanged pleasantries.

“He must be heading home; should I go after him?” Jerry was sure he wouldn't decline. He has been wanting to meet Mr. Anthony, but because Norah has refused to accept him, after the kiss, he kept postponing it.

“I don't think…” He paused momentarily and continued. “Be cautious.” He added, and the figure followed him home.

Fifteen minutes into their journey, they arrived at his mansion, but Liam instructed his assistant not to park closer to his gate.

As soon as her father drove into the house, it didn't take long; they drove to the gate, and his assistant honked. The security guard emerged, looking at the tinted car. He walked to the driver's seat and locked eyes with Jerry.

“Whom do you seek, sir?” He inquired.

“Please inform your employer Mr. Liam is here to see him. We don't have an appointment with him, but convey that it's vital.”

The security guard hesitated at first, but then spun around to leave, presuming whoever is in the car must be someone prominent.

“Boss what if he doesn't return?” Jerry questioned, receiving no immediate response.

Liam was convinced he would return, and just then the gate to the mansion flung open, inviting them inside.

The security figure guided Liam to the living room and offered him a seat in the room. He took a moment to admire the opulence, observing the picture frames on the wall.

“Good day, Mr. Liam.” He heard a lady's voice and turned to behold a beautiful woman in her mid-forties. She looks exactly like Norah, from her long brownish hair to her full, plump lips and hazel eyes. This marks the first time he is seeing her.

“Hello! Good day, ma'am!” He greeted politely, rising from the couch. Just then, Norah's father marched into the living room.

“Mr. Liam, good day. Please have a seat.” Norah's father, who's familiar with him, acted like they hadn't crossed paths before.

“Thank you, Mr. Anthony.” They shook hands and proceeded to take a seat.

“I will go get you something to drink.” She offered, and excused herself out of the room.

“To what do I owe this visit? The security man said it was something urgent, and I know it's not business-related.” Anthony sounded stern, but that didn't move Liam. Though, he was certain things wouldn't end well.

“Yes. I came regarding your daughter, Norah. I'm in love with her, and I want to make her my wife.” Anthony instantly stared at him in disbelief; that wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He doubted it was business, but still anticipated it could be business-related.

“Norah?” He queried with raised brows and continued. “Are you saying you want my consent before you go ahead and date my daughter?”

“She's aware I'm coming over to the house. I spoke to her first before coming over.”

Anthony stayed quiet at first; he was at the office, and Norah did not tell him they would be having a guest, and besides, she had a boyfriend.

'Is there a reason behind why he wants to make her his wife? Is he here to marry her, just to maltreat her? We all know what happened to his wife in Spain' Anthony thought inwardly.

“Mr. Liam, my daughter must have told you she has a boyfriend. There's no way she would ask you to come see me unless she's in love with you.”

“She never agreed to it..." He was cut off even before he finished.

“Then I'm sorry, I can't consent to you coming to see her. We should respects the decision she's made. I want my daughters to be happy, even when I'm not here.”

“Your daughter never said she.....” He was swiftly interrupted again.

“Mr. Liam, please, you should leave; I wouldn't want her to come home and find you here.”

Liam rose as soon as he said the word leave. He is the type of man that respects people's decisions.

“I will take my leave, but I promise I will be back. Have a wonderful evening.” He turned on his heels, exiting the room.

Norah's mother walked into the room, and frozen, her eyes widened. She looked from left to right but didn't see him.

“Where is he? And why is your face like that?”

“It's nothing serious; I will take my bath and come downstairs.” He responded and turned on his heels.

“It's nothing? You expect me to believe that?” He didn't respond to her, and just walked off.

PRESENT

Liam arrived home and stormed into the living room. He discarded his car keys, not caring where they fell, and began to pace profusely, staring at the screen in front of him.

He struggled to comprehend the event that transpired an hour earlier on his way back home. Liam had remained at the office to finalize his tasks. He had a lot of papers to review and needed to get them done before the new day.

After taking his time to finish up, he left the office heading home when he got a message from an unknown number, and he thought it must have been her father since they never exchanged contact.

He was perplexed because the text asked him to come over to the mansion, stating he changed his mind and needs to talk about his intentions towards his daughter.

It was strange that her father told him, but instead of pondering, his determination to make her his didn't make him think much about it.

Upon arriving at the mansion, he found it ablaze. He was in the middle of his thoughts when his stepmother strode into the living room with a questioning look on her face. He seems to be devastated, and it made her ponder if something had happened.

“Did something happen? Why are you pacing profusely?” She queried but got no response.

She looked at the screen, his eyes were glued to it, and back to his disheveled state.

“Liam, I'm talking to you. What happened? Why are you pacing in such a state?” She thundered.

He snapped back to reality and turned to look at her. She knitted her brows while staring at him, waiting to hear why he's agitated.

“I told you about the girl from the party, the lady who mistook me for her boyfriend.”

“Yes, the lady who turned you down months back. I thought you said you were meeting her parents. Have you?”

“Yes I did earlier today, but her father was pissed about it and asked me to leave. And just this evening on my way back home, I got a message from him asking me to come, only for me to get there, and the house was on fire.”

“What? Someone wants to defraud you. I will advise you forget about her and get someone else. You know what happened in Spain.”

“That's in the past mother. I want her, and I will stop at nothing to have her, even if I have.....”

She looked at him, knowing his determination; she realized he would pursue his objectives regardless. He had wanted her before, and despite her rejection, Liam would stop at nothing to claim her. He doesn't take no for an answer.

“Excuse me, mother.” He said, and marched out of the room. As soon as he stepped outside, he called his assistant and placed it to his ear.

“Where are you? Come over to the house; there's something you have to do.”

“I'm almost at the house; I will be there in the next five minutes.” He responded, and Liam hung up.

'Was I not careful? With all this discretion, what happened this time?' He mumbled.

Liam has always been secretive about his move, but this time, they caught him using the girl he was determined to make his.

The following day arrived, with heavy clouds hanging over Norah and her sister as they sat in the police station, anticipating the sheriff's arrival. Their hearts heavy with grief, they replayed the events of the previous night in their minds, each moment etched with painful clarity.

The previous night, after the fire had been extinguished, their parents lifeless bodies were discovered on the floor, bearing only minor fire-related injuries.

The limited burns perplexed everyone, raising questions about how such a tragedy could occur. They were rushed to the hospital, and the sheriff asked them to come to the station to give their verdict, a night spent sleepless since the grim discovery.

Fifteen more minutes into waiting, the office door was pushed open, and the sheriff strode inside, with a heavy heart. Mr. Anthony was his close friend, it hurts that he had to lose him like this.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, the doctor just called me, I think we should all head to the hospital." He announced, casting a sympathetic glance at the sisters.

Norah, trembling since laying eyes on her parents lifeless forms, found it challenging to articulate her thoughts amid the shock.

It has been difficult for her to open her mouth to utter a word due to the sudden shock. She never pictured a sad day like today.

Amber let out a sigh, and stood up to help her sister up her feet.

"Please lead the way, sheriff." She responded, her voice steady as she offered Norah a supportive hand. With a nod, the sheriff gestured for them to follow as he exited the office.

They all march to the parking lot, where a van was waiting for them. They hopped into the car, and the driver drove off. A few minutes later, they got to the hospital, and stride to the doctor's office.

Upon arriving at the entrance, they met the doctor striding out of his office.

"Sheriff, I was about to call you for the third time." He said, extending his hands to shake him.

"I had to bring his family with me. These are two of his daughters, Norah, and her eldest sister Amber." He introduced.

"Ms Norah, sheriff, please come with me to the morgue." The doctor requested, directing his gaze toward them. They fell in step behind him as he led the way.

They walked inside and found two nurses tending to the body of their parents. Norah hurried to her father, overcome with grief.

"Father, please you can't do this to me, you promise to be here, this wasn't our agreement." She sobs.

"Ms Norah, you have to take heart. Sheriff, just like you suspected, their bodies were poisoned. The fire was just a way to cover things up."

The doctor's words pierced the silence, his voice cutting through the haze of grief. Norah, who was crying halted, when she heard the word poisoned.

"Doctor what did you just say? What do you mean they were poisoned? Does this mean someone did this to them?" Amber asked, the burning house, crept into her head. The house was set ablaze, she never envisioned her parents being poisoned.

"Ms Amber, when we found your parents on the floor, they were still breathing. As you can see, their body isn't that burnt. We thought they could make it, but when they were brought to the hospital, they passed away." The sheriff explained, and continued.

"The poison they gave them was something that kills slowly. The fire is a cover-up. Whoever was behind it, wanted them dead." He added.

"Sheriff what are you talking about?" Norah roared, making the nurses to quickly held her.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way. An autopsy was carried out. They had a drink, and inside was a substance." The doctor responded.

"No, I don't believe they are dead." Norah said, and scampered out of the room crying her eyes out. The sheriff nodded at her sister, who quickly followed her outside.

"Sheriff, I know this must be hard for you too. I'm sorry." The doctor apologized. The sheriff removed his glasses and wipe a drop of tear from his eyes.

"I will have to get back to work. I have a surgery in the next twenty minutes."

The sheriff just bobbed his head in response, while the doctor nodded before leaving. He turned to the body's in front of him, and close the space between them.

'I never thought things would turn out this way. What about our drink? It would have been nice to spend some time with you' He thought inwardly, and heaved a loud sigh.

"I will take my leave." The sheriff said, and excuse himself out of the morgue. He walked back to the waiting area, scanning the place for them, but did not find them.

He decided to check the car, and on getting there, he saw them inside seated. As they sat in solemn silence, the minutes stretched into an eternity of anxiety. Amber was consoling her sister, with each passing minutes. The sheriff ignored, and just hopped into the van.

"Take us back to the station." He ordered, and they left the hospital, with Norah still crying.

A few minutes later, they got to the station, and walked to the sheriff's office. He offered them something to drink, but Norah yanked the glass off.

"I can't watch my parents die without getting revenge. The house didn't completely burn down, we can get the footage and find out what happened." She said.

The sheriff closed the space between them, and placed his hands on her shoulders. It hurts him that he can't do anything to comfort the both of them.

"We checked the footage yesterday, after the flame was put off. The area where everything was supposed to be displayed got disconnected even before they were poisoned."

"Does that mean there's no evidence to trace who was behind it? No, there must be a way out of this." Amber said.

"I still don't believe this would happen. Father never had any rival nor a foe. Why would someone come after him?" Norah asked in between sob.

She has been trying to convince herself that Liam had nothing to do with their death, even after the threat. Even if he wanted them dead, it was too sudden, when he hasn't met with her parents. But unbeknownst to her, he met with her father before the incident.

"Without evidence, we can't point finger's at anyone, except a proper investigation is carried out." Amber said.

"Be rest assured, we will find out who is behind it. I have ordered some cop to get me footage from the street." The sheriff said, and Amber thought they could find the culprit. There are a lot of footage surrounding the mansion, that can be of help.

"I think we should just bury the both of them instead of keeping their bodies in the morgue. If we can't find any proof, there's no need to keep their bodies." Norah said.

Amber expression changed, why would Norah make such a statement? She thought.

"What do you mean? We haven't caught the people behind it, yet you want to bury them? Can you hear yourself talk?"

"I'm sorry, Amber, but what do you expect me to say? Things are getting more complicated than I thought. Why must it be our parents? Father never got into a fight with anyone, who would want him dead?"

"That's not enough reason for you to just conclude. Just like the Sheriff said, the footage around the precinct could help."

"The both of you, stop it right now. Your father would not be happy if he was here. I promise to get to the bottom of this, even if it cost me my life."

Norah dropped to the ground and held the sheriff's pant.

"Please you have to catch the people behind it. You need to prove your friendship to father." She sobs, heartbroken.

The sheriff squatted to the ground, and assist her up.

"I promise to keep my words, I'm the sheriff because of your father. Even if it has to take me months, I will find the murderer, I just need your cooperation."

Norah looked up to him, and pulled him for a hug. "Thank you." She murmured.

Twenty minutes later, Alex arrived at the station. Stepping out of the cab, he hurried toward Norah, pulling her into a warm hug, gently stroking her back as she muffled her sobs against his shoulder. Alex, her boyfriend, was the one she went to the party with. That was the night she got wasted and mistakenly kissed Liam, thinking it was Alex.

“It's okay; everything will be fine. Stop crying; I'm here for you.” He said repeatedly, still stroking her back.

Amber watched them with a heavy heart, silently observing as he comforted her. It went on for five minutes until Amber cleared her throat, drawing Norah's attention. Alex, however, seemed too engrossed to notice at first.

“We don't need to book a cab anymore, Norah. Let's not keep this driver waiting. Let's head home.” Amber said this time, catching Alex's attention. He slowly let go of Norah's hand and guided her to the car.

The drive to Alex's house was quiet, except for the driver, who softly murmured along to a song. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination, and the car came to a stop.

They all stepped out while Alex paid the driver and then guided them into his apartment. He excused himself and went to the kitchen to make them a cup of coffee.

Three minutes later, he returned with two cups. “Ms. Amber, please have this.” He said, handing her a cup before walking over to his girlfriend and gently placing the other cup in her hands.

“You should drink something. You haven't eaten since last night,” Alex urged, offering the cup to Norah.

Amber, still upset about what Norah had said at the station, finally spoke up. She was against the idea of moving forward without fully understanding the truth.

“Norah, why did you tell the sheriff that? You shouldn't have made such a statement,” Amber said, her frustration evident.

Norah, with swollen eyes, rose from the couch. “You want to leave their bodies in the morgue? For what? The autopsy’s done. We know they were poisoned. The fire was just a cover-up.”

Before Amber could respond, Alex jerked upright, his mouth agape. “What? You didn’t tell me this over the phone! What do you mean they were poisoned?” He asked, shocked. He had spoken to her earlier but hadn’t heard this.

Amber glanced between Alex and Norah. “You shouldn't have said that. We need to make sure their killer is caught and punished. They deserve justice.”

Norah placed her cup down, meeting Amber's gaze. “I know Liam did it. I just need to prove it. You heard him last night; he couldn't even defend himself when confronted.”

“This is your fault! Because of you, our parents are dead. How do you plan to prove Liam is behind it? You know how powerful he is. This is New York City, Norah!” Amber lashed out, shifting the blame, even though she had been the one who pushed her sister to give Liam a chance.

Alex stared in bewilderment, listening to their heated exchange.

“Don’t blame me!” Norah snapped. “You are the one who told me to give him a chance, even when you knew I already had a boyfriend.”

“Enough, both of you!” Alex finally bellowed, his voice stern. “This is my house, and we have neighbors. Keep it down!” The tension in the room hung heavy as silence fell. Norah's words had clearly triggered him.

“You just lost your parents. Now isn’t the time for fighting. If you want to find out what really happened, you need to work together.” Alex added, his frustration evident.

“Tell that to your girlfriend.” Amber shot back. “We can’t just bury them without proof. There’s no fingerprint or anything to lead us to the killer.”

“Amber, please try to understand. I also want answers, but we need to support each other. That doesn’t mean we can’t lay them to rest.” Norah pleaded.

Alex stepped in, trying to mediate. “Amber, I think I understand what Norah is trying to do. Please, give her a chance to prove she knows what she’s doing.”

Amber scoffed, resting her hands on her hips. “So what now? Are you saying we should bury them and forget about everything? What will people say if we don’t find out who’s responsible?” She asked, her frustration bubbling over.

“We can still leave them in the morgue while the police continue their investigation,” Amber added.

“Babe did you say Liam threatened to get rid of your parents?” Alex asked for the tenth time.

“Yes. He requested to see his father, and I told him his father won't approve of his relationship with her. He swore he would do anything to have me, even if he had to get rid of them.”

Norah had never told Alex about Liam, and she didn't want him to find out. He hadn't known they both had something going on until she turned him down years ago. She had been single until Jasmine, her best friend, introduced her to Alex.

“We have to find out what happened. Liam is rumored to be an ex-convict. He killed his first wife just one year into their marriage and wasn't held for it. He was found not guilty.” Alex said, explaining that they wouldn't be able to hold him without proof.

Amber quickly looked at him, astonished at how he had found out. What they knew was that he had murdered someone and was sent to prison, but he was soon released after it was revealed that he had been framed.

“Alex, you mean Liam was once married? He left New York for Spain to get married and ended up killing his wife?” Norah asked, and he nodded in response.

“You are saying there's a possibility he killed them, and since he has a death case, we can arrest him?” Amber added for clarification.

“Yes. We just have to tell the sheriff he threatened Norah. And also, if he was in the house, the security guard can attest to it.”

Amber stood up, feeling like they had just won the lottery. She quietly turned on her heels and walked to the exit. But before she could open the door and leave, Norah stopped her.

“Where are you going, Amber? We can see the sheriff tomorrow.”

“I know, but we can't stay in your boyfriend's house. We have to move to a new place and plan how to go about this if we want to fight Liam,” she responded and walked out.

Norah turned to look at her boyfriend. “I think I should get going; we can't stay at your apartment.”

He outstretched his hands, holding hers. “I understand. I promise to be here for you. Let's fight this together.” Alex assured her, softly pressing her hands.

She pulled him in for a hug before she walked out to catch up with her sister.