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.

Two weeks later, Norah and her sister returned home from the cemetery after laying their parents to rest. Amber had finally come to a conclusion after disagreeing with Norah and her boyfriend.

As they marched into the house, it was filled with numerous people—family, friends, and business partners—who had come to pay their respects to the deceased, everyone clad in black outfits.

A lady in her mid-forties walked up and pulled them into a hug, gently patting their backs.

“Thank you for coming, ma'am,” Amber said, and she disentangled from the hug, a tight-lipped smile on her face.

“This isn't necessary. You don't have to thank me for something obligatory. I want you girls to be strong, hang in there, and make sure we get to the bottom of this.”

Norah and her sister stared at each other and then back at the lady with a smile.

People continued to pay their condolences, and it went on for about ten minutes until the sheriff arrived with some officers.

He walked up to them, his expression saddened.

“You'll be fine. I'm here for both of you. Your father was a great man and like a brother to me. I promise not to stop until we get to the bottom of this.”

“We believe in you, and we will support you to get our parents the justice they deserve,” Norah responded.

For the past two weeks since the incident, the police had been working on the case, but there was still no success. The footage from the area had been erased, and they couldn’t find concrete evidence.

Norah reported the threat she received from Liam, and he was invited for questioning. During the investigation, they discovered that he went to the house on the same day the fire occurred.

The security guard was brought in as a witness, and he testified that Liam had been at the house, but there had never been any issues between him and the boss.

There was no proof to hold Liam, as all he had done was visit, and no altercation occurred during his visit. He was immediately released, and the sheriff apologized for trying to accuse him unjustly.

While the sheriff was still offering condolences, the room erupted with murmurs, drawing everyone's attention to the figures who had just entered the house.

They followed the gazes and saw Liam alongside his assistant, Jerry, who had come to pay their condolences.

Everyone in the room tensed, except for a few, which only saddened Norah and her sister. Why did he have to show up when he knew he wasn't welcome? Norah thought.

She feigned a smile at everyone, nodding to reassure them that there was nothing to worry about and to calm their racing hearts. Many people feared Liam, and even his father was feared.

“Let’s use the back door. You’re making them uncomfortable,” Norah muttered, turning to the exit.

Once outside, she halted and spun around.

“Why are you here without notice? Are you here to cause more trouble?” she demanded, her frustration clear.

Liam pondered whether all he had ever done was cause her trouble for her to speak to him like this. His only offense was liking her.

“I'm sorry I couldn't attend the funeral. May their souls rest with the Lord,” he responded, ignoring her previous words, though he was clearly annoyed by her statement.

“Stop trying so hard to push me away; you're wasting your energy. I won’t give up on you until I make you my wife. I’ll give you some time to think about it. I plan to marry you before the year ends,” he declared.

Norah almost staggered, staring at him in shock. She just couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with her. It was just one stupid kiss that brought him back into her life. Everything had been fine, even after he returned, until she attended that party.

She was about to speak when Alex showed up, positioning himself between her and Liam, his chest rising and falling with anger.

“What do you want here? You are not welcome anywhere near this mansion,” Alex snapped.

Liam smirked, having already done his research. He knew Alex was her boyfriend, and they had been dating for almost a year.

“Do not show up in my presence next time. I’ll let this slide, but don’t push your luck again. Norah, I’ll be waiting for your answer,” he replied before leaving the mansion.

“Are you hurt? Did he touch you?” Alex asked, checking her body for injury. She just shook her head without a word.

***

Later that night, after everyone who had come to pay their condolences had left, Amber walked to the door, locked it, and then returned to the living room, sitting next to her sister.

“I never thought so many people would show up. Father must have been a great man for so many to come and honor him,” Norah said.

“It wasn’t just for Father. Those who came late this evening were from Mother’s side. She has a friend who lives in Italy,” Amber replied.

“I didn’t expect them to come. I almost didn’t recognize her when I saw her,” Norah added.

“We need to do something about their deaths. The sheriff promised to work with us, but it's up to us to help him catch the murderer.”

Norah, growing curious, sat upright. But if she only knew what her sister was about to say, she wouldn’t have listened.

“I also want justice, but how can we do that? We have no solid evidence against him.”

“Liam is the murderer. We just need to prove it. He threatened you and went to visit Father that day. The timing fits—you know how Father must have reacted.”

Norah clasped her hands and sighed. “I thought the same. Father must have offended him, pushing him to carry out his plan.”

“He even killed his ex-wife. Killing our parents would have been nothing for him.”

“But what can we do about it? How can we prove it?”

There was a long silence in the room until Amber finally spoke. “You need to marry him. If you marry Liam, we can get our revenge.”

“What? Are you out of your mind? What about Alex? You expect me to marry Liam just to fight him?”

“Stop bringing up your so-called boyfriend! We both know he loves your money, not you. And let’s not forget—it's your fault. It was because you kissed Liam that we lost our parents.”

Norah jumped up, enraged. “Stop it, Amber! You've tested Alex yourself, and you know he’s not after my money. I apologize, but I won’t marry a murderer, an ex-convict. We need to find another way.” She stormed out.