The night is darkening by the minute. A deafening silence dawns on the quiet street and not a single soul can be seen on the roads. There are very few cars in sight, occasionally speeding by the silent street. One car is driving quietly along the road, trying not to make a noise. Inside it is a portly man in his late forties with dark hair and a scruffy beard. A police badge is hanging from his neck but he’s not wearing any uniform. The car comes to a stop in front of a small two storey house. He picks up his phone and calls someone.“I’m here,” he says. “Where are you?”A few seconds later, a petite figure comes sneaking out of the house. Charlotte looks around to make sure that no one has spotted her. She quietly makes her way to the car and gets in.“Hi Robert,” she greets. “Long time, huh?”Robert Smith is a detective at the Bayers’ Coast but he works in the city. When Charlotte was new to town, her house was once broken into. That time, Robert was the one looking into the case
Nelson’s whistle indicates the end of the practice session. Nathan is flushed and sweaty but overall satisfied with the performance of the team. He flashes a thumbs up to his teammates as they gather up for a pep talk.“Nice work team!” He exclaims. “If we keep this up, we’ll be able to beat the Foxy’s in the next match!”They are preparing for a friendly match against a high school team which calls themselves the Foxy’s. The team consists of new players but they’re damn good and Nathan has been training the team hard for the past couple of days. Ever since Lincoln had to withdraw, Nathan became the de facto captain. He’s still unwilling to take up the official position despite Nelson’s requests. But when the coach heard that Nathan wants to pursue his law studies, he dropped his request and kept the position vacant so that it’ll give Nathan more flexibility to juggle between his studies, work and practice. But Nathan can’t help feeling that Lincoln’s absence is putting a significan
Robert is in his office, going over the case files. So far, he found out that the parents of the dead kids haven’t realized that Daniel might have been involved in their deaths but the disturbing thing is, they were approached by another man six years ago.A lawyer named Jim Scott had also investigated the cases and visited the grieving parents. Shortly afterwards, Jim and his wife died in an accident. Robert took out the reports from Jim and Hannah’s accident. The insurance company at that time initially refused to pay the money because their reports showed that their deaths were ‘unnatural’. However, a few days later, the insurance company changed their tune and gave the money in full. The insurance personnel handling the case at that time was a man named Jeffrey Rogers.Robert passed this information to Charlotte who’s on her way to his office now. Together, they’ll be meeting with Jeffrey Rogers.“But will this rat b*stard tell the truth?” He mutters.There’s a knock on the door.
Halsey scans the class for Nathan. It’s time for their literature class but he’s nowhere in sight. She called him but he isn’t answering his phone either. What’s up with him? She wonders. Ever since the other day at her house, Nathan has been acting strange. He sent his assignment to her but that’s it. No phone, no texts. He’s completely silent.The teacher enters the class and everyone pays attention to him. Halsey submits their report and takes her seat, hoping that Nathan will turn up but he doesn’t. All throughout the class, he’s absent and Halsey is becoming worried.When the bell rings, she scurries out to search for him. Halsey looks everywhere she can think of; the basketball court, rooftop, cafeteria and even asks Chad to look in the boys’ locker. But Nathan is nowhere to be found.“Where is he?” She wonders out loud. At that moment, she spots Mike at a distance.“Mike!”He pauses and turns around to find Halsey running towards him.“Have you seen Nathan?” She pants. “I trie
Charlotte pulls up in front of an old house off the coast. It’s a decrepit property which is owned by the Reynolds family but they shifted to New York. In their absence, the property has been left unkempt and empty.She finds the front gate open. Robert must be in there.“Robert?” She calls out but there’s no response. She takes out her phone and texts Nathan the address before entering the house.“Hello? Robert?”Her voice echoes through the empty house. For some reason, Charlotte feels scared by the house. The emptiness is creeping her out and she’s getting a strange feeling. Every step she takes is echoing around her, the floorboards creaking underneath her feet. She looks around for Robert but he’s nowhere in sight.Unbeknownst to her, Lincoln pulls up in front of the house. He hides his cycle behind a bush and quietly heads for the back of the house. Scanning the place, he finds a window. It takes him a few tries but he manages to open it. Sliding in through the window, he creep
Nathan is sitting in the middle of a dark room with only a single source of light coming from a bulb over his head. He’s still trying to process what happened. For the past two days, he has been in police custody. His father refused to bail him out because he tarnished the family image. He wasn’t allowed to call anyone until the detectives cleared him. Evidence has also been piling against him. The knife used to kill Charlotte was from Nathan’s home and had his fingerprints on it. His footprints were found around Charlotte’s body and even in his phone, the last text was from Charlotte who requested to meet with him.The door opens and Detective Robert enters the room.“Nathan Jacobs!” He sighs. “The once popular boy of Bayers’ High, the star of the basketball team and now…a murder suspect.”Robert sits on a chair opposite to him. “The woman you killed was a friend of mine,” he goes on. “You hated her. Why?”“I didn’t hate her,” Nathan grits. “Oh really?”Robert puts in front of him
*Six years ago*A little girl is crying in a corner. She has been sobbing hard for hours and no one can stop her. There are too many people around her. They’re trying to say something to calm her down but the girl wouldn’t do so. She’s only crying harder, calling for her parents.“Mom!” She wails. “Dad!”She tries to run towards a furnace but a man is holding her back. He’s one of her father’s friends but she doesn’t care.“You can’t go, Halsey!” the man tells her. “They’ll be cremated now-”“NO!” Halsey cries. “NO! Mom! Dad!”She’s adamant. Why won’t they let her go to her parents? They’re just sleeping. They’re not dead!“I want mom and dad!” She insists. “Let me go!”The man is holding her back. Several people are now holding down the little girl, not letting her go.“You’ll be hurt!” one woman says but Halsey doesn’t care. She wants her parents.“Let her go!”A woman’s voice thunders around the hall. Everyone pauses to glance at a woman in her late thirties. She has long strawberr
Robert enters his office and groans. Halsey is sitting there, quiet yet resilient.“You can’t meet him!” He growls. “He’s gonna be taken to court tomorrow.”“You didn’t give him a lawyer,” Halsey states. “You’re questioning him without a lawyer!”“He’s been given a state lawyer since his father refused to pay for one,” Robert grunts. “They’re talking right now.”Halsey’s eyes beam at that.“I wanna meet him!” She demands.“No,” Robert replies. “His lawyer is also refusing any visitation rights. The case is going against Nathan and it’s better if he confesses for a reduced sentence.”“He’s innocent!” Halsey exclaims. Robert is taken aback. He thought the girl was a pushover but it seems that she has more guts than himself. Halsey is starting to get on his nerves. She won’t budge nor give in to any explanation. No matter what happens, he’s been told to keep her away from Nathan. “Look, this is a serious matter,” he tells her. “Nathan will be tried and put in jail for the crime he commi
*Eight months later in New York*Halsey is crying hard while Nathan looks guilty while Jo is quiet. “How could you do this to me?” Halsey wails. “This…this is…this is such a betrayal!”“Hales, I didn’t mean it!” Nathan exclaims. “It was an accident!”“Dad, this really isn’t right,” Jo adds, shaking her head. “I’m disappointed in you! How could you do this to mom?”Nathan gapes at his daughter. “It was an accident!” He claims. “I swear it was! I didn’t do it on purpose, babe! I-I was seduced!”“SEDUCED?” Halsey shouts at him. “SEDUCED?”She’s now angry and she throws a pillow at him. “SEDUCED? HERE I AM CARRYING A LITTER AND YOU…YOU…”Stopping in between her tirade, she takes several deep breaths. Nathan is ashamed and sad by what he did.“YOU…YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?” Halsey shrieks and throws another pillow at him. “YOU KNOW I NEED CHOCOLATES IN THIS STATE!”Nathan is truly ashamed but the chocolate was too delicious to ignore. He thought no one would find out but Jo cau
Lincoln was being carried away by Damien’s men. He’s completely catatonic, his mind in severe shock. They took him to the psychiatric hospital where the doctors checked up on him. For many days, they’ve tried to figure out what’s wrong with him but to no avail.His encephalitis has reached the advanced stage in a short period of time. The doctors have no hope now.“He’s in a sort of a self-induced coma,” the psychiatrist tells Halsey one day. “He can’t comprehend anything. His eyes are open but his mind is shut. It’s as if he had a severe shock which he couldn’t overcome.”“Can he stand trial?” Halsey asks. “There must be something you can do to make him sane again. We can’t just let him off the hook like this!”“We’re trying but in a way, his punishment is this,” the doctor concludes. “He won’t be able to stand trial but he’ll not recover from this.”Halsey glances inside the ward where Lincoln had been kept. He’s staring at the wall, unmoving for hours. His once luscious hair has fa
*Present*“They must’ve found us!” Hastings exclaims. “How? You just said it’s a safe place?“I don’t know!” Lincoln yells. “They’ll kill us. Let’s just kill the kid and-”“ARE YOU INSANE?” Hastings screams. “She’s our only bet! If we take her, we can negotiate with them and leave this place alive!”As soon as he says that, several of Damien’s guards barge out of the elevator. Without any word, Hastings enters the room and grabs Jo before escaping through the fire escape. Lincoln runs off to hide.Downstairs, Nathan, Halsey, Damien and Daniel, are scavenging the floors. Hastings’ guards are being captured by their men, leaving their way clear. “Jo!” Halsey cries. “Jo, where are you?” “Jo?” Nathan shouts. The rooms are empty and they start to ascend the stairs. Daniel breaks off from the group, heading east to find Jo. In the chaos, no one notices him leaving.Halsey is beside herself with fear. Nathan keeps a firm grip on her while Damien instructs his men to spread out. “We’ll loo
Jo is glaring at Lincoln. She’s not crying nor looking scared but rather apprehensive of the man. The guards who were supposed to watch over her that day, had knocked out Jason and kidnapped her while she was on the way to school. They lied to Nathan that she was safe so that he wouldn’t come after them.Now, hours later, she’s tied up in an empty building. They’re on the fifth floor where Lincoln and Hastings are hiding. Lincoln is glaring at the little girl and he wants to push her off the window but she’s his only leverage to get Halsey.“In a few hours, your mother will come to me and we’ll leave this place,” he grins. “And you’ll be dead.”He steps forward, a manic glee in his eyes. “Once Halsey is here, I’ll kill you and take her with me.”“My dad will beat you!” Jo sneers. “Remember what he did to the other guy when he kidnapped me? I’m not scared of you!”WHACK!Lincoln slaps the insolent child. Jo feels immense pain on her cheek and even though her eyes are stinging with tear
Halsey is feeling a little squirmish. Things have been hectic for the past few days and it has taken a toll on her health. Just that morning, she threw up everything she ate. Nathan was alarmed by her condition and insisted that she went to the hospital for a checkup. He’s sitting with her, holding her palm. They’re outside the doctor’s office. Halsey was asked to undergo some tests and now, the doctor is reading the results.“Nate, I’m fine,” she assures him. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go to work.”“No, I won’t stop worrying until I see the reports!” Nathan insists. “I want to stay here.”Halsey smiles and shakes her head. He’s so persistent in every little thing related to her health. Nathan can’t help it. He lost her once and he can’t lose her again. The moment she started to show signs of being ill, he was overcome with paranoia. He’s thinking about the worst case scenarios and his heart is filled with fear. “Is Jo at school?” Halsey asks.“The guard texted me that she’s s
Over the next few days, Daniel is kept under close observation. Hastings and Lincoln are still missing, something which is looming over everyone’s heads. Nathan is trying to find them but to no avail. He and Halsey are trying to maintain normalcy at home so that Jo doesn’t suspect anything.One night, Nathan arrives home late to find Halsey is still awake. She’s curled up on the couch, reading. When she hears the door open, she looks up and smiles.“Any luck finding them?” she asks when he plops on the seat next to her. “None,” Nathan admits. “I can’t find them. It’s like they’ve vanished.”Halsey is now troubled. Where could they be? Nathan puts his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll find them,” he assures her. “They can’t hide for long.”“I hope so,” she murmurs and hugs him.Meanwhile, miles away from Bayers’ Coast, Lincoln is feeling frustrated. He’s angry and annoyed at being locked up in the house all day. Hastings told him that they’ll be implementing their plan soon but he’s lo
CRASH!The vase breaks into thousands of tiny pieces. Standing above the broken ceramic is Lincoln, with wild red eyes. He’s in a murderous rage and he breaks everything in his vicinity. Hastings is on a couch, bored of the man-child’s drama but Lincoln is on a warpath.“I’LL KILL THEM ALL!” Lincoln shouts. “THEY’VE BETRAYED ME-”“You were stupid enough to trust a stranger,” Hastings yawns. “You should’ve come to me instead. Just like your dad did. Your stupidity cost us the hospital. If you had your shares, we’d have been unbeatable today.”Lincoln shoots him a glare but Hastings doesn’t care. They’re at Lincoln’s farmhouse, a property he had purchased a few months back in secret. Lincoln can’t fathom his loss. Jamie and Damien double crossed him but he’s more shocked by Salvez.“My father is a fool! He only wants his business to be safe but I don’t care about all that!” Lincoln yells. “I just want Halsey!”“And I want revenge against Nathan Michell,” Hastings says. “The best way to
Daniel and Lincoln stand up, shocked. They gape at Nathan who’s grinning. “What’s the meaning of this?” Daniel snarls at Salvez. “Why are you withdrawing your support? And isn’t he the head of the Michell family? He’s your enemy!”“My father is merely supporting me,” Damien calmly says. Daniel rounds on him.“Did you forget that I saved you all those years ago? I gave you a new heart!”“By killing the woman I love,” Damien quietly says. This makes Daniel even more furious. Lincoln is glaring at Jamie but she’s smug. Nathan takes charge.“Fifty five percent of the shares have been transferred to me,” he tells his father. “You’re not the chairperson of this hospital anymore. I am. It’s over for you, dad.”Daniel glares at Nathan while Lincoln is silent. He’s too shocked, too numb to say anything. Once again, he has lost. This can’t be happening, he tells himself. It’s all a bad dream!But it’s not. It’s real and it’s happening. Nathan has taken over the hospital and effectively, Linco
Nathan is sitting on the couch, thinking hard. It’s past three o’clock in the morning and he’s not sleepy. On the contrary, he’s feeling agitated about what’s going to happen in a few hours. Even if everything seems to go according to his plan, he’s still nervous. What if something goes wrong? Even one misstep can ruin years of hard work.Halsey stirs in her sleep and rolls over to the side to hug Nathan only to find the spot to be empty. She slowly opens her eyes to find him on the couch, drinking alone. He looks worried and this in turn, worries her.“What’s wrong?” she asks as she approaches him. “Why are you awake at this hour?”“Can’t sleep,” Nathan mutters as he takes a sip from his drink. Halsey sighs and sits next to him. She pours a glass of whiskey for herself. Nathan is slightly surprised.“When did you start drinking whiskey?” He asks.“I don’t drink it,” she admits. “I just wanna give you company right now, that’s all. Why? You don’t like it when I drink?”“It’s up to yo