''Nico, you are too idle, aren't you?'' the man did not take his eyes off Leona and the officer as he spoke coldly.
''Brother, don't think of torturing me in any absurd way. At the end of the day, I am still your sweet little brother,'' Nico winced, gently caressing his blonde hair, ''I was just stating the truth. It has been two years since your divorce and it seems like every happening man of New York has hoarded at sister-in-law's doorsteps. What more, she seemed to have taken interest in them for a period of time as well. Didn't you see the news of her dating this famous footballer a few weeks ago? Sigh… Although I am your brother, who is to deny that they looked good together?"
The man did not say anything at all.
Nico felt like his words just punched soft cotton. He could help but sigh as he looked at his big brother, ''Weren't you standing there when your sister-in-law shut down the stores because of your picture being displayed on their advertisement? It seems like she has come to disdain you.''
The man who was observing Leona's actions from a distance was none other than her ex-husband, Zayden King.
''If you don't handle your tongue wisely, you can go to the company and start handling your affairs.''
Nico immediately shut up when he heard that.
But after a moment, his personality still dominated over his resolution, ''But brother, you did not tell me why we are here yet,'' he said thoughtfully. Golden Globe was one of the largest shopping complexes in New York but they had no business here today, at least none that he knew of. And moreover, now that they had crossed paths with Leona, he did not know if they were going to stay longer here.
As expected, Zayden looked at Leona one last time before he turned to look at Nico, ''Let's leave.''
Nico was not surprised at this point. Both Zayden and Leona seemed to hate each other from their very cores after their divorce. One could not bear the sight of the other.
On the other hand, Leona had no idea about this whole exchange between the two people who observed her for some time before leaving.
''Officer, are you going to say something?"
The man looked at indifferently, ''Miss Vetrov, the thing is…''
'Bang'
''Ahhhh…''
'Bang bang bang'
Leona frowned as screams erupted inside the shopping mall. Within one moment, the situation seemed to have overturned completely as gunshots reverberated in the place and several people were shot.
The officer who was talking to Leona took out his gun and shot a man who was responsible for the deaths but soon after, his face turned frigid because more and more people poured inside the shopping mall. They were all dressed in black and their faces were covered. It seemed like they were a part of some organization but upon a closer look, one could not figure out which organization they belonged to.
"Miss Vetrov, is this your doing?"
Leona's lips twitched, ''Jokes apart, officer, but you don't have to prove that you hit yourself in the head when you were born. I understand even without you explaining it.''
"_"
The man's face turned blank. He turned to glare at her only to find her taking out a gun and pointing at him, ''You… I knew it,'' the moment her finger pulled the trigger, he dodged to the side in disbelief.
But before he could do or say anything, Kate spoke up, ''Behind you.''
The officer turned around and saw that one of the men in black rolled the escalator after being shot by Leona and a woman escaped.
Without wasting any time, he pulled out his phone and contacted the higher ups, ''We need emergency forces at the Golden Globe shopping precinct. More than 40 masked men, armed with guns have invaded the place… What do you mean by you can't send forces? The Vetrovs have restrained you…?"
The call was hung up and the officer turned to Leona.
But before he could say anything, he heard more and more sounds of resounding gunshots behind. When he turned around, he realized that a large number of men were fighting with the batch of invaders. They had insignia of the Vetrov Family on their chests.
''I had called the forces before I came here. It's good that they acted on time,'' Kate said to Leona, ''Miss, you stay here. I will go help them out. In any case, it would be better if we find some clues on the invaders,'' she pulled two pistols from her boots and ran from her initial spot the moment Leona nodded.
The remaining people who were investigating the jewelry store were also summoned and sent by the officer to handle the situation while he stood there and continuously called the higher-ups to demand force.
Every once in a while, his gaze would shift to Leona who had her arms crossed in front of her chest. She observed the chaotic scene with a calm face as if the lives and deaths of the people had nothing to do with her.
As much as he disdained it, he felt like it was better for the woman to stay put in her place. If she ran around and caused trouble, then he would have to go protect her. She was the sole heiress of the Vetrovs and if something happened to her under his watch then….
He had just thought of it when he saw the woman move. She ran in the opposite direction.
''Miss Vetrov, stop right there,'' he snarled but the woman did not slow down at all but instead, she picked up her pace, holding the gun tightly. The next thing he witnessed left him stunned in his spot.
The heartless woman shot two masked men in the back of their heads and as they fell, the officer realized that one of them was holding a child in his arms.
He would not have thought much about it if not for Leona kneeling on the floor and freeing the child from the man's arms.
''Wake up…'' she patted the child's face which was partially bleeding but the young boy seemed to be unconscious, ''Hey… wake up…''
As the officer made his way towards them, he could hear the slight panic in Leona's voice. From the moment he saw the woman, he saw her as the most aloof person ever, unbothered and unfazed by everything. For once, her hands trembled as she patted the young boy's face again and again.
Just as the officer was about to reach the spot, he noticed something that made him halt in his tracks. The floor underneath his feet seemed to be shaking. He almost thought that it was an illusion but when he looked up, he saw a huge gap in the floor.
Leona was no longer in his line of sight. All he could see was one of hands that held onto the floor.
He quickly rushed forward, ''Miss Vetrov, you…''
''Hold him,'' Leona frowned deeply, her brows scrunching in pain.
The officer noticed that she was still holding onto the child in her arms. She immediately pushed the child to his arms, ''Hospital…''
That was the last word she said before he watched her falling into the darkness. The moment he got hold of the child, he lost sight of the woman who was holding on.
The officer was too stunned to react.
He squatted near the opening of the floor and called out to her, ''Miss Vetrov… Miss Vetrov….''
What replied was the mere echoes of his voice.
He wanted to investigate the opening but the child in his arms restrained his movements. He could see that the child needed immediate medical attention. And all of a sudden, he noticed that the opening of the floor started closing.
While he was torn on what choice he should make, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
A person flashed his eyes like shadow and jumped inside the darkness.
''Brother…'' Nico knelt in front of the opening but no matter how he saw, he could not see Zayden.
The officer was rooted to his spot as he looked at the scene in shock. After a while, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, ''Sir, there are mechanisms in this shopping mall. Send forces as soon as possible….If not, you won't stay safe even with the backing of the Vetrovs. Miss Vetrov has fallen victim to one of these mechanisms and she has disappeared.''