Anne sat nervously on the edge of a couch in Frances's house, her gaze fixed on Frances, who stood rigid by the window, tension radiating from her posture.
"Aunt, everything will be fine," Anne assured her, though her voice quivered slightly.
"No, nothing is fine," Frances replied sharply.
The door creaked open, and Selina strode in, her presence commanding. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on Anne.
"Anne, are you living here now?" Selina asked, a smirk creeping onto her lips.
"Yes, there's no one to take care of Mom," Anne replied, her tone steady.
Selina's smirk widened. "Yeah, right. Hi, Mom."
Frances turned abruptly, fury igniting within her. Without warning, she struck Selina across the face.
"Who are you?" Frances spat.
"Mom, really? I'm not at fault," Selina protested, rubbing her cheek.
"Shut up, Selina! You went as far as killing your father, and now you claim you're not at fault?"
Selina's expression hardened. "He wasn't my father—he was a devil."
"Are you any different from him?" Frances shot back. "You've become a beast."
"What's your plan? You've never spoken to me like this before. Is it Roberts? I thought I fired him," Selina retorted.
"You should leave now," Anne interjected, her voice firm.
"Excuse you?" Selina replied, incredulous.
"You heard me right," Anne pressed.
"Young lady, is your parents' house on fire? Did you lose the address?" Selina asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"None," Anne replied flatly.
"Then don't tell me to get out," Selina shot back, her defiance clear in her voice.
"Or else what? Kill me like you did the others?" Selina countered, her tone mocking.
"Nah, you'd be a waste of blood on my hands," Selina sneered.
"Watch it, because I'm not scared of you," Anne shot back defiantly.
"I've heard that before, but I'm not buying it. Mom, how are you?" Selina shifted her focus.
"Do not talk to me!" Frances snapped.
"Wow, my family is against me again," Selina said, feigning hurt.
"Stop trying to always be the victim, Selina, because you're not. The people you murdered are the victims. You are the culprit, so cut the bullshit," Anne insisted.
"Something is definitely off, and I'll find out somehow," Selina said, her tone resolute.
"It's none of your business, so stay out of it," Frances warned.
"Hmm, you're indirectly telling me that I'm right. I'll take it. Wait, am I to believe that something is off?" Selina mused.
"You're smart, so figure it out yourself," Anne challenged.
"How are you pulling this off? Even Officer Roberts is curious about your tactic. He said you're the only criminal giving him a hard time. Who's helping you, Selina?" Frances pressed.
"Mom, I was furious at you and Dad for taking me to the mental hospital, but mostly at Dad. He told me I should try changing my handwriting, but he underestimated me. I took it as a challenge and started making plans. I thought of punishing everyone, but then a better idea came to me," Selina explained.
"Which was killing," Anne interjected, her voice barely a whisper.
"Exactly. I didn't know how to do it at first, so I tried it on Dr. Laura—she was a chest ache. I promised myself that if I escaped from the mental hospital, I'd continue and show Dad that I wasn't weak anymore. But if I failed, I'd stop."
"So this was your plan?" Frances asked, incredulous.
"Once I got out, I jotted down everyone's names and their type of... you know," Selina replied, her smile sinister.
"Oh my God..." Anne murmured.
"How did you escape from the hospital the other day?" Frances pressed.
"The same way I escaped from the police when Jake set me up. The maid," Selina said nonchalantly.
"Who is she?" Frances inquired.
"A random stranger."
"What?" Anne gasped.
"What can I say? It's better to work with a stranger than family," Selina shrugged.
"Why do you think we're planning something, even though we aren't?" Frances challenged.
"It's glaring, Mom. Have you seen your faces? You look worried. You're panicking. It's like a facial alarm," Selina pointed out.
"We're worried about you, and we've always been," Anne replied softly.
"Not this worried," Selina said, her tone mocking.
"Selina, get out of my house! You disgust me," Frances yelled, her voice shaking.
"Yeah, I know. Take care of yourselves. And say hi to Officer Roberts for me," Selina smirked before turning and striding out.
"How is she figuring things out?" Anne asked, bewildered.
"I don't know, but I do know I'm scared," Frances admitted, her voice trembling.
"Don't be, Aunt," Anne consoled.
Diego and Taylor entered the room, Taylor looking hesitant while Diego appeared regretful.
"Honey..." Taylor began
"Really? Why is it so difficult to understand that I don't want you to come looking for me?" Anne replied, her voice sharp.
"Honey, we came to apologize."
"We made a big mistake, and we are so sorry."
Frances, addressing them, said hi.
Frances exited, leaving Anne alone with her parents.
"I don't want to talk to you because you don't mean anything you said. If your business was still thriving, you wouldn't be here. It took your business falling apart for you to realize that I'm alive and that I'm your daughter. Wow, what wonderful parents I got blessed with," Anne snapped
Taylor looked at Anne, her expression earnest. "Honey, we may not have realized it earlier, but we love you. The business was just a means to provide us with wealth," she said, her voice tinged with regret."
"Just wealth?" Anne retorted.
"Alright, fame as well," Taylor replied defensively.
Diego looked at Anne, remorse evident in his eyes. "I was the worst, Anne. Please forgive me. I don't know where to start, but my apology is genuine," he admitted.
"It's fine, I forgive you both. I can't stay mad at the people who raised me to become who I am today," Anne conceded.
Taylor smiled softly at Anne. "Thank you, dear," she said, her voice warm with sincerity.
Diego nodded, determination in his tone. "We'll better ourselves from now on," he promised, eager to make amends.
"That doesn't mean I am coming home," Anne stated firmly.
"No problem, honey. All we need to know is that you are in safe hands. She's more of a mother than me," Taylor said softly.
"Yes, Aunt Frances loves me so much.
Diego's expression was sincere as he said, "We know that, Anne. Please take care of yourself."
"Bye, honey," Taylor added, her voice gentle as they prepared to leave.
They exited, leaving Anne alone. She stood for a moment, deep in thought.
"I should check on Aunt," she resolved.
At the police station, Roberts paced the room, his face contorted with anger as he spoke on the phone.
"He betrayed us, sir. He turned his back on us," Roberts growled.
Officer 3 approached, concern etched on his face.
"Sir, we have bad news."
Roberts replied, "We'll do our best, sir," before hanging up the phone and turning to Officer 3.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone sharp.
"He escaped," Officer 3 said, concern etched on his face.
"Who?" Roberts pressed.
"Jake," Officer 3 replied.
Roberts's frustration boiled over. "What? Why did you allow him to escape? God, you're all so unfocused. I was just telling the DPO about our success."
Officer 3 hesitated. "He left a note."
Roberts's impatience surged. "What's written on it?"
"'So long, suckers,'" Officer 3 read aloud.
Roberts clenched his jaw, his frustration palpable. "Now we are hunting for two," he concluded, the weight of the situation sinking in.
Selina sat in a dimly lit room, surrounded by scattered papers and pictures. A smirk played on her lips as she spoke aloud, addressing an invisible audience.
"Poor Roberts, you must be in my mansion looking for me, but you didn't know it was just a distraction. I am right under your nose. Oh, before I forget, dear doctor, I wish you a safe journey on your trip to your grave."
Selina exited the room, her smile widening as she disappeared into the shadows.
Anne stood in the hospital hallway, her expression troubled. Roberts stood beside her, serious and focused.
"Why would Jake do that?" Anne asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I don't know, but we will get to them soon. Stay in position; I'll be with the doctor," Roberts instructed before exiting.
Frances approached Anne, her voice tinged with irony.
"I guess we are the nurses in the hospital."
Selina entered, disguised as a nurse, her expression unreadable.
"Time to go, Henry," she called, scanning the hallway.
Anne's heart raced. "It's her, Aunt. It's Selina!"
"Let's go!" Frances urged.
"Aunt, I got this. Watch out for any suspicious behavior," Anne asserted.
"Okay... Anne, be careful," Frances warned, anxiety creeping into her voice.
"I will, thank you, Aunt," Anne replied.
As Anne moved to the other corner of the hospital, attempting to remain out of sight, Selina noticed her and narrowed her eyes.
"I knew they were up to something. I have to abort the mission for now," Selina whispered to herself before quietly slipping away, exiting the hospital without drawing attention.
Selina walked briskly down the bustling street, her face set in determination. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, I need a favor," she said, her voice steady. "I need your help with something important."
After a short conversation, she hung up, a sly smile creeping across her lips. She contemplated her next move, a sense of excitement building within her as plans began to take shape in her mind.