Nathan entered his room, stunned by what he saw — roses scattered across the floor, a board that read "I'm sorry," and candles flickering softly in the dim light. For a moment, it looked like a scene from a romance novel… until the flames reached his sight. His breathing hitched. The fire—his trigger—snapped something inside him.
Before he could lose control, Vicky rushed forward and grabbed his trembling hand.
"Vicky?!" Catty's furious scream sliced through the moment. She stormed in and shoved Vicky, but Vicky didn't let go. Her grip stayed firm, her eyes fixed on Nathan's panicked face.
Cinthia appeared seconds later, gasping when she saw Nathan's trembling form."Fi…fire…fi…" Nathan mumbled helplessly.
"Oh God, it's too late—I came to blow them out!" Cinthia said in alarm.
"But she needs to let him go!" Catty shouted, trying to pull Vicky back.
Vicky ignored her. "Nathaniel, focus. You need to stay strong…" she said steadily, though Nathan's body was weakening.
"Nathaniel… Necro… just you and me," she whispered.
His eyes flickered toward her. "Just… you and me," he echoed faintly.
Downstairs, Emily entered the living room and found Jonas fidgeting with his phone, ignoring the repeated calls from Auguste.
"Is dinner not over yet?" she asked, tilting her head.
Jonas looked up, his heart softening. For a split second, he saw the little girl she used to be—held tightly by her weeping mother at Victor's funeral.
"Was the food spicy?" Emily asked curiously.
Jonas chuckled, wiping a tear. "No… why do you ask that?"
"You look like you're crying. What happened?"
"I'm just… happy to see you," Jonas said softly.
"Oh, everyone gets teary seeing me," Emily said, smiling innocently. "I'm Emily, but I can't have more friends now."
"I'm Jonas, and I'm your—"
"Emily, there you are," Evan interrupted, stepping in.
"Yes. Are we going now?" she asked.
"Yes. Vicky's coming, so we'll leave soon. Wait for me in the car," he said.
"Okay. Nice meeting you, Mr. Jonas."
"Bye, Emily," Jonas said, watching her go. His eyes lingered on her, full of emotion.
Evan sighed. "It would've been so cute if Dad was alive."
Jonas nodded. "Yeah… she's really grown. She looks just like him."
Evan's tone darkened. "So, how do you feel after erasing my father? Oh wait, I know—you're enjoying his hard work."
Jonas met his gaze. "Evan, you have every right to judge me. But I'm not that greedy, selfish man anymore. I've been in therapy since my brother died—it's helped. I can't blame you if you don't trust me, but I hope one day, you and Paige can forgive me."
Sara appeared quietly behind them.
"It doesn't matter right now," Evan said. "Did Vicky talk to you?"
"Yes. She said she wants to meet me tomorrow," Jonas replied.
"Do you remember when she was tied up in the AID Mansion years ago?" Evan asked.
Jonas nodded. "Yeah. She wanted to destroy me—and the whole AID facility."
"Good. And do you remember when I came to get her and injected her with something?"
"Yes. You sedated her."
"No," Evan said quietly. "It wasn't sedation. It was a memory serum."
Jonas froze. "You erased her memory?"
Upstairs, Grandma Veronica and the rest of the Shikongos arrived at Nathan's room. Vicky was helping Nathan out as everyone stared.
"What's happening?" Kuku asked.
"Oh, I can tell," Monica said sharply. "Catherine set fire in my brother's room to 'romanticize' him—but instead, she triggered him!"
"Catherine?" Kuku gasped, noticing the candles.
"Oh, this is funny," Daniels muttered. "Romance turned into someone else's love story." He nodded toward Vicky still holding Nathan.
Cinthia rushed over and separated them before anyone else saw.
"Are you okay now?" Vicky asked.
"He's fine… right, Nate?" Cinthia said.
"Just you and me… just you…" Nathan murmured senselessly.
"No, he isn't fine," Vicky said firmly.
"Can you go home? Your stay here is over," Cinthia snapped.
Ruben appeared at the door. "What's going on here?"
"Tell your girlfriend to leave. This is family business," Cinthia said.
"Go home, Vicky—or whatever they call you," Catherine hissed. "I can handle my husband."
"No, you can't!" Ruben barked. "You lit candles knowing full well Nathan can't look at fire! And now you're blaming the one person who's calming him down?"
Nathan trembled, whispering "Dad… Mom…" through tears. Vicky's eyes softened.
"Cinthia can make chamomile tea—he'll calm down," Catherine said quickly.
"Cinthia, come on. You know Vicky can't just go home," Ruben said.
"Oh, I know. The driver is ready," Cinthia replied coldly.
"You're selfish," Ruben said. "You see he's getting worse."
Kuku arrived with a fire extinguisher. "I'm coming!" she said, panting.
Vicky held Nathan's hand again, grounding him. He started to breathe slower, steadier.
Kuku noticed. "Vicky's leaving… can you hold him like that again? He's calming down."
"I'll set the fire out," Kuku said.
"I can help," Vicky said softly. "Please, Grandma. Let me."
Kuku nodded. "Yes, dear. Set the candles off."
Ruben glanced at Cinthia, disappointment etched on his face. He shook his head and walked away.
"You were planning to marry Nathan—and you torture him like this?" Kuku scolded Catherine.
Catherine huffed and turned to stop Vicky. "I'll set the candles off myself."
"Kuku gave her the job," Monica interjected. "Let her finish."
"She's a guest!" Catherine argued.
"Aww, are you scared your love story's being put out?" Monica teased.
While they bickered, Vicky noticed Nathan trembling again. Without hesitation, she blew out the flames—snapping Catherine into silence.
Downstairs again, Jonas stared at Evan in disbelief.
"You can't be serious," he said.
"Don't judge me," Evan replied flatly. "She's remembering pieces of her past. If she keeps digging, she'll realize she's Paige."
"She remembers me?" Jonas asked.
"Yes. Because you were part of her life as Paige. But she doesn't know she was an AID intelligence spy… or that she created the world's most expensive weapon."
Jonas' eyes widened. "That's impossible."
"That's why I'm telling you," Evan said. "She's meeting you tomorrow. She'll ask why you called her Paige. Don't tell her the truth—I'll explain when the time comes."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Tell her she reminded you of an old friend named Paige. That's it. Or better—cancel the meeting."
Jonas sighed. "Okay. For what it's worth, I'm with you in this. I don't understand it all, but I'll stand by you."
As Evan turned to leave, he noticed Sara eavesdropping nearby. He narrowed his eyes.
"Where did I see that woman?" he muttered.
Later, Vicky approached Kuku again. Catty and Cinthia watched from across the room, both visibly displeased.
"Nathaniel, the fire's off," Vicky said softly.
"It's… off?" Nathan blinked, slowly regaining himself. He stood, surprising everyone, and hugged Vicky tightly. The room went silent.
Moments later, realizing what he'd done, Nathan pulled away and left for the guest room.
"Thank you," Kuku said warmly.
"I just couldn't watch him suffer," Vicky said quietly.
Kuku nodded. "How did you know he's pyrophobic?"
Vicky looked down. "I was pyro once. My dad died in a fire. I couldn't save him—I just watched. For years, the guilt ate me alive. But… I overcame it eventually."
Kuku's eyes softened. "Nathan went through the same. His parents died in a car fire when he was ten. He saw it happen. I've tried everything to heal him, but nothing worked."
"He will overcome it," Vicky said gently.
Just then, she saw Cinthia passing by. "Give me a second," she said and followed.
"Hey," Vicky called out.
"What is it?" Cinthia asked curtly.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have crossed my limits," Vicky said sincerely.
"Yeah, right! Thanks to you, Ruben won't even talk to me," Cinthia snapped.
"Ruben and I were never a couple," Vicky said firmly.
"What?"
"He only asked me to pretend—to help him get close to Nathan and cure his pyrophobia."
Cinthia blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I only felt bad for Nathaniel. I know how terrifying that kind of fear can be. I'll never come between your family again."
Cinthia exhaled. "Alright. Have a good night. The driver's waiting for you."
"Thank you," Vicky said softly, then turned to leave.