If they succeeded, they could be free from this room.

If not, they will die. Starvation, sickness, zombies... If they didn't go out from this city, they were condemned.

So now, they were anxious.

The group just called when they entered, and nothing since then. It wasn't really rea.s.suring. Daisy was the most affected. The people trying to rescue them was her husband and her friends. How could she stay calm while they risked their lives ? When they're dealing with criminals, she could still accept it. They were humans, and she's aware of this group capacities.

But zombies ?

She was restless. If there wasn't her baby to take care of, she'd cry till there was not a single drop of water left in her body.

Millie was in a better state, but the joy of being freed was replaced with doubts. Six hours with no calls, did they die ? Filled with worry, she walked in the room for two hours without stopping once.

Nora was a bit dizzy watching her, but she didn't stop her. She'd make it worse.

So she just continued to search for some informations on Millie's phone, but there was nothing relevant. She tried to call her parents, in vain. She didn't know what happened to them and she could only hope they were safe. With her father, it was easier to think of it, she never met someone who wasn't afraid of him. With the exception of their little family of four, of course. It's not like he did anything wrong or violent, but he just needed to stand there and everyone around him would know you couldn't mess with him.

He was a living ice cube, and if he was angry, it would end up in snowstorm.

So Nora was less worried about him, he was too difficult to deal with.

But her mother, on the other side... Laurene was the only child of a rich family, an heir with an artist's soul and soft manners. She was a strong woman actually, or else she wouldn't be married to their father. But when it came to her family, she tended to show her weaknesses. She, who could be unwavering before the most cruel and heartless people, would crumble once it touched her dear ones.

Now that she was on her own, Nora wasn't sure of anything.

But both of them were unreachable.

Nora put this issue on the side. It wasn't useful to ask questions that couldn't be answered now.

So she tried to look for some news about another person.

Jess.

While her mom's family was quite simple with doting grandparents, her dad's family was a bit messy.

Two brothers started in their young years a company. One dealt with any financial issue, the other was the builder. Little by little, they made their way to the top.

Now, half of the houses, buildings and roads were made by them. They became one of the most powerful family in the country. And the rumors even said they started to look in the direction of the international market.

The elder brother had a good marriage, and with his wife they had three sons and five grandchildren. He had more wealth than his brother, and knew how to keep it.

But the little brother...

While he was a genius when he had to build something, his personal life wasn't great. When he saw his brother marry a woman from high society, who gave him financial support and social connections, he decided to do the same. He was quite handsome, had great ideas and ambitions, it didn't took long before a young lady fell into his trap. After a few months of marriage, the pregnancy was announced. The young wife became friends with the elder brother and his own wife, and with a baby coming soon, she was living the perfect dream.

But her husband wasn't a faithful one. He loved women as much as the money he gained from his wife, and he intended to enjoy both.

Until his lover told him she was pregnant too. He realised this burden could end what he tried so hard to achieve, so he gave up on her. He told her she should abort the baby, or if she wanted to have him, he would never acknowledge him.

This woman was Nora's grandmother, Sarah Philips. She was deeply in love and ended up with a broken heart and a baby. After their break-up, she learned his real ident.i.ty, and the fact he hid perferctly : he already had a wife. Upset and vengeful, she sent every photos she had about their couple to every member of his family and some to the media. It took her a bit of time to do so, but the satisfaction she felt after was worth it. She thought he'd end up with a divorce and a nice scandal for all the pain he gave her. But she didn't wait to see the results and moved from the capital city to the country side.

What she wasn't aware of was the pregnancy.

When his wife learned about this story, she was so shocked she fainted on the spot. Her health deteriorated and she had to be bedridden in the hospital. She was seven months pregnant when she gave birth to a tiny and frail daughter.

The scandal and his wife's health was already too much for him, but knowing he didn't have the heir he wanted, only a daughter, the word anger wasn't enought to describe the state the younger brother was in. Fortunately, his elder brother helped him and the matter was buried quite easily.

But he still had to deal with the aftermath. His wife's body couldn't bear any child anymore.

He only had this daughter.

Nora's mother was quite lucky to have a family who didn't care about the gender. As long as it was their child, they would love him.

But her grandfather wasn't the same. He painstakingly raised his status till this point, had to watch his elder brother with his three sons, while he didn't have any.

Then he remembered why this scandal started. Sarah. She didn't close her mouth and made such a move, causing this situation. Now that his wife was aware of this, he could give up on having another lover. He knew her, and more than that, her family. It was already a miracle they didn't ask for a divorce, he couldn't afford another mistake.

But Sarah was pregnant at that time. If she kept the child, and if it was a boy, wouldn't that be the heir he deeply wanted ? His wife knew of his cheating, so if he brought in the child, it would be more acceptable than if he had another one with a new lover. He could say it was a single mistake, because he was stressed by the pregnancy and their new marriage. If he explained it all carefully, he could save his family while gaining a son.

So he started to search for this child. No matter what, he wanted this child, his hope. His pride wouldn't allow him to adopt, nor could he be satisfied with this daughter. He had to look for this child. But time can't stop, and it took him twelve years before he finally found him.

Nora's father, Arthur Philips.

What happened after he found his ex and their son is a mystery. No matter what, her father never said a word about it.

But she knew her father took the Rainfrew name and went to a famous middle school and highschool. What his father never expected, was that Arthur didn't care about this family business.

He didn't want to have anything to do with it.

After his studies, he married Laurene and left the capital for a less known city. He made a name for himself and, without his wife's family connections, raised his own status, so no one could call him "the Rainfrew b.a.s.t.a.r.d". Now he was a senator, and he traveled all the time for his work, but he never wanted to move back to the capital. He could work there, but not live there. Anything but that.

No matter what happened, he took his distances with his family, so much that Nora and Millie never met them.

Except for Arthur's half sister and her daughter, Jess. Knowing she didn't have her father's favor, she didn't show her hatred though. She really thought this little brother would end up with the inheritance, so, on the contrary, she had to treat him well. She made everything to be a loving elder sister, so she could gain some benefits.

And she taught her daughter to do the same with the two sisters.

Both sides knew what was really going on, but Arthur didn't care. If she wanted to come, alright, but he never gave her anything for her to enjoy. Both mother and daughter were just small flies.

That's why Nora never thought Jess could try to kill her. They didn't have a good relations.h.i.+p, Nora knew her true reasons for coming and they met only once or twice a year, but they still gave face to each other, and spoke nicely when they met.

So why would she kill her ?

That was a question that always bothered Nora. Because she couldn't figure it out, she decided to look for some clues on the social networks. Jess loved to tell everything that happened in her life online. Maybe there would be a tiny little something on it that could give her the reason.