Once the software was handed over to the cops, Dylan led Nadia out of Leamington. As she walked beside him, Nadia could feel every eye on them. The lobby that had been busy when she came to the hotel, had a profound silence now. Police officers were walking around the place, speaking into their two-way radios while the guests and staff, sat silently, observing everything happening around them.

The two of them were the only people who could walk freely around the place and Nadia felt terrible for leaving Derek behind. However, there was nothing she could do about it. The cops had insisted on keeping him until the investigation was complete and she couldn't argue with them. The man who could argue, though, didn't seem interested in doing so.

Dylan watched Nadia from the corner of his eyes as she walked next to him, lost in her thoughts. He had underestimated her, not just today, but also at that cafe, two years ago.

His chauffeur drove the car towards the exit as soon as they stepped out of the hotel. The guard, who was standing next to the exit, came forward to open the car door for him.

"This is where you thank me, Hayden".

"For making my firm lose their biggest client?" Nadia asked, feigning innocence.

"For making sure you don't get yourself killed in there" Dylan said. The statement worried Nadia, once again, for her friend.

"Will Derek be alright?" She asked in a genuinely concerned voice.

"Your boyfriend? He'll live" Dylan answered to see her eyes narrow at him. "It will be a simple investigation. There won't be any problem, not unless he creates one for himself".

Now, that was something to be concerned about, Nadia thought. Derek and problems went hand in hand.

Pushing that thought to the back of her head, Nadia looked up at Dylan. The gold in his hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight, making them appear to be the most gorgeous pair of eyes she ever saw.

"Thank you, Mr VanAssche" Nadia said, finally. Everyone inside the hotel was held back for the investigation that could go on for hours and the only reason she wasn't one of them, was him and Nadia was grateful for that. Even though the hurt and anger she felt at that cafe were still fresh in her mind, Nadia let it go for once. She gave him a polite smile before turning away and striding towards the parking lot.

Dylan watched her leave, standing still for a few second and then got inside the car, waiting for him. His guard closed the door and walked around to the front, sitting shotgun. The engine of the Rolls Royce purred and the chauffeur drove off to the company's headquarters.

Later that evening, Dylan VanAssche sat inside his magnificent office, on the topmost floor of the largest building at his headquarters finalizing everything before calling it a day when Markus barged in.

"I hate cops!" He announced, taking a seat across the desk. Dylan raised his eyes, from the file he was reading, without lifting his chin to look at him. Markus was leaning back in the chair, eyes closed and massaging his temples with his thumb and index finger.

"You were the one dying to help everyone" Dylan said as a matter of fact and went back to read the file.

Markus straightened in his chair and bend forward, placing his hands on the massive desk. "I wanted to help people get out of that shitty hotel, not get stuck in there myself for five freaking hours!"

Putting the file aside, and pretending to ignore his friend, Dylan grabbed one of his notepads and started to write. He scribbled some words on the paper, then stopped, taking a moment to think.

The last and the only other time when he had actually made an effort with a similar letter, it was purely a tease. He had sent it as a taunt, intending nothing but to annoy the person it was addressed to. He never got a reply to that and he hadn't expected to get one.

The one he was planning to send out this time, though, was genuine and a deserving one. He chose his words delicately as he wrote the next few lines and finished off with a signature.

"You could've at least sent a message that you left" Markus continued, "and now that I think about it, nothing would've happened if you didn't go after that girl. Who was she anyway?" He asked curiously.

Markus knew his friend well enough. A person could be dying in front of him and Dylan wouldn't bat an eye if it didn't concern him so, the fact that he actually went after a random girl without a purpose was something he couldn't digest.

Dylan didn't answer the question. Instead, he pushed the button on his desk that connected him to his secretary's office. "Bring me the letter" he ordered.

Less than thirty seconds later, a woman dressed elegantly in a white blouse and grey skirt appeared in the office with an envelope that she placed on Dylan's desk and stepped back. Markus bent forward, scrutinizing the envelope, while Dylan neatly folded the paper he had been writing on and put it inside the envelope carrying the letter.

"You're offering jobs to people now? Since when?" Markus asked, not believing what he was seeing.

"Since today," Dylan said, handing over the envelope to his secretary, "send it to the address I gave you".

With that, he got up from his chair, put on his suit jacket and walked out of his office. Markus followed.

Inside the elevator, Dylan could feel Markus' eyes on him, waiting for his explanation and he didn't give him one until they reached the underground parking. "She's Caroline's friend" was all he said before walking out, towards his private parking zone.

Markus took a few seconds to think about it then, connecting the dots he went on to catch up with Dylan.

"The same friend who called you the biggest jerk in the history of jerks at your first meet?" Markus asked, remembering the time when Dylan had gone to New York to meet his cousin.

"The one and only" he confirmed, getting inside the driving seat of his Bugatti and turning on the ignition.

Markus gave off a chuckle, thinking back to the time when he had heard the story from him, "In her defence, you deserved it".

Totally, Dylan agreed, he totally deserved it.

The next second, he placed his foot on the accelerator and zoomed out of the parking area into the premises of his headquarters.

He had only driven till the gateway when Dylan saw the commotion outside one of the buildings inside the premises of his workplace. Pushing the breaks, he noticed how some of his security guards were crowding around something, which wasn't visible to him from the distance.

Dylan killed the engine of his car and had just stepped out when the men, who were till then staring at something keenly, started running away. As the crowd dispersed, the Rolls Royce in which he had been riding only a few hours ago, came into view. The vehicle didn't appear to be damaged, nor did it look suspicious enough to have people running away from it.

Assessing the situation from years of experience and knowing how the simplest of the circumstances can turn into a catastrophe in the shortest duration of time, Dylan stayed at his spot as his bodyguard came running towards him.

"What's wrong with it?" Dylan looked around, noticing how everyone was shielding their bodies behind different objects. They had run off to a safe distance and were hiding behind concrete and other solid objects as if bracing themselves for the impact. It didn't take long for Dylan to figure what was going around.

The car was bugged with explosives, he concluded even before his guard could reply.

Just in time, as Dylan grabbed the door of the Bugatti and pulled it open that the Rolls Royce blew up.

The explosion sent an echoing roar and Dylan, by pure reflex, bend low, shielding his body behind the Bugatti's door. Even though he was at a safe distance away from the blast, he felt the shock wave run through his body.

The glass windows of the car shattered and small chunks of glass flew everywhere. Dylan waited for the debris to settle before standing up and analyzing the scene.

Once the explosion subdued, more security officers after hearing the thundering sound of the blast came rushing towards the burning car with fire extinguishers. Dylan strode towards the scene inquiring about the explosive and making sure none of his employees was hurt. Some having minor scratches from the debris were sent away for treatment while the others stayed behind. Fortunately, there were no casualties or major injuries.

"The car was absolutely fine when I drove you here, Mr VanAssche," his chauffeur told him. The old man was shivering with panic, after witnessing the car he had drove only hours ago burn down to ashes.

"Take him inside," Dylan told his bodyguard, "and get me the people who monitor the entry and exit of everyone in here".

Markus came running towards them and stopped a few steps behind. His eyes were fixed on the burning car with thick black smoke oozing out of it and lifting to the sky. He saw how Dylan was instructing his bodyguards on what has to be done and they listened to him attentively.

Markus went towards the team of technicians who had hurried out of the building, after hearing the explosion.

"Get the footage of all the security cameras around the place and follow the usual protocol. I want to know how and who got inside the premises without proper authorisation. Dig in about them and find every possible detail about this incident" Markus instructed, as the team followed him.

He stopped in his tracks as a thought crossed his mind. Urging his employees to get in and work on the tasks assigned to them, Markus made his way back towards Dylan and waited for him to finish his conversation with another one of the security officers.

Moments later, when Dylan finally came towards him did Markus saw the evil in his eyes. The burning fire cast a shadow on his face, hiding a part into darkness. Whoever had dared to bug the car had not only destroyed one of his prized vehicles but had dared to do so inside his domain.

"Find out who did this" Dylan ordered.

Markus nodded before asking, "It's going to take a few hours of research before we find who did this. You want to involve the cops in this or…?"

Dylan scoffed at that.

"Just find them. I'll pay them a visit myself."