The cabin was dark when she returned. She saw Theo's figure lying on the couch and she quietly closed the door behind her. She leaned against it for a moment to calm her nerves. Her encounter with Mr. Berkeley had made a big turn for her. Unknowingly for both Theo and the guy, she was presented with an opportunity to run away from the world she was trapped in.

She took a deep breath and slowly let it go. If she played this right, she could fool Theo, save the kids and run away with Mr. Berkeley.

But he can be worse than Theo, a part of her thought.

That may be right, but at least she had a shot of fooling the guy. She'd have a better chance of escape if she chose Mr. Berkeley. But what could Theo do if she did that?

You can kill him.

Mr. Berkeley's words ran around her mind. She could do that with Berkeley's help. But was she willing to go that far? She was no murderer.

"You took your damn time," Theo said from the couch and she jumped in surprise.

"You're still awake," she said when she recovered.

He was on his feet in less than two seconds and was storming toward her, his shadowed form making her heart race. "So, did your makeup session give you any progress?" he asked when he was finally facing her. He was standing too close and she was trapped between him and the door.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, it did." She tried to think fast. She had to give something to Theo or he would think she was planning something.

"What is it?" She couldn't see his face because of the darkness and she hoped he couldn't see her nervous look either.

Desiree gulped and said, "He gave me an offer to work with him." When Theo remained silent, she added, "That confirms your suspicions, doesn't it?"

He nodded. "That presents a problem. We still have two more weeks to plan everything."

"What's your next plan?"

"Now that we've confirmed he double crossed us, you can stop seeing him."

She wasn't against it. Berkeley had already told her the same thing. "But what if I can get more information from him?"

Theo stepped closer, closing the distance between them until she was pressed hard against the door. "Why do I get the feeling that you like being around that guy?"

"And why do I get that feeling that you hate seeing me with that guy?" she countered.

What he did next was unexpected. Though it was clear that there was a sexual tension building up between them, she didn't expect him to act on it again like he did the last time in his home. She was pinned against the door and his mouth was against hers in a rough, passionate kiss. She fought him with what remained of her strength. He let go of her mouth but his hands kept hers above her head in a strong hold. "If you think I am going to deny the fact that I hate seeing you kissing that bastard, you're wrong. Because I know I can do it better," he rasped against her mouth, nuzzling her nose with his. She felt his hips against hers and she almost gave in until he said, "If you just beg, I'll give you more, Desiree."

She suddenly felt numb and she pulled her hands free and he let her, much to her surprise. "The only begging you'll get from me is from my dead body." Her voice was shaking with anger. "You stay away from me, Theo."

"You are not going near Berkeley again, do you hear?"

She did not reply and went straight to the bathroom door.

"Desiree." His voice was full of warning.

"If you stay away from me, I will gladly do it," she snapped at him before slamming the door behind her.

*****

Theo almost cursed himself.

He paced around the cabin while Desiree showered in the bathroom.

Everything was going south. There was something in her voice earlier that told him she was keeping something. What else could she have talked about with Berkeley? Did that guy give her an offer that she couldn't refuse?

This may be absurd, but Theo was willing to entertain any thoughts. He was rarely wrong with his doubts. And right now he in doubt of Desiree's actions. She had a lot of reasons to betray him. And if Berkeley offered her an out, she would consider it.

He had to keep an eye on her.

*****

Marco decided to slip Khaye out of the hospital before Gian came back. She insisted on it.

Whatever made her think she couldn't trust her brother, he wouldn't dare question. It was one thing if it was only him who noticed the changes in Gian and it was another if his own sister did too.

"It might just be his way of dealing with what happened to me," Khaye said when they were finally inside his car. She found it hard to climb inside what with her wound still fresh and her body still weak.

Marco did not reply. She was trying to convince herself that Gian was not doing anything that could harm her. He found it hard to believe as well. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was just Gian's way of dealing with things. But he could not just keep hanging on to blind faith. He would not dare risk Khaye's safety again. Petroff had men in their station. How else could he have known that Khaye talked?

Marco just wished that Gian was not one of them. But for now, they had to play it safe.

*****

"Do you think they are keeping her prisoner?" Khaye asked out of nowhere. She wanted to take her mind off her brother for now. Worrying about what he was up to would only cause her more stress. The worse thing was that she couldn't do anything about it. It was her brother and if he was doing something behind her back, she didn't want to know.

"Who?" asked Marco, obviously startled by her question.

"Desiree. I can't believe the theory that she is working with them. That's just not her."

"When you told me about the money talk Jamaica had with Petroff and Richard Karlsson, were you telling the truth?"

Khaye closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes."

"Then it might be a possibility that Desiree was in on it as well. They are best friends after all as what you said. They could have been doing something other than walking down the runway."

"I just get this feeling that she's being pulled into all this like I am," she said.

Marco threw her a glance. "Let's take this one step at a time, shall we? We have to start from the very beginning. We will eventually come to a point where we can find her and when we do, we'll know the truth."

"From what I experienced from Petroff, Desiree might already be dead if she's not working with them."

"Then let's just hope she has as much life as you do," he said with a smile.

Khaye appreciated the humour but couldn't bring herself to laugh. She just hoped Desiree was alive. She had to be alive.

*****

"You should go out," Theo told her two days later.

She had kept her promise and kept to herself. It was boring as hell, but she was at least able to eat. He often went out to join Berkeley for dinner, pretending that things were still okay and that their package was in safe hands. Other than that, they never spoke to each other and she was not eager to do so despite her lack of social entertainment. Whatever business talks he had to do over the phone, he took it outside with him. He never glanced at her direction and it was as if she was just one of the furniture in the cabin. She was fine with that.

This was the first time he addressed her directly.

"Why?" she asked, quite surprised that she still had her voice.

"He asked where you were. He was curious why he hasn't seen you around. This is a cruise and you can't spend it inside the cabin."

She stared at him pointedly. "You told me to stay away from him."

"I didn't tell you to lock yourself in. Get dressed and show yourself around."

She did as he said because she wanted to. If Berkeley wanted to talk to her, she would be willing to do so. If he had come up with a plan, she would listen and seriously consider it. There was no point remaining faithful to Theo. She was only faithful to herself right now. If they could do a lot of evil, so could she.

The ship was humongous and it was hard to find Berkeley anywhere. He wasn't at the pool or the bar where they used to meet. Theo wasn't tailing her as well so she was basically alone and free. She relished on that small freedom and decided to give up on searching for Berkeley. He'd find her if he wanted to talk. For now, she might as well enjoy the cruise.

She was surprised when she stumbled upon the twins. For a moment she hoped that Berkeley was around and she might get the chance to talk to him about his plans. She wanted to know how they could trap Theo.

"Hey, boys," she said to the twins and they just stared at her.

"We don't talk to strangers," one of them said.

Desiree gave them a warm smile and nodded in approval. "That's right. You don't talk to strangers. Where's your brother?"

"He's not our brother," said the other. He received a poke from his twin after he said that.

"Don't tell her that. We'll get in trouble."

"But they're friends."

"Yes, we are," Desiree said in agreement. "So I am not really a stranger. Do you want to know my name?"

"We know a lot of things," said the other one.

"We don't want to know your name," added his twin.

"Oh? Really? You know a lot of things?" she asked, suddenly curious.

The other twin nodded. "And we can keep them here for a very long time," he said, pointing at his temple.

"So you are very smart kids then," she said with a chuckle.

The twins just looked at her but did not say anything more. Instead, they left and ran away to join the other kids huddled together watching birds flying along with the ship. Desiree observed from far away until the two ended up playing alone together. They were not good in dealing with the other kids, she noticed. It seemed as if they had their own little world.

As she started to turn away, about to give up on the twins, she noticed the Chinese couple Theo had been following around for a week now. They were seated with other couples, laughing and drinking juice with them like any normal cruise-goers should do. But the Chinese guy's eyes were not entirely focused on his partner or the people sitting around with them. His eyes were on the twins, watching them like a parent would their kids.

Desiree felt something was off but she couldn't point out what.

"So, you think you can do it?" Berkeley's voice made her jump in surprise. She recovered fast and chuckled, her hand on her chest.

"You almost gave me a heart attack."

He smiled and leaned against the ship's railing. "So, you think you can do it?" he repeated.

She looked around for any sign of Theo. There was none. "How do you suggest I do it?"

"Just keep him busy. But I want to make sure that you are in. My clients are eager to get their hands on the packages and they are willing to pay me double."

"And if I am not ready?"

"Then you know what might happen to you. Theo cannot protect you on this ship. You're already in too deep in my plan, my dear. I can't just let you go."

Her heart started beating fast and she composed herself. "Okay, I'm in. What do I do?"

Berkeley reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I'll tell you about it when it's time. We still have a week and a half left. Just make sure Theo doesn't suspect anything. The packages need to be safe until we make our move on him."

Desiree just nodded and Berkeley pulled away from the railing.

"I am eagerly waiting for the day that we can both run away with a boatload of cash. You have no idea the number of ways I can make you moan in pleasure, darling," Berkeley added before he left. Desiree felt the same disgusting shiver up her spine but she maintained the smile on her face. She watched as Berkeley went to the twins and the three of them walked off. Her eyes landed back on the Chinese couple who was also watching the trio.

Packages.

Theo had always been referring to just one package. But Berkeley had been referring to it in plural form.

Desiree's heart skipped a beat.

No, it can't be, she whispered to herself.

Her eyes followed Berkeley and the twins until they disappeared into a hallway.

One of the twins' words played in her head. We know a lot of things.

The hairs on her arm stood up as she felt the chill run through her body. She tried to deny it by shaking her head.

But it was obvious. It had always been obvious.

She felt like the world had suddenly collapsed under her feet as it finally dawned on her.