Chapter 1

Vien shut her car door and jogged toward the entrance of the mall. Just as she neared it, a bump on her shoulder irritated her. She groaned inwardly, shutting her eyes. What the hell? Seriously?

She shot a glare at the woman in front of her. "Come on! What the fuck?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the woman, who had paused and was looking back at her.

"Vera?" the woman, whose tanned complexion, standing beside the woman who bumped her, asked, further aggravating Vien.

"For goodness' sake, I am not my twin!" Vien shot back, raising an eyebrow as she studied the two women. "And who the hell are you two? How do you know my twin?" she demanded, her eyes scanning them from head to toe.

The woman with the tan smiled. "Oh, you must be Vien, then? Vien Briar?" she asked. "I'm Nyx's friend, that's how I know Vera," she added, while the woman who had bumped into Vien continued to stare at her, making her feel uncomfortable.

Vien groaned and rolled her eyes. "Can you tell your friend here to stop gawking at me? She looks like a pervert," she said, brushing an imaginary speck of dirt off her shoulder.

The tanned woman nudged the woman who had bumped Vien, as if a realization had hit her. The woman immediately shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, offering a slight bow.

"Yeah, right," Vien muttered, rolling her eyes. She sighed deeply. "At least try looking where you're going next time. I'm sure you're not blind or anything," she scoffed, tossing them one last glance before flipping her hair and walking away.

Vien chuckled as she entered the mall, scanning the surroundings for someone. She was about to take another step when a voice called out to her.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up!" the voice called. Vien glanced over her shoulder and saw the woman who had bumped into her standing there.

What is her problem? Vien groaned inwardly as she turned to face her, hands on her hips. "What is it this time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look," the golden-tan-skinned woman began, "I'm sorry for bumping into you, and, uh, for staring too much," she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

Vien raised an eyebrow, ready to respond, when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Vien!" the voice called, followed by a giggle that made her smile. "Mommy!" Her heart softened as she turned toward her twin and her daughter.

"Blair," Vien called, slightly bending down to pat her daughter's head, smiling warmly.

"Oh, you have a daughter..." the woman in front of her mumbled, glancing from Vien to her daughter.

Vien sighed. "You're still here? What exactly do you want from me?" she said, turning back to the woman.

"Gabriela! What the heck is—Vera?" the woman who had been with the woman who bumped into Vien suddenly arrived. Her attention immediately shifted to Vera, Vien's twin.

"Oh?" Vera tilted her head, stepping forward to stand beside Vien. "Ashley," she said, acknowledging the newcomer.

Ashley looked between Vera, Vien, and Gabriela. "Do you know her, Ash?" Vera asked, pointing at Gabriela, who stiffened as she alternated glances between Vien and her daughter.

"Uh, yeah!" Ashley flashed a sly smile, trying to pull Gabriela away. "Actually, she's a friend and a colleague. This is Gabriela Vaega, a forensic investigator," she introduced.

Vera nodded, glancing from Vien to Gabriela. "And what about you? Do you know her?" she asked, turning to Vien.

"Hell no," Vien chuckled. "She just bumped into me, and now here we are..." Vien paused, shutting her eyes in frustration. She snapped them open, glaring at Gabriela. "I told you not to gawk at me!"

"I'm not!" Gabriela protested, waving her hand dismissively. "Again, I'm sorry for bumping into you. I didn't mean to," she said, bowing again. "And..." She hesitated, glancing at Ashley.

"Oh, please don't do that, lab queen!" Ashley groaned, pulling Gabriela away, but Gabriela stood firm.

Gabriela smiled at Vien. "And just so you know, you're beautiful," she said, her voice sincere.

Vien blinked in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. She looked at Vera, who was covering her mouth to suppress a smile, and at Ashley, who was facepalming in second-hand embarrassment.

"What?" Vien mumbled, still processing the compliment.

"I... We'll excuse ourselves now. Sorry for disturbing you," Ashley chimed in, forcefully pulling Gabriela away from the twins. "Goodness, Gabi!" she hissed, giving Gabriela a playful smack.

"What? I'm just telling the truth! She's beautiful!" Gabriela grinned, undeterred.

Vien stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded. "What the hell just happened?" she muttered.

Vera shrugged. "It's not like it's the first time you've ever been complimented like that," she scoffs. "Anyway, are you going to stand there like a statue? You've already made me wait for an hour, stupid," she added, clicking her tongue.

Gabriela dropped into her chair, taking a scoop of ice cream. She opened her mouth to take a bite when the door to her lab slammed open. Gabriela froze, her mouth still hanging open, spoon halfway to her lips.

"Gabi," Ashley called, stepping fully into the room.

Gabriela blinked and looked at Ashley. She put the spoon in her mouth, giving her a puzzled glance. "Did you get the results? About the murder case?" she asked.

She swallowed the melted ice cream, setting the pint down on her desk. She reached for a folder that had been piled on the corner shelf just beside her desk. "I finished the results last night," she said with a shrug, handing the folder to Ashley.

Ashley dropped into the chair across from Gabriela and began flipping through the document. Gabriela raised an eyebrow, watching her. "Aren't you supposed to be on vacation leave? I mean... you're about to visit Samoa, right?" she asked, taking another scoop of ice cream.

Ashley nodded as she flipped through the pages. "Yeah, next week," she said. She sighed heavily, then closed the folder and set it on Gabriela's desk.

"Why are you looking at me like I did something wrong?" Gabriela asked, raising an eyebrow, lifting her pint to her lips again.

Ashley scoffed. "You seriously had the guts to tell Vien Briar—a Briar—that she's beautiful?" She clicked her tongue.

"I'm just being appreciative, Detective Amosa," Gabriela said, shrugging. "Besides... I didn't know she had a daughter," she added, clicking her tongue as if disappointed.

"And? What if she has a daughter?" Ashley asked, confused. "It's not like she has a husband," she added, her voice trailing off at the end.

Gabriela blinked at Ashley, then smiled widely. "Did I hear that right?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "She doesn't have a husband? Why? Is he dead or something?"

Ashley reached out and flicked Gabriela on the forehead. "Look at you, gosh!" she said, chuckling. "I'm not entirely sure, but from what I know, Vien's divorced. Her husband lives in New York, so... why are you acting like that? Gosh, Gabi!" she added, noticing the smile spreading across Gabriela's face.

"Do you think I could court her? Like, date her or something?" Gabriela said, placing the spoon on the edge of her mouth. "Must be nice, right?" she added, her grin widening.

Ashley's jaw dropped as she stared at Gabriela, disbelieving. "Can you hear yourself, Gabriela Vaega?" she chuckled. "Oh my God, you're daydreaming, you idiot!"

"What? What's wrong with that?" Gabriela protested.

Ashley shook her head, rubbing her temples. "She's a Briar. A Briar, Gabi. You know what they are. High-profile, rich, all of that. If Vera has high standards, her twin most likely does too," she said. "Did you not notice her attitude the other day? She's a snob," Ashley added.

Gabriela laughed. "Then that's a challenge," she said, pausing as if considering something. "But... I'm not even sure if she's into women. I mean, she had an ex-husband, so she must be straight..." she mumbled, more to herself.

Ashley stood up and looked at Gabriela. "If you want to date a Briar, at least try not to irritate her. I mean, by the looks of it, Vien must be hard to please. Also... I think she's the one managing Briar University now," Ashley added, as if offering Gabriela a clue.

Gabriela's smile widened. "Did you just say she's the one managing Briar University?" she repeated, excitement lighting up her face.

Ashley nodded. "Uh, yeah? Why? Why are you smiling like that?" she asked, a little confused.

"Good!" Gabriela clapped her hands together. "I submitted my application for their vacant Forensic Science professor position last week," she said.

Ashley blinked, her mouth hanging open in surprise. "You what?"

"What? It's boring staying in this lab, and not every case is high-stakes enough for me to get involved in. So, I realized I want to try something more fun," Gabriela shrugged.

"And by fun, you mean becoming a professor?" Ashley asked, still in disbelief.

Gabriela snapped her fingers. "Bingo!"