Just as Gloria was about to move towards the darkened corner, her son's voice rang out from outside the room.

"Mom," Frederick's voice called out to her.

Turning around, Gloria left the closet with a final glance at the dark corner, "Yes, Frederick?" she responded.

"The lunch table is all set. Let's go and eat," Frederick informed her.

Glancing behind him, Gloria inquired, "Where is Sam?"

"Oh, he forgot his phone in my room. He went up to get it," Frederick explained.

"Is that so? Then let's bring him along with us on the way," Gloria suggested, and together they made their way towards Frederick's room to search for Sam.

In the closet, Sam let out a silent sigh of relief and adjusted his hoodie to hide the gun before emerging from the darkness. As he caught sight of the open window, a smirk tugged at his lips.

Just as Frederick opened the door to his room, Sam stepped out from the bathroom, meeting the gaze of the mother-son duo with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, did I make you wait for too long?" he asked sheepishly.

Frederick chuckled and said. "No problem. Let's go eat."

Gloria observed Sam silently for a moment before offering him a warm smile and urging them to make their way to the dining table.

As they enjoyed their meal together, conversation flowed easily among the three of them. However, as the clock struck three, Sam excused himself, mentioning his evening shift at the bar. 

Frederick jumped up from the couch, grabbing his car keys and offering Sam a ride to the bar without hesitation. Gloria couldn't help but laugh at her son's impulsive gesture, finding amusement in his eagerness to follow the boy.

Frederick dropped Sam off at the entrance of the bar, courteously opening the door for him.

"Thanks, Frederick. I had a good time with you and your mother," Sam expressed his gratitude.

"You should meet my father next time. He's fun to be around," Frederick suggested with a laugh, subtly extending another invitation for Sam to visit his home again.

Sam chuckled at his antics and replied, "Next time, maybe."

Frederick couldn't contain his joy at Sam's response, his grin stretching from ear to ear as he waited for Sam to disappear inside the bar. With a cheerful whistle, he ignited the car and made his way home.

Meanwhile, the smile vanished from Sam's face the moment he stepped inside the bar. Without wasting any time, he hurried to find Ruth. Upon reaching the second floor, he spotted Ruth engaged in a serious discussion with some people.

As if sensing his presence, Ruth tore his gaze away from the guests and locked eyes with him through his glass. Seeing Sam breathless and sweating, Ruth frowned and excused himself from the conversation and made his way over to him.

Ruth took his handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off Sam's forehead.

"Ruth, let's go to the base," Sam whispered, his words intended only for Ruth's ears.

Ruth nodded silently, understanding the urgency in Sam's tone. He guided Sam to the base without drawing any attention. Once inside, Ruth swiftly switched on the air conditioning before taking a seat in a nearby chair, observing as Sam busily fiddled with the keyboards of the computer.

Sam's fingers danced across the keyboard, executing a string of codes with precision. With a few keystrokes, the big screen on the wall sprang to life, displaying the room with vibrant clarity. Sam quickly switched to the camera he had discreetly planted inside Gloria's closet before he exited the room through the window.

As expected, Gloria was once again seated in the closet, adorning her bun with a pink flower. Initially, everything appeared normal, but then she suddenly rose from the stool and began to caress the mirror with her fingertips.

Ruth's eyes narrowed as he observed the scene, his curiosity piqued. He rose from his seat and approached the monitor, leaning in closer to discern the movement of Gloria's lips as she whispered words to the mirror with inexplicable intent.

"What the heck?" Ruth muttered slowly.

"She was a lost case, Ruth," Sam replied with complicated eyes, visibly shaken by Gloria's actions of kissing the mirror with an obsessed expression.

He turned to see Ruth, who was keenly observing Gloria's lip movement. After some time, Gloria exited from the closet but not before removing the pink flower from her bun and placing it in front of the mirror.

“There must be something behind the mirror,” Sam stated doubtfully.

“More like someone” Ruth said with a grave expression on his face.

“Send the video to her,” Ruth instructed Sam, who immediately turned to share the video on a specific path in the dark net.

After a few minutes, the screen lit up with a new message. Ruth glanced at the reply and clicked his tongue in response.

“This is getting crazier than ever,” Ruth muttered under his breath.

Once they finished chatting, Sam erased any traces of their activity from the dark net and they left the base together.

In the bustling hub of Sydney Ignites, the mechanics toiled diligently in the cluttered shed, their tools clinking and clanking as they worked on various vehicles. Siren, her hands still damp from washing the car, navigated her way through the maze of activity and headed towards the lounge area.

Finding a comfortable spot on the couch, she settled in and reached for her mobile phone. With a flick of her finger, she unlocked the screen, revealing an unread message waiting for her attention.

The sender of the messages was none other than Raven, her recent husband. Her brow furrowed slightly as she opened the chat. Gradually, her expression morphed from mild curiosity to a fierce glare as she read the content of his message.

"Are the nightdresses to your liking?"