The day of the heist, five years ago.
Kate and Anthony were on the rooftop of the hotel plaza.
Anthony helped Kate as she used machines to pull out one of the ceiling mirrors.
She was about to strap her harness belt when she noticed Anthony's hand's were shaking badly.
She smiled and gently helped him with his straps. "Hey, do not feel nervous; I have done this many times before, and compared to those jobs, this one is pretty easy."
"Kate, please do not go! Let us run away together; I will support you, and together we could pay all your left-over debts."
Kate smiled and kissed him sweetly. "Do not worry, my love; this is my final heist. I have already informed my bosses that I am retiring after this job. The money will pay all my left-over debts, and we still have enough to start our new life."
Kate could see he wanted to say something, but she stopped him with a passionate kiss that left them breathless. "Come, sexy, let us finish this job."
"Kate stop!"
But she was already descending down with the help of a stolen cable.
Anthony followed after her, trying to pull her away, when he noticed a red laser on Kate's back just as she approached the golden egg.
"Look, Anthony, this is the ticket to our future." She reached out to swap the eggs when suddenly the lights turned on and many armed officers stepped inside.
She was going to use the button that pulled her up towards the roof again when an officer put a gun on Anthony's head.
"Do not even think about escaping, or your assistance will get this bullet in his head."
"No! Please do not hurt him."
Kate quickly released herself from her harness and raised her hand in surrender as she approached the officer. "Please, officer, take me, but let Anthony go; he is completely innocent."
The officer laughed and lowered his gun, and then Kate received the shock of her life when that officer patted his back. "Well done, Officer Bridgerton! Because of you today, we finally captured the Great Jewel Thief."
"Anthony? You work for them." She cried in disbelief.
"Officer Bridgerton, Officer Bassett, arrest this thief, and Bridgerton, great job.!"
Simon watched as officer Berbrook left before turning to stare at his friend, who looked frozen at the spot.
He then approaches the thief and, for the first time, feels sympathy for the criminal as she stands still due to shock while he handcuffs her.
Anthony could see tears spilling from Kate's eyes as Simon began to move her.
She slowly stopped when they passed him. "Why?"
But what could he say to the woman whom he just betrayed? So he held his head down in guilt that would always remain in his heart.
Anthony and Kate returned to the apartment to start packing.
There was only one problem. "Shit! We forget about goingfor shopping. "Kate complained while Anthony was midway through taking out suitcases.
Anthony watched the time. "Do not worry, there is still plenty of time. How about I pack my bag and then I take you out for shopping?
"I would like that." Kate says this while sweetly kissing her considerate man.
The apartment bell rang, and Kate went to see who came.
Anthony was just putting his clothes in the bathroom when a loud, screaming sound made him drop his things.
Grabbing his gun, he made a mad dash outside.
"Kate! Mom?"
He put his gun away as his panic turned into shock when he saw Kate and his mother in an affectionate embrace.
"It's so great to finally meet you, V." Kate squealed while his mother laughed. "It's great to finally meet you, Kate. Now let me introduce you to my daughter, Daphne, and you already know Eloise."
"What's up, warden?" Kate high-fived his sister before turning to stare at Daphne. "And you must be the lucky girl who bagged Officer Abs?"
Daphne laughed as they heard a voice. "Trust me, I am the lucky one in this relationship."
Simon kissed his wife's cheeks and walked towards his friend, who was still staring at his mother and Kate in shock. "Mate, why do you still feel so surprised? I bet she is more loved by your family than they love you."
"Come, Kate, I bought your clothes for your Paris trip."
"Sweet, I was just complaining to your brother about this problem a few moments ago."
Anthony watched as Daphne led Kate inside his room while his mother and Eloise finally acknowledged him. "Oh Anthony! I am so happy that you and Kate are finally together! She is a really lovely girl."
"Mom, I am glad you like her, and I thank you for being friends with her while she was in prison. She is really fond of you."
"And I am fond of her; ever since the first card she sent to our home, it was clear how much she loved you, and truth be told, Kate reminds me of myself."
"How come?" Eloise inquire. "You and Sharma are quite different from each other."
"Oh, I did not mean similarities, but Kate and Anthony's story reminds me of how I met your father."
Now it was Anthony who turned to frown. "I thought he met you at a charity party."
His mother starts giggling as she tells him. "That was the story we stick to, but in reality, that charity party was a big scam. I was pulling back in the day; you see, I used to be a famous con artist, Lady V, before I met and fell in love with your father."
"What?" Anthony, Eloise, and even Simon looked shocked by this revelation.
"Oh Anthony, where do you think you get it from? Your father fell hard for criminals, and so his son followed in his footsteps. I bet Edmund must be enjoying this in heaven."
"Wow! Mama V, you really were something." Simon mused.
"And she was the icon." Kate informed them as she and Daphne, equally shocked, returned from his room. "Do you people have any idea the great Con's lady V pulled back in her day? I could not believe it myself when I recognised that V sign on my postcard. Trust me, sexy, I fell in love with you more after finding out that Great Lady V blood runs in your veins."
"Holy shit! That's Lady V?"
Sophie and Penelope squealed as they arrived with Benedict and Colin, both carrying different equipment.
"Whose Lady V?" Benedict ask.
"And what's with the fanfare going around, Mom?" Colin inquires as he finally notices the shocked faces of his siblings.
"Tell them later." Anthony said before either Simon or Eloise could open their mouths. "First of all, tell me what you both are doing here with Kate's friends."
"Oh, since you and Kate are not allowed to leave the country, Sophie and I will act as proxies for you." Benedict explains. "It fits because I matched Kate's height, and even though Charming here is taller than you, he could consider you a passable proxy." Sophie explains.
"Charming?" Eloise mused as she watched her brother's eyes shine with something.
"As for me, Colin here offers his assistance to help me and Sophie clear those images." Penelope informed him while setting her laptop on the coffee table.
Anthony frowned and then realised something. "Wait a minute, you four will use my apartment while we go away to Paris?"
"To help you, duh!" Penelope reminds him, making Anthony glare at them.
"Oh! How wonderful." His mother exclaimed as she stared at these two beautiful girls. "I think it's wonderful that my sons found themselves such beautiful, brilliant girls."
"Not to forget genius criminals." Simon points this out while still recalling how this trait ran in the family.
Anthony was so ready for a retort when soft arms wrapped around him. "Isn't this great? Now that we've gone away, your brothers and my friends can get closer to each other."
He sighed and wrapped his arms around Kate, and as he watched his brothers, he could not fault them when he himself fell hard for a beautiful, brilliant girl like Kate.
Since both of them were not allowed to leave London, Simon suggested they take a flight from another place, and it was then a brilliant idea came in Kate's mind. "We can take flight from Somerset; it's a place no one will suspect an officer or ex-thief to be."
While others agreed with Kate's logic, Anthony noticed Eloise, Sophie, and Penelope giving her a worried look. "Kate, are you sure this is a good idea?" Eloise ask.
"It's my one chance after a long time, warden."
The way she said this sadly made everyone feel concern for her. "Kate, what's in Somerset?"
She did not reply, so instead Sophie replied on her behalf. "It's where her home is."
The jolt of old regrets once again filled Anthony's heart as he watched a few tears fall from Kate's eyes. "They have no idea what I did or what happened to me. Thanks to the warden, I have been in touch with my family for the past five years through phone calls and video chats, and thanks to Penelope and Sophie, who were transferring them money every month, posing it as my salary."
"It's the least we could do after you saved us from that gang." Penelope says this while squeezing her friend's hand.
"But dear, did they not suspect anything when you stopped visiting them?' His mother inquires.
They watched as Kate sniffed back her tears as she told them. "I have been making all sorts of excuses. Mary, though hurt, seems to be understanding, but my sister Edwina, who became angry every year, as I made excuses to not show up. Two years ago, we had a massive fight when she threatened to drop out of university if I did not come home. I could not tell them the truth, so I lied, saying that I did not care what she did or not. I said I was too busy with my life to deal with her tantrums anymore, and that was the last time we ever had any conversation. Even afterwards, when I called to apologise, Mary told me that Edwina refused to speak with me. After that, Mary slowly stopped mentioning Edwina, and whenever I tried to bring her up, she became distressed and hung up on me."
Kate could not continue anymore as she burst into tears, and thankfully, his mother pulled her into her comforting embrace because Anthony felt too guilty to even touch her now.
"Simon, arrange transportation for Somerset." Daphne suddenly instructed her husband as she turned to stare at her brother. "Anthony, you are taking her home; it's the least you could do after everything she has gone through."
And the way Kate's eyes lit up with happiness, Anthony knew he would take her anywhere she wanted, as long as that smile stayed on her face.
Kate was extremely nervous as soon as they arrived at her home. She knew she could not stay longer, but hopefully she would have enough time to fix what was broken within her family.
She did not know how long she was staring at the door, but apparently it was a long time because she was jolted when a hand squeezed her hand.
"Do you want to ring the bell, or should I do it for you?"
"I can do it; just please stand by my side."
Anthony gave her a tight squeeze, and she straightened her fancy jacket. "How do I look?"
"Like a successful career woman." Anthony says, making her smile.
She rang the bell, and a few minutes later, the door opened.
Its not that she has not seen her mother face for ages, but seeing it up close brings tears into her eyes. "Mama!"
"Oh Kate!"
Anthony watched as both women tightly embraced each other as tears of joy fell from their eyes.
Mary Sharma was hugging and kissing her daughter's face, like she could not believe this moment to be true.
Finally, her eyes stared over her daughter's shoulder, and Mary noticed a handsome man standing behind them.
"Um, Kate, who is this handsome fellow?"
For the first time since Anthony knew her, she looked extremely nervous for some reason. "He is, Mama; this is."
Anthony stepped forward and held out his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Anthony Bridgerton, and I am your daughter's boyfriend."
Mary gasped and turned to stare at her daughter, who was looking stunned for some reason. "Kate, you never mentioned having a boyfriend."
"I."
"It's fairly new, but we realise how serious this is, and so Kate insists on introducing me personally to her family before we head off for our Paris trip."
"Oh, you are not staying here long?"
As both Sharma women's faces fell, Anthony decided to cheer them up. "Not now, but we promise that soon we will return to stay for a long time and eat all of the Indian food that Kate always boosts you to make the best. I bet you will be so tired of feeding us by the end that you will kick us out."
Mary laughed, and Kate smiled gratefully at him. "That is never going to happen because I will never want to let you both go. Now come inside so I can give you a reason to return soon."
As they followed Mary inside, Kate pulled Anthony back and sweetly kissed him. "Thank you."
The rest of the day was fun as Mary showered them with lots of love. Treat them to Kate's favourite dishes, and the best part was when, while they were enjoying Chai, she brought out Kate's baby pictures.
"Mama! Please don't show that to him." She complained.
"Why? I find little Kate quite adorable." He teased.
"Alright, sexy, you wait until I get hold of your baby pictures." She warned as she opened another album, which made her smile slip.
Anthony frowned at her sudden mood but then realised its reason. "This is Edwina?"
Kate nodded her head and then turned towards her mother, who suddenly stopped smiling. "I am so sorry, mama! I should not have said those things to her."
Mary sighed as she held her daughter's hand. "It's not your fault, but when you left, I finally realised how much you helped me raise Edwina. After your Appa fell ill. I will never blame you for focusing on your job, but suddenly Edwina started becoming rebellious. No matter what I said, she blamed me for driving you away from home, and maybe that was the truth."
"No mama! It was not your fault! You were mourning, Appa!"
"And so were you, and after losing your Amma, oh Kate, Edwina was right that because I could not step up, all responsibility and sacrifices were made by you. She thought you blamed our existence for all the hardships you were forced to face at such a young age. The last time Edwina and I talked, she blamed both herself and me for your suffering."
Anthony watched, shocked, as Kate realised the same thing. "What did you mean last time? Mama, where is Edwina?"
At that, Mary burst into tears as she informed them. "After your fight, Edwina dropped out and started staying out late at night. Six months later, she returned three days later. We had a massive fight, and I told her how ashamed I felt about her behaviour. She then called me a huge failure and announced she was leaving home. Kate, it's been one and a half years since I last saw your sister. It's been three months since she called me last."
Anthony reached out to hold Kate, who was now crying. "Why did you not tell me?"
"Because you were finally living your life, and I do not want to burden you with us again because maybe Edwina was right; maybe we both were a huge burden on your life."
At that, both Sharma women broke down, and now another pile of guilt added to Anthony's heart because he knew his betrayal not only hurt Kate but destroyed the entire Sharma family.