Thompson’s office was quiet, the kind of silence that carried weight.
The curtains were half-drawn, letting in thin strips of afternoon light that stretched across the polished floor.
He was listening to someone on the call.
Thompson’s face tightened the second the words hit him.
“What do you mean Alex’s father is dead?” he said to the caller.
His voice, though controlled, carried a sharp edge.
His fingers slowly curled against the armrest of his chair, the leather creaking softly under the pressure.
He didn’t like surprises, especially not ones tied to death.
“Yes, sir.
Right after he warned Alex that someone in the house was behind his mother’s death.”
The words lingered in the air, heavy and dangerous.
Thompson’s jaw clenched.
A flicker of memory passed through his eyes — his sister’s face, her laughter, the way everything had been ripped away too soon.
Now history was repeating itself, but this time, it felt deliberate.
“So this person strikes again.
First my sister, now Alex’s father.
And they want to target her son next.”
His tone wasn’t loud, but it carried something far more dangerous than anger — certainty.
His voice dropped, cold.
“They have no idea who they’re messing with.”
There was no hesitation in him now.
Whoever was behind this had crossed a line that couldn’t be undone.
He straightened, already giving orders:
“Alright, listen.
Dispatch a team to shadow Alex.
Keep it quiet.
He can’t know he’s being followed.
And I want answers.
Find out who’s behind his father’s death and who’s pulling the strings in that house.”
His words came fast, precise, like someone who had already stepped into war mode.
“Alright, sir,” the man said and hung up.
The call ended, but Thompson didn’t move immediately.
His eyes lingered on nothing in particular, calculating, connecting pieces that didn’t yet fully fit.
Shortly after, Alex knocked and entered.
The door opened quietly.
Alex stepped in, his presence tense, shoulders stiff as though carrying an invisible weight.
His eyes looked tired, not just from lack of sleep, but from everything that had happened.
“Good morning, Mr.
Thompson,” Alex greeted politely.
“Have a seat.” Alex did.
“What do you need?” Thompson asked.
He leaned back slightly, studying him.
There was grief in Alex, yes, but beneath it, something else was forming.
Something sharper.
“I need your help,” Alex said.
“Since you always said that my mother was your sister, I need your help to find the traitor in our house.
And also to make my father’s burial successful.
I want to take over my dad’s seat as chairman and fight.
And I want you to help me protect Maria.
She’s one of the important people I have left.”
His voice didn’t shake.
That alone told Thompson everything he needed to know.
This wasn’t a grieving son asking for comfort.
This was someone stepping into a battlefield.
“Is that all you need?”
There was a slight pause, almost like a test.
“Yes.”
Alex didn’t hesitate.
“Alright.
I will investigate the cause of your father’s death and the person in the house.
And Maria, I will protect her for you.
But you should be very careful.
So when is your dad’s burial?”
“Three days from now.”
“Three days.
I hope it will be successful.
For both of us.”
The words carried more meaning than they appeared to.
Alex gave a small nod, then turned and left, the door closing quietly behind him.
Outside, things were already in motion.
Cars driving from every road going to their destination.
Men blending into the environment and spies watching without being seen.
Later that day at the café, Maria walked in slowly.
When she went to serve a customer, she said, “Ma’am, this is your order.” The woman removed her glasses, and Maria saw it was Celine, Alex’s stepmother.
Maria froze for a split second.
The air around her seemed to tighten.
Celine’s presence wasn’t loud, but it was overwhelming.
She sat there calmly, elegantly, as if she owned not just the table, but the entire space.
“When you’re done, meet me outside,” Celine said.
She drank her coffee, went to her car, and waited.
No explanation.
Just a command.
Maria swallowed hard.
Maria finished attending to some customers, then got permission from her boss.
She walked out, knocked on the tinted glass, and the door opened.
The outside air felt heavier than before.
Each step toward the car felt like walking into something she didn’t fully understand but couldn’t avoid.
The first thing Celine said was, “How much?”
Maria was confused.
“Ma, what do you mean?”
Her brows furrowed slightly.
The question didn’t make sense — not yet.
“How much would it take you to tell Alex to vanish?
To leave the family wealth?”
Maria was shocked.
_Did this woman lure Alex here?
How could she say such a thing?_ _Alex has no idea who he’s dealing with._
Her heartbeat picked up, fast and uneven.
But Celine seemed to read her mind.
“Alex knows, but he doesn’t have evidence against me.
So if you know what’s good for you, tell him to stay clear of the family wealth.
Or else I will bring his dead body to you.”
The words landed like ice.
This woman was wicked.
Very wicked.
What kind of heart could speak about a human life like it was irrelevant?
For a moment, Maria couldn’t even respond.
Maria tried to stay polite.
“I can’t do what you’re telling me to do.
First of all, I’m not part of your family, and there’s nothing that concerns me.”
Her voice was steady, but only barely.
Celine cut in.
“You decided to become his girlfriend.
You are now part of him.
If you do not want him dead, or anyone close to you, make sure you stay clear of the wealth.
Or else your colleagues, your boss, all of them will be dead.”
That was the moment it stopped being just a threat.
It became real.
Maria was quiet.
She didn’t know what to do.
All she knew was to get out of the car and go back into the café.
Her hand moved slowly toward the door, her body tense, as if expecting something worse to happen before she could leave.
Celine just glanced at her irritably and told the driver to turn on the AC.
The driver did, and they drove off.
The car disappeared into traffic like nothing had happened.
But everything had changed.
Watching from a distance, Thompson’s men couldn’t hear the conversation.
But from the look on Maria’s face, it was clear she was threatened.
One of them, Wax, called Thompson immediately.
“Mister Thompson, this is Wax.
Celine went to meet Maria at the café.
From Maria’s face, she was definitely threatened.
Celine might make her move soon.”
“Okay.
Thanks,” Thompson replied.
Thompson ended the call.
He still had no evidence of what Celine was hiding.
If he couldn’t hit her directly, he’d have to monitor her every move.
She was smart and calculating and would make her move.
_No,_ he thought.
_She can’t make her move.
Not yet._
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think strategically rather than emotionally.
Back at the apartment, Alex was interrupted by the door opening.
“Maria, you’re back.”
He turned slightly, relief flickering across his face.
“Oh, yes.
I’m back.”
Her voice sounded normal, but there was something missing beneath it.
“How was work today?
Hope you weren’t stressed.”
“I was not stressed,” she said, forcing a smile.
“I was just trying to push through, you know.
This job is mine.
I should do something with it.”
She avoided his eyes as she spoke.
“Okay.
I made dinner.
Come and join me.”
“Oh, thank you.
Let me freshen up first.”
She walked away quickly, needing space — needing time to gather herself.
She went to her room.
After a while, she came back to eat.
The room felt quiet again, but this time, it wasn’t peaceful.
While they were eating, Alex noticed her silence.
“Maria, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said.
“I’m just looking at you.
Don’t you want to rest now?”
She blushed.
“You’re not good at this, are you?
No romance.”
“I’m not romantic.
I’m just trying to show you.
You need to do a lot.
Do a lot for me, okay?”
“I’m focusing,” she said, flustered.
“Are you done?
Let me wash the plates.”
“No, you’re stressed.
You came back from work.
I’ve been at home all day.
Let me wash the plates.”
He took the plates from her and went to the sink.
Maria stared at his back.
_I don’t think he’s fit for the family struggle.
There’s only one way I can let him know that he shouldn’t fight.
But he wants to press forward.
I’m sure he wants to take this venture further.
There has to be a way to make him stop.
To help him._
Her chest tightened.
Her thoughts hardened.
_He said I’m important to him.
Maybe… maybe I’ll just break up with him if he refuses._
The idea hurt, but it felt necessary.
Maria was still worrying, but after a while she fell asleep.
That’s when Thompson called Alex.
“Alex, your stepmother has made her move.”
Alex straightened immediately.
“What do you mean?”
“She approached Maria.
From the look on Maria’s face, she was threatened.
She might leave you soon.
So be careful.
Don’t make her emotional, you hear me?”
“Okay.
I won’t.
You should tell me what to do.”
“Anything she says, just agree so you won’t put her in a tight spot.
You get it?”
“Okay.
I get it.
Let’s see what your stepmother is up to.”