BANG!
The mansion shook as an explosion erupted near the front gate.
Glass windows rattled.
Maids screamed.
Bodyguards rushed through the halls.
Jay stood frozen in the middle of the staircase.
Everything was happening too fast.
“Madam!”
A maid grabbed her wrist.
“Please come with me!”
Another explosion echoed outside.
Jay pulled her hand away.
“No!
Keifer is still outside.”
The maid looked terrified.
“Boss ordered us to protect you.”
Jay ignored her and ran toward the entrance.
Outside…
The night sky flashed with headlights.
Several black SUVs blocked the main gate.
Masked men poured out, firing toward the mansion.
Keifer stood in front of his guards.
His voice was calm despite the chaos.
“Protect the mansion.”
His men nodded instantly.
“Yes, Boss!”
The attackers charged.
The guards intercepted them, and the front yard erupted into a fierce fight.
Jay watched from inside the doorway, her heart hammering.
She had never seen anything like this.
Keifer noticed her.
His face darkened.
“What are you doing here?”
Jay swallowed.
“I…”
“I told you to stay inside.”
“I was worried.”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
For a split second, Keifer stared at her.
Then—
A masked attacker rushed toward the entrance.
Keifer reacted immediately.
He stepped between Jay and the attacker.
The attacker lunged.
Keifer blocked the strike and shoved him backward.
His guards quickly restrained the intruder.
Keifer didn’t even look at the man.
His attention stayed on Jay.
“You could have been hurt.”
Jay blinked.
“You…
protected me.”
“I protected my responsibility.”
His cold tone returned, but something about his actions didn’t match his words.
Minutes later…
The attackers retreated.
The black SUVs sped away into the darkness.
Silence slowly returned.
One guard approached Keifer.
“Boss, they’re gone.”
Keifer nodded.
“Increase security.”
“Yes, Boss.”
He finally looked at Jay.
She noticed a tear in his sleeve.
A thin line of blood stained the fabric.
“You’re injured!”
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
Without thinking, Jay reached for his arm.
Keifer instinctively pulled back.
“I said I’m fine.”
Jay frowned.
“You can order everyone else around, but not me.”
She gently took his wrist again.
This time…
He didn’t stop her.
The guards exchanged shocked glances.
Their terrifying boss was actually letting someone touch him.
Jay carefully cleaned the small cut with a first-aid kit brought by the maids.
“It might sting.”
“I’m not a child.”
She smiled faintly.
“No…
but you’re a very stubborn patient.”
One of the younger guards accidentally laughed.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
Keifer slowly turned his head.
The guard immediately straightened.
“S-Sorry, Boss!”
Jay couldn’t help it.
A tiny laugh escaped her lips.
Keifer looked at her.
She quickly covered her mouth.
For the first time since the forced marriage…
The heavy silence between them wasn’t filled with hatred.
Just a brief, unexpected moment of calm.
As Jay finished bandaging his arm, she whispered,
“Thank you…
for saving me.”
Keifer looked away before answering.
“I won’t let anyone die under my watch.”
He walked back toward the mansion.
But as he disappeared through the doors…
A nearly invisible smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
No one saw it.
Except Jay.