The masked man knelt in front of a large desk.
Only the glow of a cigar lit the dark room.
“Report.”
“The marriage is real, Boss.”
“And?”
The masked man smiled.
“Keifer Watson protects his wife.”
The room fell silent.
The old mafia leader slowly leaned back.
“So…
the Devil finally has something to lose.”
A cruel smile spread across his face.
“Keep watching them.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Back at the Watson Mansion…
Jay couldn’t sleep.
She kept thinking about what Nana Rosa had told her.
A boy who laughed…
A boy who loved desserts…
What happened to him?
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Madam?”
It was one of the maids.
“Boss is asking for you.”
Jay frowned.
“He…
asked for me?”
The maid nodded.
“In his office.”
Keifer’s office was enormous.
Dark wooden shelves filled with books covered the walls.
Maps, business files, and security monitors surrounded his desk.
Keifer didn’t look up when Jay entered.
“You wanted to see me?”
He signed another document.
“Sit.”
Jay crossed her arms.
“That wasn’t a request, was it?”
“It was not.”
She sighed dramatically before sitting.
“You really don’t know how to be nice.”
He ignored the comment.
Instead, he slid a small black card across the desk.
“What’s this?”
“Your access card.”
Jay picked it up.
“It lets you move around the mansion.”
She looked surprised.
“So…
I’m allowed outside my room now?”
“I never ordered you to stay there.”
“You practically did.”
Keifer looked at her calmly.
“You may go anywhere inside the estate.”
She smiled.
“So I’m earning a little freedom?”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
His voice was cold again.
“It’s for your safety.”
Jay rolled her eyes.
“There you go again.”
As she stood to leave, she noticed a framed photograph lying face down on a nearby shelf.
Curious, she reached for it.
Before her fingers touched it—
Keifer grabbed her wrist.
His grip was firm.
“Don’t.”
His voice was sharper than she’d ever heard.
Jay looked into his eyes.
For the first time…
She saw fear.
Not anger.
Fear.
She gently pulled her hand back.
“I’m sorry.”
Keifer slowly released her.
The room became painfully quiet.
Without another word, Jay left.
The moment the door closed…
Keifer picked up the photograph.
It showed a younger version of himself beside a smiling woman—his mother.
His thumb brushed across the cracked glass.
“I couldn’t protect you…”
He whispered the words so quietly that even he barely heard them.
The next afternoon…
Jay wandered into the mansion’s enormous library.
She smiled.
“Finally…
books.”
She reached for a novel on the highest shelf.
It was just out of reach.
She stood on her tiptoes.
“Come on…”
Still too high.
Suddenly, a tall hand reached over her shoulder and effortlessly took the book.
Jay turned.
Keifer.
“You…”
He handed her the book without a word.
“Thank you.”
He nodded once and started to walk away.
Jay couldn’t resist.
“You know…”
He stopped.
“…you’re less scary when you’re helping people.”
A faint silence followed.
Then, without turning around, Keifer replied,
“Don’t get used to it.”
Jay laughed softly.
For the first time…
She wasn’t laughing at him.
She was laughing with him.
From the hallway, Nana Rosa watched the scene with a smile.
“Perhaps…”
“…this house will hear laughter again.”
But outside the mansion walls…
A sniper lowered a pair of binoculars.
His finger tapped the photograph of Jay.
“Orders received.”
“The wife comes first.”
He disappeared into the trees.
The hunt had begun.