Keifer's POV
The knock came again.
Krish opened the door slightly.
One of the bodyguards stood outside.
"Ma'am," he said respectfully, handing over a small parcel. "Someone left this outside the gate."
My stomach tightened.
Eces stepped forward and took it without a word.
"Who?" Krish asked.
"No one seen on camera clearly. Face covered."
Eces nodded once. "Increase the outer watch."
"Yes, ma'am."
He left.
Krish closed the door again.
The lock clicked.
Silence.
The parcel wasn't big.
Just a small black box.
Too small to be harmless.
Eces placed it on the table.
For a second, no one moved.
Then she opened it.
Inside—
A pendant.
Golden.
Intricate carving.
The exact same design she wore around her neck.
My breath stilled.
"That's…" I stepped closer.
"Yes," Krish muttered.
Identical.
Not similar.
Identical.
Eces picked it up slowly.
Her jaw tightened.
"This isn't random," I said.
"No," she replied coldly. "It's a message."
"From Kaizer?"
Her eyes darkened. "Maybe."
Maybe.
That word again.
"You said testing boundaries," I reminded her.
Krish looked at the pendant carefully. "This design isn't public. Very few know about it."
Which meant—
Someone close.
Or someone digging deep.
I looked at Eces. "Who else has access to this symbol?"
She didn't answer.
Her fingers clenched around the pendant so tightly her knuckles turned pale.
"This is provocation," she said, voice steady but burning underneath.
"Then let's respond," I said immediately.
"No."
Sharp.
Controlled.
"He wants reaction. He wants instability."
"Or," Krish added quietly, "someone wants us to think it's him."
That shifted everything.
Eces suddenly moved.
Fast.
She walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Temple."
Her tone wasn't calm anymore.
It was restrained fury.
She walked downstairs without waiting.
I followed immediately. "Eces—"
She entered the temple room in the house and shut the door behind her.
Hard.
I reached the door. "Eces."
No answer.
I tried again. "Don't shut us out."
Before I could knock again, Krish's hand caught my wrist.
"She'll be fine."
"She's angry."
"Yes."
"That's not fine."
Krish's voice lowered. "You've seen her angry. This is controlled. Let her breathe."
I exhaled sharply but stepped back.
The house was still quiet.
Too quiet for something like this.
Then I felt movement behind me.
Jay.
Her eyes were half-open, hair messy, still wrapped in a blanket.
"Keifer…" she murmured softly.
I turned immediately. "You should be sleeping."
She walked closer and slipped her hand into mine.
"What happened?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
She studied my face.
"You're tense."
I forced a small smile. "Go back to sleep."
She didn't argue.
Instead, she tugged my hand. "Come on."
"Jay—"
"Come on."
She pulled me gently toward the living room.
Everyone was still asleep.
Peacefully unaware.
She lay down and pulled me down beside her.
Then without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head against my chest.
Like I was the safe place.
My arms instinctively went around her.
My mind was still upstairs.
Still on the pendant.
Still on the message.
Still on the anger in Eces' eyes.
Jay tightened her hold slightly.
"Sleep," she whispered.
I stared at the ceiling for a long time.
Listening.
Thinking.
Calculating.
But eventually—
Her steady breathing slowed mine.
Her warmth grounded me.
And despite everything—
I finally closed my eyes.
Third Person POV
Thousands of kilometers away, far from the peaceful mansion sleeping under Kolkata's night sky, another room remained awake.
No lights.
No windows open.
Only the dim glow of computer monitors and the faint sound of rain tapping against glass.
Kaizer Watson sat behind his desk, fingers drumming impatiently against the polished wood. His expression was dark, irritated.
On the large screen before him, the encrypted call connected.
The masked man from India appeared.
As always, his face was hidden.
As always, his voice was distorted.
But tonight…
Something was different.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Finally, Kaizer broke the silence.
"You sent it?"
The masked man paused.
"Sent what?"
Kaizer narrowed his eyes.
"The pendant."
Silence.
Then the man let out a low chuckle.
"You think I sent it?"
Kaizer leaned forward.
"Don't play games."
"I should ask you the same thing."
The room fell quiet again.
Kaizer's expression changed.
"What?"
"You think I sent that box," the masked man said calmly. "And I thought you did."
Kaizer frowned.
"I didn't."
The masked man remained silent.
Then…
Neither man laughed.
Neither mocked.
Because for the first time since they had begun working together…
They were both uneasy.
"Wait…" Kaizer muttered slowly.
"You really didn't send it?"
"No."
"And you?"
"No."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
The masked man's voice lowered.
"Interesting."
Kaizer stood from his chair.
"No. Not interesting."
His eyes darkened.
"Concerning."
Because they both knew something.
That pendant.
Its design wasn't public.
Very few people knew of it.
And neither of them had touched it.
The masked man slowly removed his gloves, something he almost never did.
"Someone else knows."
Kaizer's jaw tightened.
"Impossible."
"No."
The man's voice was calm.
"Not impossible."
"Difficult."
He leaned back.
"And difficult things are usually the most dangerous."
Kaizer scoffed.
"Dangerous to whom?"
The masked man was quiet for a moment.
Then he answered.
"To everyone."
Kaizer stopped pacing.
"What are you implying?"
"I'm implying," the man said slowly, "that somebody entered the board without either player noticing."
Neither of them liked that thought.
Because this wasn't part of the plan.
Neither of them had planned to reveal themselves.
Neither of them wanted attention.
And now—
Someone had sent a message.
Not to scare.
Not to threaten.
But to announce something.
Someone was watching.
Someone who knew things.
Things they shouldn't know.
Kaizer clenched his fists.
"Find out."
"I'm already trying."
"No," Kaizer snapped. "Find out now."
The masked man tilted his head.
"You sound worried."
"I'm not worried."
"You're angry."
Kaizer's eyes narrowed.
"And you're not?"
The man didn't answer.
That alone was answer enough.
Because even he had increased his own security after learning about the pendant.
For the first time in years…
He had checked every camera.
Every report.
Every man working under him.
Nothing.
No leads.
No names.
No footage.
Nothing.
It was as if the sender had appeared out of thin air.
And vanished just as easily.
The masked man's voice became quieter.
"Tell me something, Kaizer."
"What?"
"Did you notice something strange?"
Kaizer frowned.
"What now?"
"Ever since they arrived in India…"
He tapped his fingers against the armrest.
"Nothing has gone according to plan."
Kaizer froze.
He hated admitting it.
But it was true.
Every attempt.
Every move.
Every bit of information.
Delayed.
Interrupted.
Blocked.
Almost as if—
Someone was always one step ahead.
"Someone's protecting them," Kaizer muttered.
"No."
The masked man corrected.
"Someone's protecting themselves."
Another silence.
Then unexpectedly—
Kaizer asked the question neither of them wanted to ask.
"...Could it be connected to the past?"
The masked man became completely still.
Too still.
His fingers stopped moving.
His breathing slowed.
And for the first time since Kaizer had known him—
The mysterious man did not answer immediately.
Instead, after several long seconds, he simply said,
"I hope not."
Kaizer frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means..."
The masked man stood up.
"...if the past has started moving again..."
His voice became colder.
"...then we're no longer the hunters."
The call disconnected.
Leaving Kaizer alone.
Completely alone.
He stared at the blank screen.
Rain continued to fall outside.
But somehow...
For the first time in a very long time—
Kaizer Watson wasn't smiling.
Because somewhere, hidden behind shadows neither he nor the masked man could see...
A third hand had touched the game.
And neither of them knew whose hand it was.
Which terrified them far more than Keifer.
Far more than Jay.
And far more than revenge.
Because unknown enemies...
Were always the most dangerous.
Keifer's POV
Morning didn't arrive gently.
It arrived with Grazel's loud, offended cry.
I blinked awake immediately. My neck hurt from sleeping half-sitting on the couch, and Jay was still holding onto my shirt in her sleep, her head tucked against my chest like she had decided I wasn't allowed to escape.
Grazel cried again.
Grace sat up immediately.
Denzel, still half asleep, reached over and carefully picked up his daughter.
"There, princess, Daddy's awake," he muttered, earning a sleepy smile from Grace.
The living room looked like a battlefield.
Blankets everywhere.
Pillows scattered.
Ci-n was halfway off the couch.
Rakki was using his shoulder as a pillow.
Percy had somehow stolen two blankets and Honey was glaring at him even before fully waking up.
Jay stirred beside me.
"What happened?" she mumbled softly.
"Morning happened," I sighed.
One by one everyone slowly woke up.
Aries nudged Ella awake.
Calix stretched dramatically.
Mica complained that her back hurt.
Keiren yawned loudly enough to wake the dead.
Keigan rubbed his eyes.
Felix, Blaster, Kit, Mayo, Eman, Eren, Josh, David, Drew, Rory and Yuri slowly joined the land of the living.
Then Jay suddenly frowned.
"Where's Eces?"
The room quieted.
Krish sat up from the opposite couch.
He frowned too.
The temple room door was slightly open.
That was unusual.
Without saying anything, I stood up.
Everyone quietly followed.
And there she was.
Sitting inside.
Cross-legged.
Peaceful.
Not sleeping.
Not moving.
Just sitting silently in front of the idols, eyes closed, the soft morning light falling through the window.
The oil lamps had almost burned out.
The room itself felt calm.
Jay unconsciously stepped closer to me.
"Has she been awake all night?" she whispered.
I shook my head slightly.
"I don't know."
After a few moments, Eces opened her eyes and simply looked at us.
Not surprised.
Not bothered.
Just calm.
She gave us a small smile.
"Good morning."
That was all.
No dramatic speeches.
No explanations.
And somehow everyone relaxed.
Keiren grinned.
"Ate, you're awake before everyone again."
Eces chuckled softly.
"When am I not?"
That earned a few sleepy laughs.
Soon everyone dispersed to get ready.
---
After bathing, I stepped out wearing a cream-colored kurta.
And stopped.
Jay stood near the mirror.
Her peach and white dress flowed softly around her and her damp hair rested over one shoulder while she struggled with an earring.
She caught my reflection and smiled.
"What?" she asked shyly.
I simply stared.
"You're unfair."
She blinked.
"What?"
"Nobody should look this pretty before breakfast."
Jay burst into laughter.
"That's the worst compliment ever."
"No, that's me being jealous."
She laughed harder.
"Jealous of what?"
"The mirror."
She rolled her eyes.
"Keifer."
"I'm serious. It's been staring at you longer than I have."
She laughed so much she almost dropped her earring.
I walked over and fixed it for her.
Her eyes softened.
"You look handsome too."
"Not more handsome than you."
She smiled.
"You're biased."
"I'm your husband. It's literally my job."
Jay smiled warmly and adjusted my collar.
"You didn't sleep properly."
"Neither did you."
"But I had a pillow."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You mean me?"
She grinned.
"Exactly."
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly.
Her smile immediately became gentler.
"Come on," she whispered. "Everyone's waiting."
"Let them."
"Keifer."
"Okay, okay."
She laughed and slipped her hand into mine.
---
When we stepped outside, everyone was already dressed.
Aries looked elegant in blue.
Ella in pink.
Ci-n and Rakki matched unintentionally.
Calix and Mica were arguing about whose outfit looked better.
Percy proudly announced that he was the most fashionable person present.
Honey immediately disagreed.
Grace carried Grazel while Denzel fussed over both of them.
Even Section E had somehow managed to look respectable.
Nobody had planned matching traditional clothes.
Yet somehow everyone had chosen ethnic wear.
Together, we walked back toward the temple room.
This time Eces was simply sitting quietly near the idols.
Jay smiled softly and went to sit beside her.
Without words.
Without questions.
Just beside her.
Krish sat on the other side.
I sat beside Jay.
Behind us everyone slowly formed a circle.
Keiren happily squeezed in near Eces.
And I noticed something that almost made me smile.
Keigan.
He had sat directly opposite her.
Not too close.
Not too far.
But his eyes kept drifting toward her every few seconds.
Whenever she smiled at Keiren or spoke quietly with Jay, he unconsciously smiled too.
He wasn't even aware he was doing it.
Jay noticed.
I noticed Jay noticing.
She leaned toward me and whispered quietly,
"He likes her."
I smirked.
"He thinks he's subtle."
Jay bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.
"Poor boy."
"He's gone."
"He is."
Sure enough, when Eces laughed softly at something Keiren said, Keigan immediately looked away and pretended he had been admiring the wall.
Jay almost choked trying not to laugh.
I rubbed her hand gently.
"You okay?"
She nodded, eyes sparkling.
"He's cute."
"He's hopeless."
"That's what you looked like when you liked me."
"I was smooth."
Jay looked at me with disbelief.
"You literally walked into a glass door."
"That happened once."
"Twice."
"Details."
She giggled quietly and leaned against my shoulder.
Around us, nobody spoke much.
There wasn't any need.
Aries sat quietly with Ella.
Ci-n held Rakki's hand.
Calix rested against Mica.
Honey leaned against Percy.
Grace smiled as Denzel entertained Grazel with funny faces.
Keiren whispered something to Eces, making her laugh softly.
And Keigan...
Keigan looked completely defeated by a single smile.
I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
As the sunlight slowly filled the room, I wrapped my fingers around Jay's hand and pressed a small kiss onto her hair.
She leaned closer immediately.
And sitting there among everyone, I realized something.
Whatever waited outside.
Whatever mysteries.
Whatever danger.
At least for this moment—
We weren't afraid.
Because somehow, without even planning it,
We had become a family.
++++++++++++++
For those , who will say that Eces is the lead here , just because the man with Kaizer is related to her and Jay both !!
And who do you think sent the pendant??
⚠️⚠️ Sorry for late update, actually my mother is not well , so I have to do some household chores and I have to do my academic work too , so I have just been busy !!