Author's POV
The night air in the retreat house was cold, but the atmosphere inside was suffocating. While the others were trying to process the trauma of the afternoon, Jay had one more loose end to tie before the "Bloody Crimson" could truly sleep.
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JAY POV
The house was silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. I moved through the shadows, my footsteps making no sound on the plush carpet.
I walked down the dimly lit hallway, I stopped in front of Drew's room. Drew—the one who had been with us , the one we trusted
I didn't knock; I just pushed the door open.
He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his trembling hands. When the floorboards groaned under my weight, he looked up. The moment his eyes met mine, he flinched as if I had struck him. He immediately dropped his gaze to the floor, refusing to look me in the eye.
"Drew," I said softly.
""Jay... you should be resting," he muttered, his voice thick with a guilt so heavy it was almost tangible.
"Why did you do it, Drew?" I stepped further into the room, the moonlight casting a sharp line across my face.
He tried to play the part. He tried to look confused. "What... what do you mean
Jay?"
"Don't," I interrupted,"I know the truth. I traced the encrypted signal from the house's local server. You sent them the coordinates. You told the Iron Talon exactly where we were. Why?"
Drew's facade crumbled. His shoulders slumped.He let out a choked sob, burying his face in his hands. "They have them, Jay. My dad... he took a loan from the wrong people, a subsidiary of the Shadow Hand. He couldn't pay it back. They took my mother and my little sister. They told me if I didn't give them the location of you during the retreat, they'd send me my sister's fingers."
He looked at me, tears streaming down his face. "I'm a coward. I betrayed the people who fed me to save my own blood. I'm sorry. Kill me. I saw what you did at the fountain. Just make it quick."
In the underworld, betrayal is a death sentence. I looked at him, and for a moment, I didn't see a traitor.I saw a desperate son. I saw a man who had been backed into a corner by monsters.
I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, expecting a blade, but I just squeezed gently.
"I won't tell anyone, Drew. Not even Keifer," I whispered.
He froze, his eyes wide with shock. "What?"
"Your family is already safe. My team intercepted the holding cell an hour ago. And the loan? Consider it paid. I'll settle the debt from my accounts tonight."
"Jay... why?"
"Because family is messy," I said, a tired smile touching my lips. "And because I know what it's like to be forced into a role you never wanted. Go to sleep. Tomorrow, we go home."
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AUTHOR POv
The next morning, the drive back to the Fernandes Mansion was draped in an uncharacteristic silence. The fleet of black SUVs moved like a funeral procession through the winding mountain roads. Inside the lead car, Keifer kept his eyes on Jay, watching the way she stared out the window, her expression unreadable.
As they reached the outskirts of the city, Jay tapped her comms. "I have some work to do. I'll be back before dinner. Don't wait up."
She pulled her sleek sports car out of the convoy before anyone could protest.
Keifer watched her taillights disappear, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He didn't ask where. He didn't ask who.
He looked at her, his eyes searching hers. He didn't ask where. He didn't ask who. He just nodded. "Be safe, Queen."
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JAY POV
The League base was a fortress of cold steel and flickering blue monitors hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse. As I walked in, the heavy scent of antiseptic and copper hit me.
In the center of the training floor, a man was tied to a heavy steel chair. Ram. The man who had orchestrated the hit. The man who had dared to touch my family.
Aya, Max, Zen, and Luna were standing around him like the four horsemen. Ram was unrecognizable; they had beaten him to the brink of death. His breathing was a wet, ragged sound that echoed against the concrete walls.
I walked up to him, my boots clicking rhythmically. I grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his head back so he had to look at me.
"You thought the Fernandes family was an easy target," I said, my voice dropping into the cold, melodic tone of the Bloody Crimson. "You thought you could use a girl like me as a pawn in your power struggle."
Ram tried to spit blood at me, but he lacked the strength.
"In my world, there are no second chances for those who threaten my family .You didn't just target a mafia family. You targeted my heart."
I reached out, and Max placed a custom 9mm in my hand. I didn't hesitate. I didn't breathe.
One bullet. One clean shot.
The silence that followed was absolute.
"Wait, Jay," Aya said, stepping forward, her eyes scanning my face. "You... you didn't trigger. No panic attack? No shaking? You didn't even blink at the blood."
I looked at my blood-spattered boots and then at my steady hands. The darkness didn't feel like a weight anymore. It felt like a tool "I know."
"It means you finally found it," Max grinned, crossing his arms. "Your safe place. Your anchor."
"Yes," I whispered. "It's Keifer."
"Oh, the Watson?" Zen chimed in, leaning against a weapon rack with a smirk. "The lion fell for the tamer?"
Luna, however, didn't smile. She stepped closer, her voice low. "Remember the Watson's Curse, Jay. Every woman who loves a Watson man ends up destroyed. It's been that way for three generations. They are bad luck."
I looked imagined Keifer image in my mind ,"The Watson's Curse is a lie, Luna. I know that because he is nothing like what the legends say. He isn't my destruction. He's the only thing keeping me whole."
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AUTHOR POV
By the time Jay returned to the Fernandes Mansion, the sun was dipping below the horizon. The living room was packed with the brothers, section e and the girls, the tension of the previous day shifting into a strange, hungry restlessness
"Sis!" Mia cried out, running to Jay with literal puppy eyes. "Can you please make pasta for me today? I'm starving and I want your special sauce!"
"Nooo!" the others shouted in a chorus of terror.
Aries, Angleo,David,Denzel, Keifer and Cin all stood up as if to block the kitchen door. Mia looked at them with pure disbelief.
"Don't tell me you guys don't know that Sis can cook?" Mia asked, hands on her hips.
"Mia, the last time she 'cooked,' she almost burned the kitchen down," Eman said, shuddering. "She tried to boil water and somehow ended up with a grease fire."
"But Ate cooked cookies last week!" Keiren piped up from the sofa. "They were the best cookies ever."
David and the other guys looked skeptical. "Girls you were with her. Didn't you help her?"
Freya shook her head, smiling. "We didn't help her at all. She cooked the entire batch herself. Every single one."
The room went silent. All eyes turned to Jay, who was leaning against the doorframe, looking exhausted but amused.
"Fine," Jay sighed, rolling her sleeves up. "I'll cook, Sweetpea. But if any of you complain about the salt, you're doing the dishes for a month."
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JAY POV
I changed into a simple oversized t-shirt and shorts, pulling my hair into a messy bun. The kitchen was my sanctuary for the next hour. I started the sauce, the aroma of garlic and basil filling the air.
I was reaching for the flour on the top shelf to thicken a side roux when I felt a presence behind me. A familiar, warm heat.
Need a hand, Queen?" Keifer's voice was a low vibration against my back, his breath tickling my neck.
I spun around, startled. "Keifer! You scared me!"
In my haste, the bag of flour I was holding slipped from my fingers. It hit the counter and exploded. A massive cloud of white powder erupted, covering Keifer's perfectly styled hair and his dark designer shirt.
He stood there, frozen, looking like a human powdered donut.
I stared at him for three seconds before I lost it. I doubled over, clutching my stomach, laughing so hard no sound came out. "You... you look... oh my god!"
Keifer's eyes narrowed, but a dangerous smirk played on his lips. "Oh, you think that's funny, Mrs.Watson?"
"I'm not a Watson yet!" I wheezed.
Keifer's eyes narrowed, but a dangerous, playful smirk tugged at his lips. "Tell me what do I look like?"
"I... I can't... you're white as a ghost!" I wheezed.
He reached into the open bag on the counter, grabbing a handful of flour. "Let's see how you look as a ghost then."
"Don't you dare!" I shrieked, darting around the kitchen island.
We ended up in a full-blown chase. I was fast, but he was taller and more determined. He caught me near the fridge, spinning me around and pinning me against the cool metal. He didn't throw the flour; instead, he gently rubbed his flour-covered hand across my cheek, over my nose, and forehead.
"Gotcha," he whispered, his eyes burning with a different kind of fire.
We both stood there, covered in white dust, breathless and laughing. For a moment, there was no "Bloody Crimson," no "Shadow Hand," and no curse. Just us.
"Awww!"
We both snapped our heads toward the kitchen entrance. The entire family—Aries, Angelo,Felix,Cin,Ion, Yuri,Leo Keiren, Mia, Percy—were all standing there.
Aries looked deeply annoyed, muttering something about "wasted ingredients," but Angelo was beaming, his arms crossed.
"Looks like the Queen found someone she can't outrun," Eren teased.
"Shut up, Eren" I felt the heat rush to my face, turning my flour-dusted skin a bright, flustered pink.
"Look at her!" Tiger cackled, pointing a finger. "The legendary warrior is defeated by a bag of flour and a hug! I'm definitely recording this."
"Looks like the Jay found her match,"Rakki teased.
I couldn't take the teasing. I shoved Keifer away, grabbed a towel, and bolted toward the back stairs. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes! Stay out of my kitchen!"
As I ran, I could hear Keifer's deep, triumphant laughter echoing through the mansion. My heart was racing, not from the thrill of a kill, but from a feeling of belonging I had finally stopped fighting.
I reached my room and looked in the mirror, touching the flour on my cheek.
I'm home, I thought. And I'll burn the world to stay here.
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A/N
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