Jay's POv
The weight of the smartphone in my hand felt heavier than a block of lead. The glowing screen held a message from a ghost, a monster I believed had been turned to ash years ago.
"I see you've brought your little protectors together... Enjoy your family reunion while it lasts. I'll see you by tomorrow sunset."
The words bled into my vision, blurring the edges of the room. My chest felt tight. My breath hitched in my throat. Beside me, the air shifted instantly.
Keifer's entire posture locked up, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek. Kuya Rafael's dark eyes narrowed into slits, a terrifying, cold stillness washing over him.
We were still standing in the center of the room, trapped in a bubble of absolute shock, when the heavy double doors opened.
The rest of the family walked back into the living room. Angelo and Ion led the way, their expressions softened by their recent reconciliation, but still bearing the emotional exhaustion of the night. Behind them came Aries, Percy, and Section E—Felix, Edrix, Yuri, Eman, and Denzel—along with Mia, Cin, Freya, and Rakki.
They were talking in low murmurs, but the moment they stepped fully into the space, their voices died down. They noticed my expression. I was standing perfectly still, my skin pale, my fingers trembling slightly against the glass of my phone..
Felix stopped in his tracks, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked around the room, a confused frown tight on his face. "Why is the temperature so hot here?" he asked, trying to break the sudden, thick tension. "Did the air conditioning break, or is everyone just radiating stress?"
No one laughed. The silence that followed was suffocating.
Keifer didn't look up from my phone screen. His hand came down over mine, his fingers warm but completely rigid. He spoke quietly, his voice dangerously low. "There is a message."
Angelo's eyes immediately snapped to Keifer, his protective instincts flaring up after the chaos of the night. He stepped forward, his brows furrowed in a deep line. "From who?" he asked seriously.
My throat felt dry, like sand. I had to force the air out of my lungs to speak. I looked up, meeting Angelo's intense gaze, and said quietly, "Robert."(A/n: Her third stepfather. I don't actually remember the name )
The name hung in the air like a lethal poison.
Everyone froze. The entire room became a graveyard of absolute silence.
While my brothers and Keifer stiffened into lethal statues, Section E and the girls exchanged bewildered looks. They didn't fully comprehend the weight of that single name. To them, it was just a random identity.
"Who is Robert?" Mia whispered, looking between us, her hand instinctively reaching for Felix's arm.
Aries stepped forward, his voice dripping with an icy, lethal venom that shook the room. "He is her stepfather."
Angelo's head snapped toward me, his eyes widening in pure disbelief and rage. "He was supposed to be dead," Angelo added, his voice shaking with a dangerous mixture of confusion and fury.
" I... I saw him earlier. At Cin birthday party." my voice trembled as the memory connected in her mind. "I checked with security afterward. I told myself it was impossible. They checked the cameras and the guest list, and they said it was my illusion. I thought I was just seeing things because of stress."
I didn't say a word. I simply turned the phone around and showed them the screen.
The moment they read the text, the atmosphere in the penthouse completely broke.
Pure, unadulterated fury was visible on every single face in the room. A deadly, suffocating aura exploded from Keifer, Percy, Angelo, Aries, and Rafael.
It was an overwhelming wave of killer instinct, the kind possessed only by men who dealt in life and death. The air felt heavy, almost impossible to breathe.
Kuya Rafael stepped closer into the light, his face a mask of absolute dark resolve. He ran a hand through his hair, a grim expression settling deep into his features.
"I got information recently," Rafael added, his voice cutting through the heavy silence like a blade. "He managed to escape the fire that day. Your mother helped him hide and recover. I wanted to talk to you about it tonight, Jay. I wanted to find the right moment to break the news safely. But the bastard made the first move."
Keifer's grip on my waist tightened, pulling me flush against his side. His eyes were burning with a dark, primal rage that promised absolute destruction.
He looked toward the balcony, his voice dropping to a gravelly, terrifying whisper. "He will pay for what he did to you, wifey. I will personally escort him to his coffin."
"Count us in," Angelo growled, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"He won't survive the sunset," Percy added, his voice devoid of any human emotion, completely cold.
Aries nodded, his eyes flashing with a promise of violence. "We will tear him apart piece by piece."
I looked at them—this massive, powerful wall of men willing to burn the world down just to keep me safe. I forced a polite, fragile smile onto my face, nodding faintly to acknowledge their loyalty.
"Thank you," I murmured, my voice sounding incredibly distant to my own ears. "I... I need to rest."
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away from the crowded living room. My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to move with a steady pace until I reached the sanctuary of our bedroom.
The moment the heavy door shut behind me, the polite smile melted off my face. My knees shook. I walked over to the edge of the large bed and sat down, staring blankly at the far wall.
My mind was racing, accelerating into a dark, terrifying spiral. The powerful persona of the Crimson Queen, the ruthless CEO, the woman who commanded respect in boardrooms and underworld negotiations—it all evaporated. In its place, the heavy doors of my repressed childhood memories burst wide open.
Suddenly, I wasn't in a luxury penthouse. I was back in that dark, suffocating house. I could hear his heavy, uneven footsteps echoing down the hallway.
I remembered the blinding pain of him hitting me, the cruel, booming laugh that followed. I remembered him cornering me in the kitchen, calling me worthless, a piece of trash that should have never been born.
My skin literally burned with the phantom memory of his iron being pressed into my flesh, the agonizing heat searing into my young skin while I cried out for mercy that never came.
And then, the darkest memory of all crawled to the surface—the night he walked into my room, his eyes dark with a disgusting, predatory filth, trying to touch me while I screamed and clawed at the walls.
A cold sweat broke out across my body. I hugged my knees to my chest, burying my face in my arms. I couldn't think of myself as the Crimson Queen anymore. In this moment, under the shadow of his return, I was no longer powerful. I was again a trapped, helpless, terrified little girl, waiting for the monster to break through the door.
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Keifer's POV
The living room downstairs was organized chaos, but my mind was entirely focused on the bedroom upstairs. After Jay left the room, I turned to the guys with an iron authority.
"Double the perimeter guards," I commanded at Section E. "Activate the thermal sensors across the entire estate. If a single bird flies within a mile of this penthouse without clearance, I want to know about it. Call in our primary tactical units. No one goes to sleep tonight."
Felix and Edrix immediately nodded, already pulling out their encrypted tablets to secure the mansion. Angelo and Rafael were already on their phones, mobilizing their respective syndicates and corporate security networks. We were building an impenetrable fortress.
Once the orders were set, I left them to their work and walked upstairs. My heart was heavy, a tight knot of worry twisting in my gut.
I knew my wife. I knew that behind her fierce, unyielding armor lay scars that ran deeper than anyone could imagine.
I quietly opened our bedroom door and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, cast in deep shadows. Jay was sitting on the edge of the bed, her small frame curled tight, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared blankly at the wall. She looked incredibly fragile, stripped of the fierce persona she wore every day.
My heart ached at the sight. I closed the door softly and walked over to her. I didn't say anything at first. I just slid onto the bed beside her, wrapping my strong arms around her waist and pulling her back against my chest.
I buried my face in the crook of her neck, holding her as securely as I could.
"Rest, Jay," I murmured into her skin, my voice thick with emotion. "I'm here. Your brothers are here. Section E is here. We are an army, wifey. We won't let him touch you again. I swear it on my life."
I felt a small tremor pass through her body. Slowly, the rigid tension in her muscles began to give way. She let out a long, shaky breath and leaned back against me, absorbing my warmth, seeking comfort in my strength.
I leaned forward slightly, shifting her in my arms so I could look at her face. Her beautiful eyes were bright with unshed tears. I couldn't bear to see her in pain. I leaned down, and Jay instinctively tilted her head up, meeting me halfway.
Our lips met.
It wasn't a kiss of passion or desire. It was a soft, deep, promising kiss. It was a silent vow written in the dark—a promise that I would stand between her and any monster the world threw at us.
I poured all my love, all my protective fury, and all my devotion into that gentle pressure. Jay clung to my shirt, kissing me back with a desperate, quiet intensity, anchoring herself to reality through me.
When we finally parted, I pulled the heavy duvet over both of us.
I kept her tucked securely against my chest, her head resting over my heartbeat. I stroked her soft hair in steady, rhythmic motions, whispering gentle reassurances into the dark until her breathing slowed down. Soon, exhausted by the immense emotional toll of the night, we both fell asleep.
I don't know how many hours passed, but the shifting of the air woke me.
I was a light sleeper by nature, trained to notice the slightest change in my environment. I felt a violent tremor beneath my arms. I opened my eyes into the darkness and instantly realized Jay was shivering violently.
The room was cool, but her skin was slick with a cold sweat. Her head was tossing from side to side on the pillow, her features twisted in an expression of pure agony and terror. She was trapped deep inside a nightmare.
"Don't touch me..." she mumbled, her voice a fragile, broken whimper that sliced straight through my chest. "Please... no... Kuya... Keifer, save me... Please stay away..."
Hearing my name mixed with her terrified pleas broke something inside me. The raw vulnerability in her voice was unbearable.
"Jay," I said urgently, shifting over her and grabbing her shoulders gently. "Jay, wake up. Wifey, look at me. You're safe. Wake up."
I shook her slightly, trying to pull her consciousness out of the dark void she was trapped in. But her mind was locked away, entirely consumed by the horrors of her past. Her breathing turned into rapid, shallow gasps. Her hands clawed at the bedsheets as if she were trying to fight off an invisible weight.
"Don't touch me! Stay away!" she cried out louder, her voice cracking.
"Jay! It's me, it's Keifer! You're home, you're safe!" I pleaded, my voice rising in panic as I tried everything to rouse her. I rubbed her arms, kissed her forehead, called her name repeatedly, but she couldn't hear me.
She was trapped in that dark room from her childhood, facing her demon alone.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.
"NOOO!"
She bolted upright, her eyes flying wide open, filled with a blind, unseeing panic. For a split second, she looked around the room as if she didn't know where she was. Then, her eyes landed on me. With a desperate, choked sob, she threw herself forward and hugged me tightly.
She clung to me with a terrifying, vice-like grip, her fingers digging deep into the fabric of my shirt, her entire body shaking so violently I could feel her teeth chattering.
She buried her face into my neck, weeping uncontrollably, her loud, broken sobs filling the quiet bedroom.
"I've got you, I've got you," I ran my hands up and down her back, rocking her back and forth on the bed. "Shh, it's okay, wifey. It was just a nightmare. He's not here. He can't get to you. I'm right here. I'm holding you. You're safe."
I kissed the top of her head, my own eyes stinging with angry tears. I hated him. I hated Robert with every fiber of my being for doing this to her, for leaving these deep, invisible psychological wounds that could still make my powerful queen crumble into a terrified child in the middle of the night.
Before I could calm her down further, a sharp, urgent knock rattled our bedroom door.
"Keifer! What happened? We heard screaming!" Aries's voice boomed from the hallway, dripping with immediate panic.
Jay flinched at the loud noise, her grip on me tightening even further. I kept one arm securely around her waist and called out toward the door, my voice strained but loud enough to carry.
"Come in!"
The heavy door burst open instantly.
The lock clicked, and a flood of light from the hallway spilled into the room as everyone rushed inside. Aries, Rafael, Angelo, and Percy were in the lead, their weapons half-drawn, their faces pale with adrenaline. Behind them, the rest of the family—Section E and the girls—crowded into the doorway, their expressions filled with deep dread and concern.
They saw Jay clinging to me, her shoulders shaking, her face hidden in my neck as she tried to stifle her sobs.
I looked up at them, my expression grim, and said quietly, "She had a nightmare."
The collective relief that it wasn't an assassin was instantly replaced by a deep, heartbreaking sorrow. Rafael, Angelo, Percy, and Aries didn't hesitate. They quickly moved to her side of the bed, abandoning all formality, their protective brotherly instincts taking complete control.
Angelo sat on the edge of the mattress, gently reaching out to touch her trembling hand.
"Jay-jay," he said, his voice incredibly soft, a stark contrast to the aggressive man he had been hours earlier. "Look at me. Kuya is here. We're all here. Nobody is going to hurt you."
Rafael knelt by the side of the bed, his dark eyes fierce but filled with an undeniable tenderness as he looked at his godsister. "He's a dead man walking, Princess. He can't touch you anymore. I survived the cartels, and I swear to you, I will personally drag him to hell if he steps foot near this place."
Aries leaned over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, while Percy stood right behind them, his silent, deadly presence serving as an absolute shield. They surrounded her, forming a physical wall of flesh and bone to protect her from the ghosts of her past.
From the doorway, the rest of our family stood watching the heartbreaking scene. Seeing Jay—the untouchable, brilliant woman they respected and loved so deeply—reduced to tears by a ghost from her past kindled a dangerous, unyielding fire in all of them.
One by one, they stepped forward into the room, their voices low but steady, sealing a collective vow in the quiet night.
Cin stepped closer, his eyes bright with tears but his jaw set in a firm line. "We won't let him near you, Jay.I won't let it happen again. We are staying right here."
Mia nodded fiercely beside her. "He has to go through all of us first. We are a family now. You don't have to carry this alone."
Felix stepped up, his usual playful demeanor completely gone, replaced by a cold, serious resolve. "Section E doesn't leave their family, Jay. We are locking down this entire city if we have to. He won't even make it to the front gates."
"We will guard every entrance personally," Edrix added, his voice sharp. "No breaks, no blind spots."
Yuri crossed his arms, his eyes scanning the windows as if expecting a fight right now. "Let him come. We'll show him what happens when you threaten our family."
Freya and Rakki stood side by side, their expressions grim. "We're not leaving your side, Jay,"
Freya murmured. "Not tonight, not tomorrow. Never."
Denzel, Eman, and the rest of the team echoed their agreement, their voices forming a deep, resonant chorus of loyalty.
They were making solemn vows to never leave her, to stand as an unbreakable shield between her and the monster who broke her childhood.
Jay slowly lifted her head from my shoulder, her eyes red and puffy, looking at the massive circle of people gathered in our bedroom. Seeing her brothers, her husband, her friends, and her loyal team all standing together, ready to wage war for her sake, brought a faint, watery glimmer of hope to her eyes. She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice to thank them.
But before a single word could leave her lips, the world plunged into absolute chaos.
Clack.
The digital clock on the nightstand died. The warm ambient lights in the bedroom snapped off. The bright security lights bleeding in from the hallway vanished instantly.
The entire penthouse went completely, utterly off. Blackout.
The sudden darkness was absolute, thick, and suffocating. The hum of the air conditioning cut out, leaving a terrifying, heavy silence in its wake.
"The power grid is down!" Edrix shouted in the dark, his voice sharp with immediate tactical panic. "Backup generators should have kicked in—why aren't they turning on?!"
"Main security lines have been cut!" Blaster yelled, the sound of fabric rustling indicating he was already moving into a defensive stance.
"They breached the perimeter!" Angelo roared, the distinct sound of a gun racking echoing loudly through the pitch-black room.
Panic exploded in the room as everyone scrambled into tactical positions in the dark. But inside the vortex of the chaos, Jay's reaction was immediate and primal.
In the absolute darkness, her terror spiked to an unimaginable level. A sharp, terrified gasp left her throat. Her grip on my neck and shirt tightened with a desperate, crushing strength, her fingernails digging through the fabric into my skin
She was shaking so violently it felt like her heart was going to burst from fear. To her, the darkness meant only one thing—the monster had finally come to drag her back into the nightmare.
"Keifer—" she choked out, her voice a terrified whisper in the dark.
And then, before I could even wrap my arms tighter around her to pull her down into a protective cover, her entire body went completely limp against me.
Her grip instantly released, her hands sliding down my chest as her consciousness gave out from the sheer, overwhelming terror.
Then the room complety blank.And jay absent from my grip.
"Jay JAY!" I roared into the pitch black, trying to search her .
Outside the window, the distant, eerie red glow of the city skyline cast long, bleeding shadows across the room, and the hunt had officially begun.
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A/n
The power is completely out, the security perimeter is breached, and Jay has gone missing. Are you all excited for the next chapter ???
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