6

Alicia felt drained—exhausted and uneasy all at once. It was as if everything was slipping out of her control. First, seeing Elizabeth so resistant to the idea of becoming part of the family, and now her grandson was the target of a killer. And on top of it all, her trusted driver—just a good, ordinary human being—was in the hospital.

"Are you okay, Xavier?" Alicia asked, her voice steady but weary.

"Yes, ma'am. You don't need to worry," he answered quickly. "The doctor says I can be discharged in two days, and I'll be back at work immediately."

Alicia could hear the determination in his voice. She knew what drove him—he was working hard for his family. He lived with his aunt and a six-year-old cousin who, of course, wasn't old enough to earn any income yet.

"Don't worry about that, Xavier," she said gently. "You're getting paid leave. Rest for two full weeks. And I'll personally make sure you're compensated for saving my Kai's life."

"I didn't really do anything, ma'am—" Xavier began to protest. He hadn't stepped in intentionally; it all happened in a split second. He had opened the car door for Mr. Stone—and that's when the bullet struck his shoulder.

"Of course you did," Alicia cut him off firmly. "Don't worry about anything."

She ended the call and immediately dialed Ezra, hoping the investigator had found something—anything—to make sense of this chaos.

_________

Betty was back at the house. Today felt different, though she couldn't quite say why. Maybe it was because she had finally gotten her first practical task—or maybe it was because of Bellamy. The kind stranger who had helped her once… had done it again.

He stepped up for her.

No one had ever done that before—except her mother. And Betty loved the feeling. She loved the idea of having someone who would fight for you, someone who stood beside you and in front of you when it mattered.

She knew she was slipping into delusion—after all, Bellamy was just a stranger. But still… the feeling lingered.

"Betty."

Kai's voice pulled her back. He was standing near the doorway, holding two bottles of Coke in his hands.

"Don't tell Grandma," he joked with a grin.

Betty smiled faintly and started to walk past him, but he stopped her.

"Wait, Betty."

She turned back to face him.

Kai hesitated, glancing at the floor before meeting her eyes. "I'm really sorry about the other day. I know I already said it, but… I feel awful. I just…" He trailed off, unsure how to explain the weight of guilt sitting in his chest.

Betty could see it written all over his face. She smiled gently and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, Kai. Really. Everything's fine. Just… think about your friends, okay? I want you to have people around you that you can actually count on. And honestly, I think Marcus is the only one from your group who fits that."

Kai chuckled softly, nodding. Betty was right. Marcus had been the latest addition to their friend group, but even so, he felt more at ease with him than with anyone else. His other friends… well, they weren't great, and deep down, he knew it.

"Hey, Andrew and I are playing games," he said after a moment. "You wanna join?"

Betty hesitated. The invitation made her heart flutter a little. No one had ever invited her to anything back in school. This felt… good. But she wasn't sure how to admit that she didn't even know how to play.

Kai laughed at the look on her face. "It's okay, I can teach you."

Kai and Betty walked into the living room, finding Andrew sitting on the sofa, deep in conversation with Ronan—who looked fed up and very much on his way out. But then he paused, stopping mid-step as he noticed Betty walk in.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked, his voice careful. He still wasn't sure about Ronan's intentions. He didn't want to believe his brother could ever hire someone to hurt him… but what else made sense?

"He's leaving," Andrew added, almost to himself.

"I'm staying," Ronan said suddenly.

Andrew turned to look at him, puzzled. Just moments ago, Ronan had said goodbye and started to leave—and now he was staying?

"…Okay then." Kai didn't push. Instead, he opened an arm to let Betty sit down first, then dropped onto the couch beside her.

A moment later, Ronan joined them too.

_________

Bellamy returned home, already knowing his father would question him—not out of mistrust, but because of the close bond they shared. Bellamy and his siblings had never hidden anything from their parents.

"You're back?" Ezra asked with a raised, amused eyebrow—clearly already aware of his son's intentions regarding Alicia's company.

"Yes, Father." Bellamy dropped onto the sofa beside him and reached for the plate of fruit on the table. Oranges were his favorite.

"Good day?" Ezra asked casually. He had just gotten off the phone with Alicia. He hated having to tell her that the investigator hadn't found anything yet, but he did remind her it would likely take at least two days.

Bellamy nodded. "It was actually fun. I got to interview some people… and work with Eli."

"Eli?" Ezra repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Bellamy coughed, pretending to choke on the fruit. "I mean Elizabeth."

Ezra didn't miss the way his son's ears turned slightly red.

Bellamy had never talked about a girl before and he'd never had many close friends either. So Ezra chose to let it go… for now.

"Dad!"

"Bellamy!"

Two kids came sprinting toward the living room. Ezra smiled as they flung themselves at him and his eldest son.

Cambrie followed behind them.

"Had a good day, sweetie?" Ezra asked, scooping up his son into his arms.

"Of course," Cambrie said with a smile, settling on the floor in front of the sofa and placing a bucket of ice cream on the table.

"Bellamy, I bought a new toy," whispered Emma, the youngest Miller, cupping her hand around her brother's ear like it was a top-secret mission. "I'm going to name her Summer because we eat lots of ice cream in summer."

Bellamy grinned. "That's a perfect reason."

"You never liked ice cream," Ezra pointed out, gesturing to the bucket and then at his wife.

"Emma wanted it, so here we are," Cambrie said with a small shrug. She opened the bucket easily, then got up to head to the kitchen for cutlery. She never asked the staff for help if it was something she could do herself.

"What about you, buddy?" Ezra asked his son. "What did you buy?"

Silas beamed and proudly held up his new car.

"This looks awesome," Ezra said with a grin, admiring the toy just as Cambrie returned and handed everyone their spoons.

The family settled into a quiet moment, sharing ice cream and soft conversation.

Just as peace seemed to settle in one home, danger stirred near another.

Kai stepped outside for air, clutching a Coke bottle he never opened. His shoulder still ached, but the silence of the yard was oddly soothing. For the first time in days, he felt like he could breathe.

He didn't notice the figure at first.

Not until a sharp whizz split the air.

Kai flinched, diving to the side instinctively—just in time. A rock—no, something sharper—smashed into the wall behind him. It wasn't meant to scare him.

It was meant to hit him.

Heart pounding, Kai scrambled to his feet and scanned the yard—but the shadows were empty. Whoever it was had already disappeared.

He stood there, frozen in place, breath sharp in his throat.

This wasn't a warning.

It was a second attempt.

But that's when it hit him.

How?

How could anyone get this close?

The estate was guarded. Watched. They had private security, cameras, and guards at every entrance.

Unless…

His breath caught.

Unless someone already inside let them in.

A staff member.

A guard.

Someone who lived on the property—someone who belonged here.

Kai stiffened, eyes wide.

Someone in their home… worked for the person trying to kill him.

And they were still out there.

Watching.