Trisha woke up with a jolt. Her body trembled as she sat upright.

It took her a moment to realize she was back in her bedroom. 

Her steps faltered as she slid down the bed, clutching the edge of the silk sheets as the memory came rushing back..

The walk through the hallway, the serene courtyard, the splitting sound of a gunshot, and then..darkness.

Someone had tried to kill her. Boldly. Unashamedly. 

Every nerve in her body screamed, and her limbs ached as she reached for the door and pushed it open, nearly running into a startled maid who was just about to knock.

“Mrs. Cross,” the maid stammered, her eyes wide, “Mr. Cross said—”

“Which Mr. Cross?” Trisha snapped, still leaning on the doorframe for support. 

The maid blinked twice before replying, “Lucian.”

Trisha didn't wait for more. 

She pushed past the maid and stormed down the hallway, raw fury swallowing all her fears. 

‘He's not who you think he is.’

‘He couldn't protect the first. He can't protect you’

Those weren't just messages..

She had questions. And she wanted them answered. 

A deafening silence hung over the halls of the mansion like the security alarm hadn't blared just minutes ago. 

Trisha marched towards Victor Cross's office, the very heart of the empire.

There was still no one in sight.

Without hesitation, she pushed the large double doors open.

The office was empty and dark, save for a single beam of sunlight slicing through the thick curtains.

Trisha stepped in cautiously, eyes sharply scanning the room, which reeked of cigar smoke and old paper.

She moved towards the large table and began rummaging through it, like a scavenger on a hunt.

Her Eyes skimmed every sheet. Looking for a clue.

Her eyes  fell on a larger file by the stand  and She picked it up.

'CLASSIFIED’. - Boldly written on it.

Then she heard a sound,the soft clacking of heels.

“You lost?” 

She turned to see Lora leaning casually against the slightly opened door.

 “Where's Victor?” Trisha asked. Folding her arms.

“Out for a meeting. Didn't think you'd have the nerve to storm in here and act so dramatically.” Lora said, her gaze darting towards the scattered files behind Trisha.

“You look like hell.” she added.

Trisha let out a low scoff. “Hell? Someone shot a fucking bullet at me!” Trisha bellowed as she stepped closer to Lora, “You know what's even more sickening? Everyone acting like it's nothing!”

Lora raised a brow. “So you think Victor was behind it?”

Trisha lifted her chin. “This family eats people alive. That phrase ring a bell?”

A moment of silence passed.

Then Lora moved closer, the scent of her expensive cologne following right after. “There are enemies. Inside the family. Outside. You never know who”

Trisha stared at her in disbelief, “That's all you can come up with? An external enemy?”

“I've survived worse than this”, Lora answered 

Yeah. right.

Like you also hadn't tried to poison me a few days ago. 

“This family's insane.” Trisha remarked

“Welcome to the club,” Lora said, her lips curving into an evil smirk as she stepped closer and brushed a damp curl from Trisha's forehead. 

“You look good in rage,” she whispered. Tilting her head. “It's almost…seductive.”

Trisha slapped her hand away, a disgusted look on her face. “I came here for answers.” 

“And I already gave you one. You should take a rest or something. You don't go seeking answers looking like that.”

With that, Lora turned and left, the sound of her heels echoing loudly down the corridor. 

The rest of the day dragged on. Heavy and slow.

No one would tell her anything about the shooting. 

Lucian didn't visit her. 

And Victor remained absent.

She quietly paced her room, after refusing dinner. 

Her appetite being replaced by a pit of unease. 

She glanced at her stomach, and the thought of her baby made her reach for a box of cookies by her bedside.

And that was when she noticed it.

Her jewelry box had been turned.

She knew she hadn't done that. 

She wasn't one to pay attention to details whenever she cleaned. 

In fact, she hated the idea of it.

but she always remembered the exact way she left things.

She slowly lifted the box.

Right there beneath it was something small and metallic.

A bullet casing.

Trisha's eyes widened in horror. Her fingers trembled as she picked it up. 

It was cold. And real.

Someone had been in her room. Again.

No note.

No message. 

Just a warning. Like last time.

She clenched the casing tightly in her hand as she heard a soft knock.

She didn't move.

Couldn't.

Raw fear gnawed at her chest .

What if it was the shooter who had come back to finish the job?

She held her breath as the door slowly creaked, revealing Lucian , dressed in a dark unbuttoned shirt, his hair damp.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. 

No words.

Just silence.

“You okay?” Lucian said flatly

Trisha  hadn't expected any warm gesture from him.

But the coldness still stung..

Her eyes burned, but the pain in her chest was more searing.

In that moment, she regretted everything.. 

The marriage. The money. Lucian. 

She hated that, even for a second, she'd let herself believe that he wasn't the cold, ruthless man the world whispered about. 

“I warned you this wasn't a game. You brought this on yourself,” Lucian said.

Trisha got up almost immediately, the pain in her chest hardening into something colder as she walked up  to him.

“No, Lucian. This isn't about me. This is about you. Your enemies, your family, and your mess. I'm just the convenient scapegoat.”

Lucian stepped closer, the air between them charged with a dangerous heat. “Is that a threat I hear?”

“What do you think?” she said, holding his gaze, “you're probably scared I might not be as easy to control as you thought”

Lucian's eyes widened. 

He suddenly gave a low humorless laugh. “Control? I don't need to control you, Trisha. I can have any woman I want. At any time. For any reason. Women don't question me. Many even understand how lucky they are to be in my bed”

“Then maybe you should go find one of them one and stop wasting your time with me” Trisha spitted and moved past him towards the corridor

“Don't ever walk away from me!” Lucian barked.

But Trisha didn't stop.

She walked down the corridor , leaving him standing there, fist clenched, eyes blazing.

She had already walked into the den..

Might as well get eaten.