For a moment, I could not move as I watched Helen smirking devilishly and clicking the trigger. My life flashed before my eyes, and my dead parents went through my mind. I just snapped back into reality when I felt warm hands wrapping around my body as the firing of bullets filled my ears. When I shakingly looked up, I saw the face of Karlo, who was clenching his jaw as he kept shooting with his gun, with me being held by him.

I don’t even know what was happening anymore. The last thing I remember was being carried by his arms while we were jumping off the balcony.

Am I dead? Because, for some reason, I did not feel hurt. Or maybe that is what you experience when you face death. Nothing but dark silence.

“You can leave,” a voice echoed in my ears.

Leave? Who will leave?

After a while, I heard a familiar sigh. Someone cleared their throat before speaking up.

“What now, Karlo? Everyone will hunt your wife now,” I heard a man’s voice.

My head was still light when I started opening my eyes. At first, everything was spinning around because I was dizzy. The white ceiling almost blinded me, but I also realized that I was in our mansion again.

Why am I here? I thought it was already heaven!

I moved my face sideways, and the first person I saw was Karlo, who was talking to Timothy, my cousin. They were both wearing casual shirts, meaning they did not have work. They were currently talking just beside the doors of my room’s balcony. Their facial expressions were deadly serious, as if they were carrying the world.

“The enemies of Tito Dranreb have already known his identity. Of course, they will make Minerva a target now. What next? Ambush her like what happened to her parents?”

Enemies of my dad? And… ambush me?

What are they talking about?

Karlo massaged the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tightly as if he was stressed by the things Timothy was saying. Timothy started pacing back and forth. And then, he leaned over to Karlo and pointed his index finger at Karlo.

“If something happens to my sister, you are dead to me. You got that?” Timothy warned Karlo.

“I tried my best in protecting her-“

“Well, you did not fucking try enough.”

And the next thing I knew, Timothy was walking through the door. Karlo stayed standing and also followed Timothy with his sharp eyes. He must have felt me watching him, so he shifted his gaze to me. He blinked and replaced his dark expression with a relieved one. Later on, he started walking towards me.

“Are you alright? What do you feel now?” he worriedly asked when he was finally standing in front of me.

Before I could even speak up to answer him, he had already turned to the telephone beside my bed and called the head maid to bring a tray of food and water. I just watched him do that until he sat on the bed and stared at my face.

“Does something hurt with you now?” he softly asked.

“What were you and Timothy talking about?” I asked, my voice weak, but the tone was authoritative. “Protecting me from whom? And what did it have to do with my dad?”

He did not even react to the fact that I heard them, but only shook his head. “You have to rest-“

“Ever since I was a little kid, I have been sensing some weird things about my parents. I disregarded it because I did not care. But the weirdest thing they did was arrange for me to marry you…” I uttered and squinted my eyes. “And just last night, my best friend from college had a gun pointed at me. Next, you were shooting her in the middle of the party’s chaos-“

“Please, Minerva, this is not the right time-“ he tried to say.

“- so tell me what the fuck just happened last night that is connected to the conversation you had with my cousin?”

We stared at each other. I glared at him to let him know that I am full of mixed frustration and confusion right now. Silence engulfed us before he decided to speak up again.

“Your parents are the founders of the Red Cartel,” he revealed. “It is an organization with assassins who kill enemies of the government, like mafia gangs and huge criminals in the country.”

“They are what?” I exclaimed.

“It was a secret organization, so the identities of your parents, especially yours, were under the special protection of the government, because the Red Cartel is also executing traitors and threats to the cities. But for some reason, the enemies of your parents tracked who they are and planned a deadly ambush.”

Tears started to form in my eyes. He was taken aback by my disoriented face, but he decided to continue what he was saying. This time, he put his hand above mine and squeezed it. Usually, I would be uncomfortable because I did not like him touching any inch of my body, but it felt like he was just there for me as I faced the truth.

“You have to understand, Minerva, that your parents were very powerful people in this country. They might not be known by the good ones whom they are protecting. Moreover, they are heroes; treated as enemies by the criminals,” he said. “And now that they are gone, you are destined to take over the Red Cartel; that is why a lot of enemies will come after you, wishing you dead.”

“What the hell…”

I was about to remove his hand, but he tightened it more. I gritted my teeth to use my strength on him. He only matched it, though.

“Let go of me!” I demanded.

“Minerva, you are the future Red Cartel Queen!” he said. “And no matter what happens, I will be here to always protect you!”

“I do not know what you are saying! I just want you to get out of my room! Now! I hate you to hell!”