Episode 5: A Warning from the Shadows
The message glowed on Evan's phone screen like a threat carved in fire.
> You're not safe with him. He destroyed your father. You're next.
Her heart pounded.
Hands trembling, she reread it, again and again.
No name. No contact photo. Just dread.
"Evan?" Abel's voice was closer now, softer. "Everything okay?"
She quickly locked her screen. "It's nothing."
He studied her face, sharp eyes narrowing.
"You're pale."
"I'm fine."
"You're lying."
"I said I'm fine," she snapped, stepping away.
His jaw tightened. "If someone's bothering you—"
"I said it's NOTHING."
She hated how defensive she sounded. But she didn't trust him. Not fully. Not yet.
He was her husband on paper.
The father of her child.
The owner of her dream.
But trust?
That had to be earned.
And this message—this warning—made her question everything.
---
The Next Morning – Private Lab
Evan's head throbbed as she stared at her prototype schematic, unable to focus. The message still replayed in her mind like a chant.
> He destroyed your father. You're next.
Was it true?
Yes, she knew Abel had taken over her father's failing company years ago. But her father had been drowning in debt and scandal before that. She had watched it happen.
Or so she thought.
What if there was more?
What if the downfall hadn't been karma… but a carefully orchestrated trap?
Her stomach churned.
She hadn't talked to her father in four years. Not since he blamed her for choosing tech school over the Ivy League.
But still…
He was her father.
And if Abel had played a part in destroying him…
What was he doing to her now?
---
Abel's Office – LunaTech Tower
Abel sat in silence, reading a printed report while Harrison hovered nervously.
"The text was traced," Harrison said. "Blocked number, but it pinged off a tower in Queens. We're digging deeper."
Abel tapped the paper. "Who knew about the marriage?"
"Only five people. Me, Grant, your legal team, and her best friend—Nori James."
Abel shook his head. "Nori's not dumb enough to risk Evan's safety. That leaves someone watching us from the outside."
Harrison hesitated. "You think it's connected to the Dendelion bankruptcy?"
Abel's jaw flexed.
He didn't answer.
Because the truth was—
He had destroyed Evan's father.
Not just bought the company.
Not just outbid him.
He leaked the story that ruined the man's name.
It hadn't been business.
It had been personal.
And now, the one person who mattered—the only person who ever mattered—was carrying his child… and questioning everything.
---
Later That Evening – Luna Estate
Evan sat alone in the sunroom, curled up in a chair as rain tapped softly against the glass. Her hands rested on her belly, instinctively protective.
She didn't know how to feel.
Her world was shifting too fast.
The door opened behind her.
She knew it was him without turning.
"I had your phone traced," Abel said.
She turned sharply. "You what?"
"You got a threat. You didn't tell me. That puts you and the baby in danger."
"I didn't ask you to play detective."
"You didn't have to."
His voice was calm. Controlled. But something raw flickered in his eyes.
"I protect what's mine, Evan. That includes you."
She stood slowly.
"Then tell me the truth."
His jaw tightened. "About what?"
"Did you destroy my father?"
Silence.
A long one.
The kind that made the room feel cold.
Abel stepped forward, every movement slow. Careful.
"Yes."
She sucked in a breath. "You admit it?"
"I don't hide who I am."
"You ruined him."
"He ruined himself. I just finished the job."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Why?"
"Because he watched my mother die with no severance, no help, and no apology. And because I swore that one day, I'd take everything he loved."
Her voice cracked. "And you thought I was part of that?"
"You were a Dendelion."
"I was a child!"
"I didn't know how to separate that then."
"And now?" she whispered.
His voice softened.
"I'm trying."
---
Later That Night – Evan's Bedroom
She stared at the note again, tucked into the drawer beside her bed.
> He destroyed your father. You're next.
This wasn't just paranoia now.
Someone knew. Someone was watching.
Her phone buzzed again.
Same number.
Her stomach dropped.
> You think he loves you? Ask him about Project AETHER. Ask him what really happened in Singapore.
Her fingers shook.
Project AETHER?
Singapore?
What the hell was that?
She ran to her closet, grabbed a hoodie, and slipped out the door.
---
Downstairs – Abel's Study
She didn't knock.
She stormed in, breath sharp.
Abel looked up from a stack of documents, brow raised.
"Something wrong?"
"You tell me," she said, holding up her phone. "What is Project AETHER?"
His eyes darkened.
He stood slowly, setting his papers down with eerie calm.
"Where did you hear that?"
"You tell me what it is."
"That's confidential."
"I'm your wife."
"And that doesn't give you clearance."
Her jaw clenched. "Then I'll find out myself."
She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.
"It was a prototype. Military contract. Years ago. A disaster."
She froze.
"Disaster how?"
He hesitated. Just for a second.
Then—
"Three scientists died."
Evan spun around. "Jesus, Abel—"
"I wasn't directly responsible," he said coldly. "But my signature was on the launch. I've lived with that every day."
The air thickened.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't share skeletons, Evan. I bury them."
She looked at him then—not as the man who kissed her once, or funded her lab, or wore a ring that meant nothing—but as the man who had built a kingdom on revenge and silence.
And for the first time…
She wasn't sure she could survive in it.
---
Later That Night – Abel's Study, Alone
Abel stared at his office wall, hands clenched.
Project AETHER.
Singapore.
The texts.
Someone was dragging up his past. Targeting Evan.
And that meant only one thing:
This wasn't about revenge anymore.
It was about war.
---
End of Episode 5
> Next Episode: Evan investigates Abel's past. But someone else is watching... and they want her gone—for good.