Jay POV
The house was quiet that night.
Too quiet.
I had been walking down the hallway when I heard voices coming from the guest room where Jeana and Andy were staying.
Normally I would have just walked past.
But something about the way they were talking made me stop.
Their door wasn't fully closed.
Just slightly open.
I didn't want to listen… but my feet refused to move.
Then I heard my name.
"…once Jay is gone, everything becomes ours," Jeana said.
My heart stopped.
For a second I thought I heard wrong.
But Andy laughed quietly.
"You're sure the properties transfer automatically?"
"Yes," Jeana replied. "She owns everything. The houses, the money, the businesses. If she dies, it goes to family."
My chest tightened.
Family.
That meant them.
Andy lowered his voice.
"So when do we do it?"
Jeana didn't hesitate.
"Soon."
The word felt like ice in my chest.
"She won't even see it coming," Jeana continued calmly. "Everyone already thinks she has enemies. It'll look like an accident."
I couldn't breathe.
My own mother.
Planning my death like it was nothing.
I always disliked her.
I never trusted Andy either.
But hearing it like this…
It still hurt.
More than I expected.
My hands started shaking.
That's when I felt someone grab my arm gently.
I almost jumped.
"Jay."
I turned quickly.
It was Aries.
He had seen me standing there.
Seen me listening.
His expression changed immediately when he saw my face.
He didn't ask questions.
He just quietly pulled me away from the door.
"Come on," he whispered.
We walked down the hallway until we reached my room.
He closed the door behind us.
Only then did he look at me properly.
"You heard them, didn't you?"
I nodded slowly.
My throat felt tight.
Aries sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Jay… you shouldn't have been standing there."
"I didn't mean to," I said quietly.
My voice sounded strange.
Like it wasn't mine.
Aries guided me to sit on the bed.
"Breathe," he said.
I looked down at my hands.
"I never liked them," I said slowly.
Aries didn't interrupt.
"I never trusted Jeana. Or Andy. But…" I swallowed.
"…she's still my mom."
Saying it out loud made the pain worse.
"How can a mother do that?" I whispered.
Aries didn't have an answer.
He just rested a hand on my shoulder.
"You're safe here," he said quietly.
"They won't touch you."
I nodded but my mind was still spinning.
I barely slept that night.
The next morning the house felt normal.
Too normal.
Like nothing had happened.
Like my mother hadn't just planned my murder a few hours earlier.
I was sitting in the living room when Hex walked in with bandage on his forehead and a cast.
Hex studied my face for a second.
"…You look terrible."
"Thanks," I muttered.
He walked closer.
"What happened?"
Before I could answer, Keifer arrived.
The moment he saw me, his expression changed.
"Jay?"
I exhaled slowly.
"I need to tell you both something."
We sat down.
For a moment I couldn't speak.
But then I forced the words out.
"Last night… I heard Jeana and Andy talking."
Hex frowned immediately.
"What about?"
I looked up at them.
"They're planning to kill me."
Silence filled the room.
Hex's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Keifer didn't say anything at first.
His jaw tightened.
"They want my money," I continued quietly.
"My properties. Everything."
Hex looked furious.
"That's insane."
"I heard them myself," I said.
Keifer stepped closer to me.
"Jay…"
I shook my head slightly.
"I always knew they were terrible people."
My voice got quieter.
"But hearing your own mother talk about killing you…"
I looked down.
"…that still hurts."
For a moment none of us spoke.
Then Hex rested a hand on my shoulder.
"We're not letting them ," he said.
Keifer nodded firmly.
"Not even close."
And for the first time since last night…
I felt a little less alone.
But the truth still sat heavy in my chest.
My own mother wanted me dead.
And now…
I had to decide what to do about it.