Kiefer (POV)
The past week had felt… unreal.
After everything finally came out—her memories returning, the truth about the pregnancy no longer buried between us—it was like the world had exhaled.
For once, there was no fear behind our words. No silence carries weight. Just… normal.
Quiet laughter in the kitchen.Her leaning into me without hesitation.My hand found hers as it had always belonged there.
It felt like we had finally reached a place we were always meant to be.
That night, everything was still.
Jay was asleep in my arms—completely relaxed, her breathing soft and steady, her fingers loosely curled around my wrist… like even in sleep, she refused to let go.
I watched her longer than I should have.
Because peace like this?
It never stays.
My phone vibrated.
Angelo.
I didn't answer.
Not because I didn't care—…but because I cared too much.
I didn't want to disturb this.Not her sleep.Not this moment that finally felt like ours.
It vibrated again.
A message this time.
Demon:Come to King's Ground. Important.
My jaw tightened.
That name alone meant trouble.
I looked back at her.
She hadn't moved.
For a moment, I didn't either.
Then slowly—carefully—I slipped my wrist from her hold.
Even in sleep, her fingers resisted.
That small, unconscious movement tightened something in my chest.
I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
Then another to her lips—lingering, quiet… like a promise I wasn't ready to put into words.
"I'll be back," I murmured.
I stayed there one second longer.
Memorizing her.
Then I stood.
The room felt colder the moment I let go.
I didn't look back again.
Because if I did—
I wouldn't leave.
The drive to King's Ground felt longer than usual.
Or maybe I just already knew—
This wasn't going to be small.
"Hey, buddy," Tiger called out the moment I walked in.
I glanced over.
He was wearing a Pikachu costume and shorts like it was completely normal.
I didn't even react.
"How's your tomboy?" he asked casually.
My eyes snapped to him.
"She's my wife," I said flatly. "Not a tomboy. Maybe a little boyish—but she's still a beautiful woman."
Tiger snorted. "She's definitely a tomboy."
"No," I said firmly. "I've seen her clearly."
He shook his head, amused. "Nope. Still a tomboy."
I exhaled, already done with this argument.
"Whatever… next time, bring her along. I'll order pizza—her favorite," he said, tapping my shoulder like it was settled.
I almost laughed.
Bring her here?
She'd make friends in minutes… probably forget I even existed if someone offered her food.
"If you're looking for Angelo, he's upstairs with Coco," Tiger added.
I nodded and headed up.
Each step felt heavier.
Angelo didn't call people in for nothing.
And if Cole was involved—
It meant one thing.
Jay.
The atmosphere upstairs was different.
Quieter. Controlled.
The kind of silence where decisions were already being made.
The door was slightly open.
I pushed it.
All three of them turned at once.
No greetings.
No wasted words.
Just that look.
The one that always came before bad news.
Angelo spoke first.
"You came fast."
I nodded once and moved to stand beside them, ordering my usual without really looking at the menu.
The tension in the room didn't change, but the conversation… did.
I turned toward Clyden. "But what are you doing?"
He didn't even look up properly, still tangled in wool and frustration.
"I was trying to make a sweater," he muttered. "For the baby. But I'm not getting it… It looks so easy online. Why is it so hard in real life?"
My brow lifted slightly. "Why are you doing that now?"
That finally made him look at me, like it was obvious.
"If Jay has the baby in winter," he said, completely serious, "then the kid will need warm clothes. So I'm making them."
He paused, then added with full conviction, "And I want my nephew to wear something I made—with my name on it. So he remembers I'm his favorite uncle."
A beat of silence followed.
Even Angelo stopped mid-sip.
Cole glanced away like he was trying not to react.
I exhaled slowly through my nose, shaking my head just a little. "So why did you call me here?"
Clyden blinked, as if he had almost forgotten the actual reason he existed in this room.
They all looked at each other, then said in the same tone—
"We got a hit list."
I paused for half a second, then took a sip anyway. "On me again…" I said flatly. "They would've known they can't kill me."
"Kiefer," Cole said.
That name cut through the room instantly.
My hand stopped mid-motion.
Slowly, I set the drink down.
When I looked up at them again, the shift was obvious—no jokes left, no casual air, no waiting around like earlier.
This was serious.
Angelo said it without changing his expression.
"It's not you this time…" he said, sliding a paper across the table toward me.
My eyes narrowed slightly as I took it.
Cole's voice followed immediately, quieter but heavier.
"It's Jay."
The moment I looked down, everything in me went still.
Her details were printed there—clean, official, too calm for what it meant. And beside it… my name.
Husband.
Even in the middle of this, something strange tightened in my chest.
I liked seeing that word there.
Angelo didn't look at me when he spoke again.
"There's no amount."
Cole corrected him immediately, jaw tight.
"It means whoever wants her… isn't doing it for money. Someone's putting a price, but it's not Financial gain. It's leverage. Or revenge."
The room felt colder with every word.
I didn't look up right away. My fingers stayed on the paper a second longer than necessary.
Then I asked, low and controlled, "Why?"
Cole's grip tightened around his glass.
Angelo exhaled slowly, like he already didn't like what came next.
Before either of them could answer properly—
Clyden stepped in from behind me.
"I think I know," he said quietly.
That made all three of us turn slightly.
He looked unusually serious now, wool forgotten in his hand.
"This isn't random," Clyden continued. "Someone is circling back… something from before. Something tied to her past. Not her present."
Silence dropped hard.
I finally looked up at them.
"Say it properly," I said.
My voice wasn't loud.
But it wasn't asking either.
The words hit the room one after another, each one heavier than the last.
Clyden's voice stayed low.
"It's the elders, Kiefer… because of Jay," he said. "I gave up the inheritance. But to them, she's still a way back in. A lever. They think if she's gone… I'll return."
My jaw tightened.
Silence followed.
I shifted my gaze to Cole. "You're the leader of the FORTIS group. No one can touch her. We can just shut this down."
Cole didn't answer immediately.
Angelo stepped in, voice quieter now. "It's not like that, Kiefer."
That alone made me look at him properly.
Cole finally spoke, slow and deliberate. "It's not just us… Hanamiachi is also targeting Jay Jay."
My jaw tightened.
He continued, "Because of her yuri… he broke their agreement and left the heir position. Now the yakuza side has her name on it too."
For a second, the room felt too still.
Then I let out a short breath and said, "Then I'll burn the Hanamiachi clan."
Angelo didn't even flinch, but his voice dropped. "It's an open auction. Too many people are involved in this."
"So what?" I cut in.
I leaned forward.
"Let's end them before they even get close."
"Kiefer—"
I didn't let him finish.
"What do you expect me to do?" My voice dropped. "After four years… after finally getting her back… You want me to wait until she gets killed?"
That was when Cole looked at me properly.
No hesitation now.
"Kiefer…" he said, "Jay isn't just part of this anymore."
A pause.
Then the final line landed.
"She's pregnant. This isn't just dangerous… It's critical for her now."
Everything in the room went silent after that.
Even the air felt like it stopped moving.
It felt like a sealed chamber where every sentence added pressure.
I stared at Clyden first.
"Is there any way out of it," I asked, voice steady but colder now, "without Jay being involved at all?"
Before anyone could answer, Clyden stepped closer from behind me, like he had been holding this in for too long.
"It's not that simple," he said. Then, quieter, almost reluctant, "If anything happens to you… Your shares, holdings, everything tied to Watson transfer automatically."
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"And?"
He didn't hesitate this time.
"They go to your unborn child."
A pause.
"Until he turns eighteen. And Jay becomes the legal guardian of everything."
The air shifted again.
I turned slightly. "Only if it's a boy."
Clyden nodded once.
"But in Watson… the first child of every generation has historically been male," he said. "It hasn't broken in recorded lineage. Girls are extremely rare in your bloodline."
Silence followed that.
Then Cole spoke, low and direct.
"That's not even the full picture."
I looked at him.
He continued, "She already holds shares in Watson… Marinano… Fardanzens."
My expression didn't change—but something behind it sharpened.
Cole didn't stop.
"She has power across three major structures already. She just doesn't know the extent of it."
Angelo exhaled slowly, like he didn't enjoy saying the next part.
"And you marrying her tied it all together."
That made my jaw tighten.
Clyden finally added, almost reluctantly now, "That's why I was against it."
I turned fully toward him.
He met my gaze this time.
"Because she's not just your wife in their eyes," he said. "She's the key to you."
A pause.
"And if you're both bound legally and bloodline-wise…"
Cole finished it, voice quiet but heavy.
"You don't just control power anymore, Kiefer."
Angelo leaned forward slightly.
"You control the balance of European economy structures… and Marinano already holds New York's influence network."
For a moment, nobody moved.
No drinking. No joking. No distractions.
Just the reality sitting on the table between us like something alive.
And all I could think was one thing—
She was sleeping somewhere, unaware of all of this.
Carrying life.
Carrying power she never asked for.
And now… being hunted for both.
The words landed in my head before I even realized I had thought them.
If something happened to me… she would become like my mother.
Someone who carries everything. Holds everything together. Pays for everyone else with herself.
A woman who sacrifices until there's nothing left that still feels like hers.
My jaw tightened.
No.
Not her.
Not Jay.
Not that life again.
"And—" Cole started, leaning in like he was about to add something.
Clyden immediately stopped him, raising a hand without even looking away from the table.
I saw it.
That small interruption. That silent warning.
My gaze snapped between them.
"You're hiding something from me," I said slowly, voice dropping. "Tell me what it is."
"Kiefer…" Clyden started.
I cut him off immediately.
"Tell me. I need to know everything when it concerns my wife," I said, each word controlled—but heavy with warning.
Clyden hesitated just long enough to make it worse. "If you die… she holds the fortune. So whoever marries—"
I didn't even let him finish.
The glass shattered in my hand before he finished.
It didn't break.
It exploded.
Silence followed.
"What the Fuck did you just say?" My voice dropped dangerously quiet. "Who dares to even think of laying a finger on her shadow?"
Silence answered me.
Then I spoke again, each word heavier than the last.
"Until I'm breathing, she stays by my side. She's mine—and mine alone." My jaw tightened. "And even if I die… I'd still be there, like a shadow around her. No one gets near her. No one even gets to imagine they have a chance with her."
I paused, eyes burning across the room.
"Not while she chooses me."
No one spoke for a second.
Clyden's shoulders tightened, like he already expected it.
"That's why I didn't say it directly," he muttered.
But Cole didn't back off.
"It's still the truth," he said flatly. "Watson's structure changed over time. It's no longer just the main branch. Marriage ties activate secondary inheritance rights."
Angelo's expression darkened slightly, like he hated where this was going but couldn't deny it.
Cole continued, "Anyone legally bound to her… becomes tied to the fortune structure. Billions. Influence. Control access."
I stared at him.
"And she becomes the center of it," Angelo said slowly.
Clyden nodded once.
"Not by choice," he said. "By design."
A heavy silence dropped into the room after that.
Then I spoke again, voice lower than before.
And I smiled.
They all looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
"You think I will let it happen?? I know my Jay-Jay," I said calmly. "No system can break her stubbornness. I'm the only thing she needs. She doesn't care about any fortune."
My gaze stayed steady, unwavering.
"And who would dare to kill me and take her?" I continued, my voice steady but edged with something darker. "Even if anyone tries to hurt her…
"I'll open the doors of hell
"And make them regret ever thinking her name
The air in the room tightened.
"I built everything in the past four years," I added, voice rougher now, "so I could live with her beside me. That's it."
"So what do you want to do, Kiefer?" Cole asked.
"I'm a Watson," I said, my voice low—too calm for the weight behind it. "Power isn't something I borrow… It's something I carry."
I took a slow step forward.
"And if there's even a moment where I fail to protect my Mrs. Watson—"
I paused.
The room stilled with me.
"—then everything I've built means nothing."
My gaze sharpened, something darker settling in.
"And I don't let things that matter to me be taken away."
A breath.
Then, colder—
"I'll kill whoever gets in my way… like I always do."
My voice dropped to something final.
"And if it involves My Jay…"
A beat.
"I won't hold back."
A quiet shift moved through the room.
No surprise.
Recognition.
Cole's lips curved faintly, like he had expected nothing less. Clyden leaned back, exhaling through his nose. Even Angelo—who had been tense until now—let out a small, knowing breath.
"We knew it," Angelo muttered, pushing another envelope toward me. "You bastard—you'd say exactly that."
"Open it," Cole said.
I tore it open.
Names.
Too many.
None I recognized.
I looked up. "Who are these?"
"Threats," Cole replied, steady as ever. "For now. Fortis won't touch her—we'll expand alliances instead. I've already reached out to every Fortis member. They'll cooperate."
He paused, then added, "I've arranged her security. But we can't let her move freely anymore."
My gaze hardened. "Leave that to me. Section E can handle it."
A beat passed.
"I'll talk to Yuri too," I continued. "I want everything on the Hanamichi clan."
"I'm leaving for London," Clyden said suddenly.
All of us turned toward him.
"I just came to inform you," he went on, adjusting the wool thread in his hand like this was any other conversation. "I'll handle the Watson groups from there. You focus on this."
A brief silence.
Then, quieter—but unshakable—
"If Jay gets involved… I won't hold back either."
I studied him for a second. "You're not going to meet her?"
"No," he said simply. Then, after a pause, "If I see her now, I won't leave. And I have work to do."
That was all he gave.
Cole leaned back slightly, exhaling. "Everything's already in motion in New York. Every second matters now. This isn't about territory or shares anymore."
His eyes lifted to mine.
"Be careful, Kiefer. Guns are involved now."
The moment he said it, something behind my eyes shifted.
Not louder.Not sudden.
Just heavier.
Like whatever this was pretending to be—
was over.
"I'm leaving," I said.
No one stopped me.
I walked out of King's Ground without waiting for another word.
The noise downstairs blurred past me. The door. The air. The night.
None of it registered.
By the time I got into the car, my mind was already spiraling—too many thoughts, all crashing into each other at once.
Even after everything I built…everything I controlled…everything I sacrificed—
I still dragged her into this.
Jay.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
I hit it hard.
Once.
The sound echoed inside the car, sharp and hollow.
"Fuck…"
It slipped out under my breath, rough and broken.
I leaned forward slightly, forehead almost touching the wheel.
I just wanted to see her.
That was it.
Not power. Not control. Not this war.
Just—
My wife.