The house felt wrong without him. Not empty—wrong, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting for a man who would never walk through the door again.
Lena stood in her father's room, fingers clenched around a black shirt she didn't remember folding. The wardrobe lay open, its contents rearranged into careful piles by hands that trembled when no one was watching. Her mother moved quietly behind her, placing documents into a folder—death certificate, burial permit, hospital forms stamped and signed so neatly they looked unreal.
Too official for someone who had laughed just days ago.
"He would've hated this," Lena murmured.
Her mother paused. "Hated what, baby?"
"All of it," Lena said hollowly. "The silence. The pretending."
Her mother said nothing. She hadn't said much since the hospital—only moved, cleaned, arranged. As if motion itself could keep grief from catching up. Lena pretended everything was okay but deep down she knew her mother's Motive. She won't trust her even a bit, indeed her father knew how cunning she could be.
In the living room, Sela and Bena sat side by side, surrounded by relatives who had arrived faster than Lena expected. Word spread quickly when death wore an official face. Condolences drifted through the air like smoke—soft voices, bowed heads, hands squeezing shoulders.
Moody stood near the doorway, phone pressed to his ear, eyes never resting for long.
"Tomorrow," he whispered. "The burial's confirmed."
A pause.
"No, not before. During. Emotions will be high. Security thin."
Another pause.
"Yes. I know Brine's men will be watching too."
His jaw tightened.
"Which is why we move first."
The call ended then he typed a text then send it to an unknown.
>Let's meet at four. At Rocky tunnel, its urgent. Tell others."
Then slowly slipped the phone into his pocket just as Lena walked past him.
"Do you need anything?" he asked gently.
She shook her head. "I just want this over."
"Don't worry, that's why I'm here. I promise i won't go anywhere." He said holding her into his arms.
---
Across the city, in a dim warehouse lit by a single flickering bulb, Moody's other conversation unfolded.
Five men sat around a scarred wooden table—faces half-hidden, voices low.
"She's the key," Moody said calmly. "Once we have her, everything else falls into place."
"And the funeral?" one man asked. "Crowds. Cops."
Moody smiled thinly. "Grief makes people blind. If we don't act now, we lose."
" What about your brother? You know he's always five steps ahead of us men." Another one asked.
" Big Butt! Hahhah! Don't worry, I got this. Not today." He assured eyes on them."
" Yeah men, I trust you. But make sure you add something on top. This is risky is not like what we usually do." Greg added as the others agree with him."
" Money isn't a problem. I got you guys and no mess. I'll be watching you in a distance so make sure the plan doesn't fail. I'm i clear?"
" Yes sir. Clear.
After a few moments Moody received another call stepping outside. It was his mother. He froze for a moment clenching his chest oit of fear. Why this now. Is something wrong? He thought .
---
Elsewhere, far more polished plans were being made.
Brine stood in a glass-walled office overlooking the city, his men arrayed behind him like shadows given shape.
"They'll be vulnerable after the burial," one of them said. "Family together. Distracted."
Brine nodded. "We don't take her alone."
"You want all of them?"
"Yes," he replied coolly. "No witnesses. No loose ends."
"And the girl?"
Brine's eyes darkened. "She comes with us. She's the most important thing here. She's the reason we're all doing this?
"Sir, but he would be there, watching our moves, what if he intervenes?" Josh asked.
Brine smiled calmly,"Huh!Who? You mean Moody? He asked glaring at Josh."
"You don't have to worry anything. My eyes will be on him on every second. You just need to trust me."
" And what about his gang? Maybe they are plotting something bigger and we are here trying to...."
"DEE! Brine shouted." I said I got this."
" I'm so sorry sir, just being cautious."
It's fine. Anyway l need to meet up with someone, I'm gonna communicate later on." He said storming outside the room leaving them stranded behind."
"Damn it! Hope everything goes fine. I don't feel good about this at all." Jeff rumbled as others look at him with disbelief eyes."
---
In the evening, a luxury hotel suite glowed gold under soft lighting.
Nicky adjusted her dress for the third time before Brine spoke.
"You didn't need to wear that."
She smiled nervously. "I wanted to look nice for you."
Brine poured himself a drink not offering her one with ignorance written in his face, then calmly said, "Marriage isn't about looking nice."
She hesitated. "Then… what is it about for you?"
He met her eyes at last—cold, distant.
"Utility."
The word struck harder than a slap.
"You don't love me," she whispered tears threatening to fall.
Brine pretended not to hear it. Then she continued.
"I can give you everything," she said desperately. "Status. Loyalty. A future. Even my life if you want to."
He turned away avoiding her pleading eyes. "I already have a future."
" Fine. Tell me what you want?"
" Don't be persistent Nic! I told you love is not something that...
"What is wrong with you. I'm not someone who would pretend that everything is fine. You know Father very well and he knows your family too. So why can't you....
"He cut her off too his eyes fuming in anger."
" Don't forget your father is the one forcing me to marry you. Anyway my time is up, next time when you call me, make sure it's something important not some rubbish." He said forcefully but deep down his voice was filled with anger. He took his phone then took another sip from his glass walking out of her sight.She watched him, heart sinking, realising with brutal clarity that she was negotiating for a place in a life that had no room for her.
-----
The day of the burial arrived under a sky too blue to be kind.
White chairs. Fresh flowers. Black clothing that felt like armour Lena couldn't remove.
She stood beside the grave, fingers entwined with Sela's, her mother on the other side holding Bena's hand tightly.The casket rested below, polished and final.
Empty, a part of the world whispered—but she didn't know that.
Moody stood just behind her.
Brine watched from across the grounds.
Men shifted subtly. Signals passed. Plans aligned.
Then—
Nothing happened.
A black SUV that wasn't supposed to be there rolled in quietly, stopping just beyond the trees.
An older man stepped out, posture stiff but eyes sharp.
Mr Tan.
He approached the family slowly, respectfully, removing his hat.
"I'm sorry," he said to Lena's mother. "Luke was my brother in everything but blood."
Lena looked up, startled. "You knew my father?"
Mr Tan's gaze lingered on her—too long, too knowing.
"Yes," he said softly. "And he asked me to watch over you… if anything ever happened."
Brine's phone vibrated.
Abort. Unknown interference.
Moody frowned as his own men froze, confused by the sudden arrival of unfamiliar security—quiet, efficient, surrounding the family without drawing attention.
Mr Tan's people.
Professional. Prepared.
The burial concluded without incident.
No abduction.
No chaos.
Just soil hitting wood and grief sealing itself into the earth.
As the crowd dispersed, Mr Tan leaned close to Lena.
"Pack lightly tonight," he murmured so only she could hear. "You won't be safe here much longer."
Her breath caught. "What do you mean?"
He straightened, eyes scanning the distance where Brine stood rigid with restrained fury, where Moody's calm mask finally cracked.
"Your father trusted the wrong people," Mr Tan said. "But not all of them."
That night, as the house filled with quiet again, two plans lay in ruins.
And a third—older, quieter, born of loyalty rather than power—moved into place.
Because while everyone else had tried to take Lena—
Someone had come to save her.
And somewhere far from all of them, a wounded man stared at the same sky and whispered a prayer he didn't know had already been answered.