Third Person POV
Their eyes met—but Jenna was the first to look away.
Carlos couldn't speak. Not a single word would come out. It felt as though he had failed Jenna as a friend. He wanted to ask her why—why she had done this. So many questions crowded his mind, but instead of voicing them, he remained silent, fighting back the tears and the burning anger rising in his chest.
For several seconds, he said nothing—until the truth finally settled in.
His own friend had betrayed him.
"Why did you do this to us?"
Pain and disbelief were written all over his face as he searched Jenna's eyes for even the slightest hint of emotion—only to find nothing but cold indifference staring back at him.
"Because everything happens for a reason," she replied meaningfully, glancing at Eron.
Seeing the devastation in Carlos' eyes only made Eron grin wider.
"Tsk. Does it hurt? Being betrayed by your own friend?" he mocked. "Hold on to that pain… until you die."
With that, he stood and walked out of the room.
Jenna lowered her gaze to Carlos, who now sat in silence with his head bowed. Memories of her betrayal resurfaced in her mind—the moment she learned about the rape case connected to the Madrigal family, she immediately requested to be assigned to it.
From then on, she secretly monitored her teammates, relaying every move to Eron—who soon knew every plan the police had.
She also recognized Mina, the young girl who had once lived in the mansion with Anna. Back then, Mina didn't know who she was, and Jenna had used that to her advantage—questioning the child about everything she knew about the organization.
Just as expected, Mina revealed everything.
And Jenna reported it all to Eron without hesitation.
Every move the police made… he knew. Even Carlos' kidnapping had been planned with her knowledge.
Now, their plan was slowly falling into place.
Carlos was the bait.
And Jam and Luis—completely unaware—were already on their way to the mansion, walking straight into the trap waiting for them.
Jenna looked at Carlos one last time before leaving the room.
Tears finally slipped down his face—pain and fury digging deeper into his chest. His hands clenched tightly behind him, bound to the chair, as he struggled to keep himself from making a sound.
Hours passed.
Carlos had drifted into an uneasy sleep when a bucket of freezing water was suddenly thrown over him.
He jerked awake, his gaze landing on Eron, who was now seated on the white sofa in front of him. Jenna stood beside him, expressionless.
She handed him a phone.
A moment later, they placed a call and waited for someone to answer.
"Hello? Jenna?"
Carlos' attention snapped to the familiar voice.
"Jenna? We're inside. Confirmed—the van is here," Jam reported from the other end of the line.
Carlos tried to shout a warning—but a cloth was shoved into his mouth before he could make a sound. He struggled desperately against the ropes, but they held him firmly in place.
"Good. Go in," Jenna said calmly, her eyes fixed on Carlos.
"Alright," Jam replied before the call ended.
"You bastards! Don't you dare hurt my friends!" Carlos roared the moment the cloth was removed from his mouth, his fury exploding as he glared at Jenna and Eron.
Eron merely smiled.
"Well, it looks like your friends took the bait. You'll all die here together."
"Damn you!" Carlos spat, his eyes blazing with rage.
Both Eron and Jenna turned toward the door as it opened—and another familiar figure stepped inside.
"Papa…"
Eron stood abruptly, shock flashing across his face.
But Dr. Smith ignored him and walked straight toward Carlos, kneeling in front of the bound man.
"Long time no see, SPO1 Santiago," he said with a smile.
Carlos' eyes hardened.
"Mr. Chua," he replied coldly—prompting an amused grin from the man.
"I'm glad you remember me. I told you we'd meet again, didn't I?" he said, grabbing Carlos' face—only for Carlos to turn away.
He never imagined that the mayor he once knew would be involved in something this dark.
Trusting anyone now felt impossible.
"The world truly works in mysterious ways… you really do resemble that traitor," Dr. Smith muttered before turning to Jenna and Eron.
"Where's the ring?"
Eron frowned in confusion—until Jenna reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out Carlos' ring, handing it over.
"How did this end up with you?" Dr. Smith asked Carlos. "Do you know Leo? What's your connection? Are you brothers?"
Carlos didn't respond.
"Give that back!" he shouted, struggling against his restraints.
"I asked you a question!"
The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the room as Dr. Smith struck him across the face.
"Help us find that man in exchange for your freedom. From the very beginning, he's the reason your life turned out this way. Now tell me, Carlos Santiago—are you willing to cooperate with us?"
"I'd rather die than help demons like you!"
"Stubborn, just like any other cop."
Dr. Smith grabbed him by the throat.
"Let's see how long that stubbornness lasts."
He released Carlos and stood.
"Beat him."
Within seconds, the room filled with men holding baseball bats and wooden clubs.
Carlos knew what was coming.
And in that moment—he silently wished Elena were there… to save him one last time.
He searched for her in his thoughts, hoping she would come… hoping she would see him before his final breath was taken.