The mansion felt unusually quiet that evening.
After the attack in the garden, Adrian had doubled the security around the property. Guards now stood near every entrance, and the surveillance monitors displayed constant activity.
But none of that made Lina feel safer.
She sat in the living room, staring at the empty glass in her hands.
Her mind replayed the moment from the garden again and again.
The stranger grabbing her arm.
The fear.
And Adrian's voice cutting through the air like a blade.
"Take one more step and you'll regret it."
She had never seen him like that before.
Cold.
Furious.
Dangerous.
And yet… the way he looked at her afterward, asking if she was okay… something about it had shaken her more than the attack itself.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Adrian walked into the room.
He looked tired.
His jacket was gone, his sleeves rolled up slightly, and his hair was a little messy—something Lina had never seen before.
"Still awake?" he asked.
Lina raised an eyebrow.
"You almost got me kidnapped today. Do you really think I can sleep?"
Adrian didn't respond to the sarcasm.
Instead, he placed a folder on the table.
"I found something."
Lina immediately leaned forward.
"What is it?"
Adrian opened the folder.
Inside were several documents and photographs.
One picture showed the man who had attacked Lina in the garden earlier that day.
But there was something else.
Another photo.
Another man.
Older.
Sharply dressed.
Cold eyes.
Lina frowned.
"Who is that?"
Adrian's expression darkened.
"That," he said quietly, "is the man who might be behind everything."
Lina felt her stomach tighten.
"What's his name?"
Adrian hesitated for a moment.
Then he said it.
"Victor Kane."
The name meant nothing to Lina.
But Adrian's reaction told her everything.
"Who is he?" she asked carefully.
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"An old enemy."
"How old?"
Adrian's eyes drifted toward the window.
"Old enough to destroy lives."
Lina felt a chill.
"What did he do?"
Adrian's voice dropped slightly.
"He used to be my father's business partner."
Lina blinked.
"And?"
"And one day he betrayed him."
The silence that followed felt heavy.
"What happened?" Lina asked quietly.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"My father lost everything."
The pain in his voice was subtle… but it was there.
"And after that?" Lina asked.
Adrian looked at her again.
"He died a year later."
Lina felt a wave of sympathy.
"So Victor Kane ruined your family?"
Adrian nodded slowly.
"And now he might be trying to ruin mine again."
Lina swallowed.
"By targeting me."
Adrian's eyes locked onto hers.
"Yes."
The next morning, Adrian insisted Lina stay inside the mansion.
"For now, it's safer," he said.
Lina crossed her arms.
"I'm not a prisoner."
"You're a target."
"Same difference."
Adrian sighed slightly.
"I need time to confirm if Victor Kane is involved."
Lina studied his face.
"You're worried."
Adrian didn't deny it.
"Victor Kane is not someone you underestimate."
Before Lina could respond, Adrian's assistant rushed into the room.
"Mr. Black."
Adrian turned immediately.
"What is it?"
"We intercepted a message this morning."
The assistant handed him a tablet.
Adrian's eyes scanned the screen.
His expression darkened instantly.
Lina stood up.
"What happened?"
Adrian didn't answer right away.
Then he turned the screen toward her.
It was a message.
Simple.
Short.
Terrifying.
"You should have protected her better."
Below the text…
A photo.
Lina's breath caught.
The picture showed her from earlier that morning.
Walking in the garden.
Taken from a distance.
Someone had been watching again.
Inside the property.
Inside the walls.
"Adrian…" Lina whispered.
He looked furious.
"This means someone inside the security system helped them."
Lina's heart started racing.
"You mean…"
"There's a spy in this house."
The realization hit her like a punch.
Someone close to them.
Someone who had access to the property.
Someone watching every move.
Adrian turned to his assistant.
"Lock down the entire security network."
"Yes, sir."
Within seconds, alarms started quietly activating across the mansion.
Doors locked automatically.
Security teams moved into position.
Lina felt her chest tighten.
"Adrian…"
He stepped closer to her.
"Stay near me."
The tension in the room was unbearable.
Then suddenly—
One of the security screens flickered.
A camera feed appeared.
It showed the back hallway of the mansion.
Someone was there.
A figure dressed in black.
Moving slowly toward the private offices.
Lina's heart almost stopped.
"Who is that?" she whispered.
Adrian's eyes turned dangerously cold.
"I don't know."
But his voice carried something else.
Something darker.
"And I'm about to find out."
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
Lina followed instinctively.
"Wait!"
Adrian turned.
"You're staying here."
"No chance."
His eyes narrowed.
"This is dangerous."
"So is everything else in your life."
For a moment, they stared at each other.
Finally Adrian sighed.
"Stay behind me."
They moved quickly through the mansion corridors.
The security monitors showed the intruder moving closer to Adrian's private office.
Step by step.
Closer.
Closer.
Lina's pulse thundered in her ears.
When they reached the hallway…
The door to the office was already open.
Adrian pushed it slowly.
The room was dark.
Empty.
But something sat on the desk.
An envelope.
Adrian walked toward it carefully.
He opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Lina stepped closer.
Her breath stopped.
The photo showed Adrian…
Standing beside Lina at the company building.
Taken from very close range.
And written on the back…
A message.
Adrian read it out loud.
"This is only the beginning."
The air in the room felt colder.
More dangerous.
And for the first time since the marriage began…
Lina realized something terrifying.
This wasn't just a threat.
It was a war.
And someone had just made the first move.