As soon as the maid uttered the word "trouble," Maria jumped to her feet, her curiosity instantly piqued. She didn’t waste a second questioning the maid further.
The urgency in her tone had already told Maria enough. Together, they hurried down to the main living room.
When Maria arrived, she found everyone already seated... Beta Gilbert, Victoria, and Bernard. Their faces were filled with worry, and it was clear that sothing wasn’t right.
"Please, everyone, take a seat," Beta Gilbert said in a calm but firm tone.
As everyone settled in, Maria’s eyes t Bernard’s for a brief mont. She quickly looked away. Sothing about the look in his eyes made her uncomfortable, like he was hiding sothing.
"I need to share sothing important," Beta Gilbert began, his voice slightly strained. "We received a letter... from an unknown source. And the content is disturbing. This person is a threat—to every single life under this roof."
Murmurs rose in the room, but Beta Gilbert raised a hand and continued.
"From today, no one is allowed to be outside this house past 6 p.m. This is a safety asure, at least until we figure out who our real enemies are."
The seriousness in his tone sent a wave of concern through the room. Once he was done, Beta Gilbert stood up and left with Victoria and the maids, leaving Maria and Bernard alone in the living room.
Maria remained seated for a few seconds, her thoughts racing. The letter had clearly shaken everyone... what could be in it? What kind of ssage could cause such a reaction from soone as composed as Beta Gilbert?
She got up slowly and walked over to Bernard, who appeared lost in thought, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
"Bernard," she called gently, tapping his shoulder to snap him out of his daze. "What’s going on with you?"
"Hm? Oh, it’s nothing," he replied, avoiding her eyes. "I’m just tired. I need so rest."
Maria wasn’t convinced. "That’s not true. You look troubled. What’s in the letter? Why is it such a big threat?"
Bernard looked at her, startled by the question. For a mont, it seed like he might open up, but then he said softly, "It’s nothing serious. Just precautions... for everyone’s safety."
Maria studied him closely. She could feel it—he was hiding sothing. And she was determined to find out what it was.
Without another word, she walked to the bar in the corner of the room. She picked up Bernard’s favorite wine and brought two glasses with her.
Bernard looked at her with slight hesitation, unsure of what to make of her gesture.
She poured the wine into both glasses, but before handing him his, she took a long sip from hers—just to show him it wasn’t poisoned.
"I figured you might need sothing to calm your nerves," she said softly, smiling. "Wine’s a good redy when the mind’s under pressure."
Bernard finally smiled and took the glass from her. "Thanks," he muttered before taking a sip.
They drank and talked—at first, about random things. Childhood mories, mutual friends, simple things. The wine made the conversation flow, and soon, laughter filled the space between them. It felt genuine—comforting, even.
Maria noticed her alcohol tolerance was higher than Bernard’s. He was already grinning widely and laughing for no clear reason. She quietly went to open another bottle, pretending to drink but barely touching her glass.
When she noticed he was visibly drunk and losing his composure, she leaned in casually.
"Bernard," she said slowly, as if still tipsy, "what exactly is in that letter?"
He chuckled loudly. "It’s sothing to be scared of, Maria!"
She tilted her head playfully. "Oh please... What could possibly shake you or your father like that? You two fear nothing."
Bernard nodded, still laughing. "True... but that’s when you know who your enemy is, when you know where the attack is coming from. This—this is different. We have no idea."
Maria stopped drinking altogether, realizing she had to stay sharp to get the truth.
"Who is this enemy? Does the person not have a na?" she asked, her tone slightly serious now.
Bernard’s eyes drooped.
"He said his na is Shadows... If he’s truly man enough, let him co out and face !" Bernard suddenly shouted, then let out another laugh—before slumping over, completely drunk.
Maria sighed. She couldn’t possibly carry him all the way to his room. Instead, she cleared the wine glasses and bottles, then called two guards to help.
"Please take him to his room and stay with him till he falls asleep," she instructed.
Once they were gone, Maria walked back into her room. She sat on the bed, her thoughts in turmoil.
Shadows... who is this person? Why does he want Beta Gilbert and everyone else hard?
She lay back, staring at the ceiling.
"I think it’s ti I get closer to Bernard," she whispered to herself. "He definitely knows more than he’s letting on."
With that, she pulled the covers over herself, her mind spinning with questions she wasn’t ready to leave unanswered.
---
Sowhere far from the house, a phone rang in a dark room.
"Has the letter been given to them?" ca a deep, husky voice—sharp and cold like steel.
"Yes, sir," the voice on the other end replied confidently. "I’m sure they’ve read it by now... and they’re already confused."
A pause.
"Very good," Shadows replied with a wicked smirk, his voice now dripping with arrogance. "Let the ga begin."
He ended the call, and the room echoed with a low, unsettling laugh...
***
The next morning, Beta Gilbert awoke with a heavy heart and a mind full of unresolved thoughts. Too many things were spiraling out of control, and he knew he had to act fast.
"I need to do what I haven’t done in a very long ti... But before that, there’s sothing more urgent," he muttered under his breath.
He glanced around his room, making sure no one was watching. Then he walked over to the wardrobe and gently pressed a hidden latch behind it.
The panel slid open, revealing a narrow passage. With one last check behind him, he slipped inside the secret room.
Inside, darkness greeted him until he tapped a section of the wall with his right hand.
Instantly, the room illuminated... revealing a breathtaking chamber filled with high-tech gadgets, ancient artifacts, and hidden relics. It was like stepping into a private world where past and future collided.
He approached an advanced-looking electronic table at the center. The sensor on the surface scanned his face, shining a narrow beam into his iris. In response, a small compartnt opened, prompting him to enter a secret code.
As soon as he did, a hidden safe erged. From within, he carefully pulled out a large blue book. On the cover, bold golden letters read: "The Secret Book."
Holding it tightly, he whispered, "I need to hide this sowhere safer... I can’t predict what my enemies are planning anymore, and I don’t even know who they all are."
With urgency in his steps, Beta Gilbert exited the secret chamber. After taking his bath and dressing up, he placed the book securely in a bag alongside his briefcase and left the house.
Unbeknownst to him, Bernard was watching from his bedroom window. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Why is Dad in such a rush? Where could he be going so early?" Bernard wondered, his thoughts clouded with confusion.
---
Elsewhere, a group of n in black suits arrived at the location where Smith and the other captives were held. Without hesitation, they fanned out in strategic formation. Two of them walked calmly toward the front door and knocked.
There was no answer.
The two n exchanged a signal and stepped away.
Four others moved in, silently planting grenades at the door and specific structural points along the wall. With their guns drawn, they swiftly retreated.
Thirty seconds later—BOOM! The door and sections of the wall exploded into chaos and debris. Dust filled the air as the n in suits stord in with military precision, their leader pointing out directions as they split into groups.
Inside, Beta Gilbert’s guards barely had ti to react. The blast had caught most of them off guard, and before they could coordinate a defense, they were surrounded.
One of the guards, the team leader, sprang into action. Grabbing Smith, he activated a secret lever behind a bookshelf, revealing a tunnel beneath the floor.
"Go! Move now!" he shouted.
Only five guards managed to follow them. The rest either couldn’t keep up or chose to stay back and fight.
But what was supposed to be a counterattack turned into a massacre.
Their bullets were useless. The mysterious n in black suits moved like phantoms—unhard, precise, and ruthless. Every shot they fired hit its mark. One by one, Gilbert’s n fell—defeated by an enemy they didn’t understand.
After clearing the building, the attackers proceeded to the dungeon. They freed Shadow’s n—those who had been captured earlier—and escaped with them. Within minutes, they vanished, leaving behind a trail of destruction and silence.
anwhile, deep within the underground tunnel, the escaping guards desperately tried to make contact.
"There’s no signal!" one of them shouted, shaking his phone in frustration.
Another cursed under his breath, "We have to get out of this tunnel first—Beta Gilbert must know what happened!"
---
Back at the compound, Bernard arrived alone, intending to question the leader of the captured enemies. But the sight that greeted him froze him in his tracks.
The building was in ruins.
He sprinted inside, his heart racing. The deeper he went, the worse the scene beca. Blood. Bodies. Devastation.
"No... no... What happened here?!" he yelled, fists clenched.
Rage overtook him, and he could feel the beast within stirring.
"I can’t transform now. I need to think clearly," he told himself, forcing his breathing to slow.
As he stood there trying to process everything, sothing clicked in his mory.
CCTV!
He dashed toward the main room, grabbing the cara footage from the control box. Then he rushed to the dungeon entrance and retrieved the second one.
Without wasting ti, Bernard ran to his car. The second he got in, he dialed his father.
"Dad! We’ve been attacked. The place is destroyed and most of our n are dead. I have the CCTV footage—I’m coming ho now!" he said breathlessly, his voice shaking with fury.
There was a long pause on the other end. Then Beta Gilbert replied, calm and collected:
"Alright. Head ho. I’ll handle the bodies and clean everything up."
The call ended.
Bernard frowned. "Why is he so calm? Doesn’t he care that we’ve just lost most of our n?"
Questions flooded his mind as he drove off, eyes cold with determination.
---
Elsewhere, Jas lounged in his living room, relaxed and sipping tea as he watched the morning news.
His phone rang. The mont he saw the caller ID, he picked it up instantly.
"How far along are you with the mission?" he asked, leaning forward.
"It is done," ca the firm voice on the other end.
A wide smile spread across Jas’s face.
"Excellent," he whispered, ending the call with satisfaction glowing in his eyes...
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