Collin stopped the second his eyes landed on Mariam.
Kira’s aunt and his anger dissipilated instantly.
"Who are you?" Mariam demanded, straightening her spine as the initial shock left her face. Her brows knitted together, her glare sharp enough to cut glass.
She had never seen this man around the neighborhood. And the way he tried to barge in—arrogant, unapologetic put her instantly on guard.
Collin blinked, forcing the storm in his chest to settle. He had co here fueled by frustration. Kira ignoring his calls for hours, vanishing without explanation. His temper had dragged him to her doorstep.
But seeing her aunt standing inside her house changed everything.
He gritted his teeth, jaw flexing as he assessed the older woman. His anger simred beneath the surface, but his words stayed trapped in his throat. He couldn’t afford to slip—not with her involved. Not when she worked directly for Daniel Clafford.
Thoughts raced chaotically in his head, each one darker than the last, until a familiar voice sliced through the thick silence, breaking the tense, locked stares.
"Aunt Mariam—" Kira’s voice wavered slightly as she stepped into view seizing both Mariam and Collin’s attention towards her.
"I—I know him," Kira blurted, rushing forward before Mariam could ask another question.
Her eyes flicked to Collin, catching the small, tense nod he gave her.
"We’ll... step outside," she added quickly, brushing past her aunt without waiting for permission. She closed the door behind her, the click sounding far louder than it should.
***
[Outside]
"Why would you show up at my door?" Kira snapped the mont they reached a quiet corner away from prying eyes. Her voice trembled—not from fear, but from the pounding in her head and the faint nausea still clinging from last night.
Collin let out a humorless sneer, his glare slicing through her.
"What did you expect to do when you keep ignoring my calls, Kira?" he spat. "Rember—I pay you. So when I call, you answer."
His words were sharp, biting, designed to cut.
Kira clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. Her head throbbed with the remnants of cheap alcohol. She had drunk herself senseless the previous night, collapsing into bed before she even changed clothes. She barely rembered anything except the crushing silence and the burn down her throat.
If her phone hadn’t rung for the fifteenth ti, jolting her awake, she wouldn’t have realized he was already outside—talking to Mariam.
Bad. That could’ve ended very, very badly.
She gritted her teeth, swallowing the spike of panic.
"What is it you want to talk about?" Kira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Collin studied her for a mont—the slight tremble in her fingers, the exhaustion in her eyes, the way her bravado had finally cracked. Good. At least she wasn’t pretending to be fearless anymore.
But then his expression shifted, darkening.
"I doubt Kathrine knows the attack was intentional—specifically targeted at her."
The words dropped between them like a stone.
Kira’s face drained of color instantly.
"W-what?" she choked out, a cold weight settling in her chest. Her heart felt like it plumted straight through her ribs.
Collin’s jaw tightened. It all adds up with Ethan and Anna talking with each other and his presence during the ti of Kathrine’s attack. Everything started to make sense. There was no way the man was dumb enough to not sense anything wrong.
Kira’s breath hitched. She hadn’t thought that far. She hadn’t thought at all.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"You need to be careful from now on. Very careful. Because if this blows up—and it will if you keep being reckless—I won’t be able to do anything for you."
His tone held no sympathy, only warning.
"You’ve been enjoying the luxuries too much. Forgetting your place. One wrong move, Kira... and you’ll drag both of us down."
Kira swallowed hard, the reality sinking in like ice water.
She had no more room to make mistakes.
***
anwhile, inside the house, Mariam paced restlessly. She kept glancing toward the door, each passing minute tightening the knot in her stomach. The longer Kira stayed outside, the more Mariam’s concern grew.
The man she had seen earlier...
There was nothing reassuring about him. Not his eyes, not his posture, not the simring anger he barely concealed. And the fact that Kira knew him only set off more alarms.
"What if he’s the one she’s been involved with?" Mariam whispered, clutching her chest as a ripple of fear crawled up her spine.
A sudden realization struck her, sharp and unwelco.
No. She couldn’t ignore this.
"Not when Kira was already walking a dangerous line lately."
Mariam hurried toward the door, ready to step outside—only to stop abruptly when Kira walked in.
Her eyes widened. Kira’s face was pale, her expression drained as if whatever happened outside had sucked the life out of her. But the mont Kira noticed her watching, she tried to straighten herself, masking the panic.
It didn’t work.
"Who was that man, Kira?" Mariam asked imdiately, her tone firm and unyielding.
Kira stiffened. She had expected this question—feared it, even. But seeing the deep frown etched on Mariam’s face, the disappointnt and worry blending together, made her throat tighten.
She suddenly wished she could turn around and run.
"Soone I know," Kira muttered, avoiding Mariam’s piercing gaze.
"Who?" Mariam pressed, stepping closer. Her tone was firr this ti—no softness, no gentle patience. She had tried understanding, tried giving Kira space, but her worry had been growing for days. Now it was spilling over.
Kira blinked rapidly, fingers twisting together at her waist. Collin’s warning echoed in her mind, chilling her to the bone.
She hadn’t felt fear—not truly when she joined hand with Collin. She was reckless, desperate. But now... now everything felt like a trap closing in.
She couldn’t risk getting caught, not when she had already made up her mind.
"He’s soone I work for," Kira finally said.
The mont the words left her mouth, Mariam’s face fell. Her fear crystallized.
"Kira... then don’t work for him," she pleaded, her voice softening, almost breaking. "Please."
Mariam had a feeling that her niece was getting into the wrong path, however the look she got in return dropped her heart.
***
[Daniel’s Office]
"Sir, this is the staff list currently working on Ma’am’s film," Henry said, placing a neatly compiled docunt on Daniel’s desk.
Daniel flipped through it with quick, practiced eyes, then forwarded a scanned copy to Ethan. After Ethan warned him that soone had been stalking Anna on set, Daniel didn’t waste a second. He trusted Ethan’s instincts—and his loyalty—far more than most people around him.
But the response he received made his blood run cold.
"He’s not on the list."
Daniel’s brows drew together in a deep, harsh frown."Henry," he said slowly, "are you sure you haven’t missed anyone’s na?"
Henry straightened imdiately. "Yes, sir. I cross-checked twice."
Daniel exhaled sharply through his nose, tension coiling in his jaw."The man we’re looking for doesn’t match any profile you showed ," he murmured, the unease settling heavier in his chest.
He had always been ticulous about this film, about every person involved. Not because he cared about the movie itself, but because Anna was part of it. He never imagined a simple staff list would beco a reason for such dread.
"Find out if anyone left recently or was replaced. Check contract revisions, withdrawals, anything unusual," Daniel instructed, his tone clipped.
"Yes, sir." Henry hurried out.
Daniel leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t the first ti he had been tested—far from it. But he had never once considered that soone might be stalking Anna. The idea alone made his pulse darken with rage.
And with Ethan’s warning echoing in his mind, there was only one na that struck him first.
Fiona.
Jealousy, obsession, instability—she had all the ingredients.
His jaw clenched.
If she was involved... She would regret stepping even a foot too close to his wife.
As Daniel’s thoughts spiraled, the office door opened again. Henry hurried back in, slightly out of breath.
"Boss," he said quickly, "there has been a staff replacent. A last-minute addition. Here are his details."
Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he snatched the file from Henry’s hands.
"Rupert Maxwell," he read aloud, voice low. His gaze flicked to the attached photo—and a chill crept up his spine.
This was not a face he recognized.But it was definitely the face Ethan had warned him about.
He didn’t waste a second. Daniel pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the file, and forwarded it to Ethan.
He barely had ti to breathe before his phone buzzed again.
Ethan:It’s him.
The confirmation hit like a spark to gasoline.
Daniel didn’t pause. "I want everything on this man—background, address, family, social circle—on my desk within ten minutes," he ordered, his tone dark and cutting.
Henry froze. He had seen Daniel angry before. He had seen him cold, furious, and lethal.But this—this was different.
A dangerous calm. A quiet storm. Yet he didn’t dare question it.
"Y-Yes, sir." Henry bowed his head and imdiately rushed out.
Daniel exhaled slowly, the rage tightening every muscle in his body. Soone had gotten close to Anna—too close. Under his nose. On his set.
And now Daniel had a na.
Rupert Maxwell.
Whether this man was working alone or being directed by soone—Daniel would find out.
And when he did, the consequences would be absolute.
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