Angry?" She let out a hollow laugh. "I'm terrified."
Silence stretched between them.
Davidson swallowed. "About my mother-I should have told you sooner. I wanted to—"
"No," she cut in. "You wanted to protect me by lying. That's what everyone says right and eventually everything falls apart."
He knelt beside her bed slowly, his eyes level with hers. "I've killed men without blinking," he admitted quietly. "But the thought of losing you—of losing this—" his gaze flickered to her stomach "—terrifies me more than the thought of death hovering over me."
Her breath caught, but she looked away.
"I don't know if our love is enough," she whispered. "Not when it comes down to your family's history of blood and enemies."
Davidson said nothing. He reached out, hesitated, then gently placed his hand over hers. She didn't pull away—but she didn't squeeze back either.
That was enough for now.
Across the city, Elena Bryan-Hills sat in her private study, the room dimly lit except for the soft glow of a desk lamp.
"They're closer than ever," her informant reported. "The pregnancy has changed things."
Elena's lips curved into a slow, unreadable smile.
"Children make people reckless," she said calmly. "And reckless people make mistakes."
She rose from her chair and walked to the window, gazing out at the city she controlled.
"Keep watching them," she ordered. "Especially the mother."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jane felt the feeling of unease in her bones long before she understood it.
She stood in her kitchen that evening, staring at the phone in her hand. Jasmine was still in the hospital. She had come home to take a bath. With everything that has happened, they had barely spoken to each other.
She's grown, Jane told herself. She can make her own decisions.
And yet… something felt wrong.
Jane walked to the window to close it when she noticed something that seemed to have skipped her eyes the minute before.
A black car was parked across the street.
Engine off. Lights dark.
Watching.
Her pulse quickened.
She reached for the curtains and drew them shut, her mind racing back to a life she thought she had buried long ago.
Giovanni blood never stopped being hunted. And without being told, she knew who the hunter was.
Jane whispered softly to herself, "Elena Bryan-Hills… you should have stayed away from my child."
Turning quickly, she pulled out her phone and called Daisy.
"Hello?" She said immediately the call connected. "I want to see you now." And with that she ended the call. There was no need for dilly dallying now. She knew that the life of her daughter and grandchild were at stake and she wouldn't be cowardly enough not to try and fight it. Even if it means I have to die saving them...
Few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and she went to get it. It was Daisy.
"I know you must have heard." Jane said without qualms. "What do we do?"
"Honestly, I wish there was a way we would have avoided all of these. Elena Hills is never going to take this lightly. I've worked with her for years to know that she won't let this go down without a serious fight."
"That doesn't mean that the fire of Mafian wars would burn my daughter. There must be something I can do about it."
Daisy sighed warily. "You just have to be careful yourself, Aunt Jane. Given Mrs Hills personality, Jasmine may not be her only target. She might try to come for me and you too. It's only a matter of time before she finds out we are from the Giovanni line. That is if she hasn't found out already." Daisy said and drew close to her aunt, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Leave Jasmine with Davidson. He would go to any length to protect her from his mother. We should focus on building up our defenses."
"You are right," Jane sighed. "I never wanted this for Jasmine. I mean, I knew who Davidson was but the way Jasmine felt happy around him made me feel guilty whenever the thought of tearing them apart crosses my mind. Now see where it has landed her."
"I feel the same way, aunt. I work for Bryan-Hills and if it was someone else, I won't mind pulling the trigger but her happiness made me overlook things."
The two of them sat silently for a few minutes before Jane decided it was time she went back to the hospital.
"That reminds me, does she now know that we are cousins??"
"She does. She overheard Davidson accusing me."
"She needs to know everything, aunt. Every single detail. If we want her to be safe, we can't keep hiding things from her."
Jane shrugged. "I guess so."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tension in the room was heavy. All three women sat looking at each other; none of them wanting to speak first. Even Davidson was unable to thaw the ice that was freezing in their presence.
Jasmine sat still, her concentration on the ceiling, musing silently and not giving a sign that she was aware of the presence of her guests.
The other two women continued exchanging glances. Where would they start from? What should they say first?
Davidson decided that his presence was making the situation much more awkward that it was supposed to be. The best option when he weighed it was to leave the women to talk. They were family, after all. The bond between them wasn't something that was going to just wash away.
"Umm… Ladies, I'm sorry but it seems like I'll have to excuse you guys." He said calmly as he stood up. He touched Jasmine's feet and said,"I'll be back soon."
With Davidson out of the room, Jasmine finally spoke up.
"Are you guys here to talk to me or do you want to keep staring at each other?" The pain in her voice was uncouth.
Jane and Daisy glanced at each other and sighed.
"I'm sorry," Both of them said.
Jasmine stifled. "Really? That's all you have to say to me? Sorry? Mum? Daisy? Would sorry heal my broken heart? Would sorry protect the life of my unborn child?" The tears were running down now.
Jane reached out to comfort her. "I'm so sorry, Jasmine. I know I failed you. I'm sorry. And I promise, I'll make drastic amends."
"Tell me everything I need to know," Jasmine blurted. " About the Giovanni line and how Daisy is my cousin." Jane and Daisy exchanged glances again. "And don't you think about lying to me."