7; Someone Was Already Watching

Serelyn’s POV

The moment Kaeldric finished speaking, I looked at him.

“Who asked about Viremont?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced toward the security officer who had delivered the message. The man gave a small nod before walking away, leaving us alone near the unfinished eastern wing of the estate.

Kaeldric folded his arms, “Property inquiries happen.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

His mouth twitched slightly, “You’re becoming impatient.”

“I’ve had a bad week.”

“That,” he said dryly, “I noticed.”

I ignored the comment, “Who was asking?”

“We don’t know.”

I frowned, “You just said someone inquired.”

“They did.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. 

“But they didn’t leave a name.”

“What did they want?”

Kaeldric studied me for a moment before answering.

“They asked who owned the estate.”

My fingers tightened around the clipboard in my hand.

“They asked when construction began. Which company was handling security. Whether you intended to live here.”

I stared at him, “That’s more than a normal property inquiry.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re telling me not to worry?”

“I said it’s unusual. I didn’t say it’s dangerous.”

His calmness should have annoyed me. Instead, it steadied me.

“There are wealthy people who monitor property purchases. Investors. Competitors. Curious neighbors. People looking for opportunities.” He shrugged. “At this stage, there’s no reason to assume the worst.”

I looked toward the tall stone walls.

“But?”

“But whoever it was knows enough to realize Viremont is being prepared.”

That was the part I didn’t like. In my first life, people hadn’t cared about Viremont until it became valuable. By then, it had been too late.

“I don’t want workers talking about the estate.”

“Then don’t give them anything worth talking about.”

I looked back at him. Kaeldric’s expression remained serious.

“Information control,” he said. “That’s what you need.”

The words settled heavily inside me. Information? 

That was something I had underestimated. I had been so focused on buying everything before prices rose that I hadn’t considered how many people could notice what I was doing.

“Then we’ll change the system.”

Kaeldric lifted an eyebrow.

“We?”

I ignored the amusement in his voice.

“No single contractor gets the full picture. The construction team handles construction. Security handles security. The people installing the generators don’t need to know about the food storage. Delivery drivers don’t get access beyond the loading area.”

“Good.”

“Every worker gets documented. No unapproved visitors. Deliveries are scheduled instead of random. Nobody walks around the estate without authorization.”

Kaeldric nodded slowly, “Have you thought about this before?”

“I’ve had reasons to.”

He didn’t press. That was one thing I was beginning to appreciate about him. He noticed everything. He simply didn’t demand explanations for everything.

I made another note. Survival wasn’t just about collecting food, water, medicine and weapons. It was about controlling who knew what I had. The thought had barely settled when the sound of a car approaching the gate made me look up. My stomach tightened as I knew that car.

~Darian.

Apparently, six days without solving his family’s problems had been long enough. He walked through the gate a few minutes later with his jaw tight and his expression dark.

“Serelyn.”

I didn’t move, “Darian.”

His eyes swept over the construction around him. For a moment, surprise crossed his face.

“What is all this?”

“Construction.”

“I can see that.”

“Then why ask?”

His jaw tightened, “I need to talk to you.”

“You’re talking.”

“Privately.”

I glanced at Kaeldric. He seemed completely uninterested in the argument, but he remained nearby. Darian noticed him. His expression darkened further.

“Who’s he?”

“My security contractor.”

Darian gave him a dismissive look before returning his attention to me, “Rhett’s creditors came to the house again.”

I waited.

“They’re threatening him.”

“That sounds serious.”

“It is serious.”

“Then he should deal with it.”

Darian stared at me as though I had spoken another language, “Serelyn, this isn’t the time for your games.”

“I agree.”

He stepped closer, “Rhett needs this money urgently.”

“I know.”

“You used to help him.”

“I used to.”

“What’s changed?”

I almost smiled, “Me.”

His face hardened.

“You’re still my wife.”

“And?”

“You can’t just abandon my family.”

“Ohh, I can.”

His nostrils flared, “You’ve been helping them for seven years.”

“And I won’t do it for eight.” I quickly cut him off. 

He stared at me. I could almost see the calculation happening behind his eyes. He had spent years believing my generosity was permanent.

That if he pushed hard enough, I would eventually surrender. He hadn’t realized that the woman he was arguing with had already died once.

“Serelyn,” he said more quietly, “whatever you’re trying to prove, you’ve made your point.”

“No, you haven’t understood the point.”

I looked directly at him, “Your family’s debts are not my responsibility.”

“We’re married.”

“Marriage doesn’t make your brother’s gambling debts mine.”

His face reddened, “And what about everything we’ve built together?”

I nearly laughed, “What exactly did we build together?”

He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. I knew the answer. I had built his company. I had paid his family’s bills. I had carried their emergencies and somehow, they had convinced me I should be grateful for the privilege. Darian’s eyes suddenly dropped to my hand. The silver ring. His expression changed.

“That’s new.”

I curled my fingers around it, “What is?”

“The ring.”

I looked at him.

“It’s an old family possession.”

“From your grandmother?”

“Yes.”

He frowned, “So why are you wearing it now?”

“Because I want to.”

He stared at me for another second before scoffing, “Another one of those sentimental things.”

I said nothing. He didn’t know. He didn’t know about the ring. He didn’t know what it had unlocked. He didn’t know about the Sanctuary. He didn’t know about the lottery money. He didn’t know about Viremont. He didn’t know how much I had already moved beyond his reach.

And suddenly, I understood something I hadn’t fully appreciated before. Everyone still thought I was the same woman. That was my greatest advantage.

Darian turned toward the gate.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do, hubby.”

He stopped. Then he looked back at me, “You’ll regret humiliating my family.”

I held his gaze.

“Ohh well, I haven’t humiliated anyone.”

His expression twisted, “You’ve embarrassed me.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“You embarrassed yourself.”

He stared at me for several seconds before walking away. I watched his car disappear down the road. Only when it was gone did I release the breath I had been holding.

His anger was different. Before, Darian had been confident. Annoyed, yes. Arrogant, always.

But confident that I would eventually return to the role I’d spent seven years playing.

Today, I saw something else. For the first time, he wasn’t sure I would come back and that frightened him.

That evening, I was reviewing the latest supply schedule when my phone rang. One of my suppliers. I answered immediately.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Vale?”

“Yes.”

There was hesitation on the other end, “I apologize, but I need to update you on your order.”

My eyes moved down the list.

“What happened?”

“The manufacturer changed the price.”

I straightened.

“By how much?”

The supplier gave me the figure. I stared at the page. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Not yet.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. We received the notice this afternoon.”

I leaned back slowly, “Does the new price apply immediately?”

“Yes.”

He sounded apologetic.

“I know you placed the order earlier, Mrs. Vale. I’m sorry. We were informed suddenly.”

I thanked him and ended the call. For several seconds, I didn’t move. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the generator outside. I looked at the supply list again.

Then at the date on my phone. Something had changed. The manufacturer wasn’t supposed to raise that price for another several weeks. I knew because I had lived through it once. Back then, I had dismissed the increase as bad luck.

Now I know better. My future wasn’t a recording. It could change and  If one thing had already changed because of my actions, then everything I remembered might no longer happen exactly the way I remembered it.

I closed my hand around the silver ring. The apocalypse was still sixty-seven days away. But for now, I felt something colder than fear. The future I had trusted was already moving.