Chapter 11 - The Threat Becomes Real

The first time Serena saw the email, she froze. No subject line. No sender. Just an attachment. A photo of Leo taken yesterday closer this time from inside the playground.

Serena’s stomach twisted. Her hands were steady, but her mind raced. Whoever was doing this had crossed a boundary she thought untouchable.

By the time Ethan arrived at her office that afternoon, Serena had already prepared. Security cameras had been repositioned. Routes to and from the building were mapped. Private contacts were on standby.

She didn’t need help. She didn’t want it. Not from anyone. Not even him.

But when Ethan stepped into the office, calm but alert, she felt the first stirrings of unease.

“Sit,” she said, gesturing toward the conference table. “We need to discuss this.”

“I’ve already started,” Ethan said. He placed a tablet in front of her, showing live surveillance feeds he had secured through contacts.

Her eyes flicked across the monitors, noting one vanishing figure moving outside the nearby streets. Someone was following Leo’s route home from school earlier.

“Whoever is doing this,” Ethan said quietly, “they know exactly what they’re looking for.”

“They’re amateurs,” Serena replied coldly. “They think fear will work. But fear doesn’t sway me. Or him.”

“Yet,” Ethan said, eyes fixed on her, “it could break him.”

Leo. The word hung between them.

Later that evening, Leo was unusually quiet during dinner. He poked at his food, glancing occasionally at the window as if expecting shadows to lurk outside.

Serena maintained calm, controlling the conversation with gentle questions about his day.

“Mom,” Leo said suddenly, “someone was following me today. I saw a man outside school again.”

She forced her expression to remain neutral. “Did you see his face?”

“No,” he replied. “But he was tall and wearing black.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched beside her. She hadn’t even introduced him this evening—yet he was already standing silently, analyzing details.

“Good observation,” Serena said. “Now, let’s focus on what’s safe. Did you stay with friends?”

“Yes,” Leo answered.

“Good. That’s the important part.”

Once Leo went to bed, Serena sat with Ethan in the living room. Rain drummed lightly against the windows.

“This has escalated,” Ethan said. “They’re bold. Too bold to be random.”

“Boldness doesn’t matter,” Serena said. “They underestimate how far I will go.”

“You don’t have to go alone,” Ethan said, softly but firmly. “Let me help.”

Serena looked at him sharply. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

“You don’t get a choice,” he replied. “This is beyond business. And beyond boundaries. You need protection you can’t see coming.”

Her silence was her answer.

He continued: “If they touch him, I will make sure they disappear. Quietly.”

She studied him for a long moment. This was the first time she didn’t immediately rebuff him.

“You step over the line once,” she said, “and I cut you out.”

“I understand,” he said, meeting her gaze evenly. “But if you step back, you might regret it.”

The weight of his words hung in the air.

At 2 a.m., Serena’s phone buzzed. Another photo closer this time.

Leo, asleep in his bed. Taken from the street outside the building.

Her blood ran cold, but her hands didn’t shake. Ethan was already on his feet, moving to the window to survey the perimeter.

“They’ve just made the first mistake,” he said. “You can’t underestimate me, and you can’t underestimate her.”

Serena’s voice was steady. “If they think fear works, they’ll learn the hard way.”

Ethan nodded, watching her. She was calm, fierce, and unyielding. The woman he had left years ago had become a force he hadn’t anticipated.

In the quiet that followed, the unspoken alliance formed between them.

One wordless truth: This was bigger than either of them.

This was about protecting Leo.

And whoever dared to threaten him had no idea who they were facing.

Outside, the rain intensified. Inside, Serena and Ethan prepared.

The game had begun.