The message was still glowing on the screen.
You're next.
Teresa's fingers trembled slightly as she lowered the phone.
The hospital suddenly felt too small.
Too exposed.
Like danger could walk in at any moment.
"…Lester," she whispered, "this isn't just a threat."
"I know."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
That terrified her more.
Because it meant he was used to this.
---
"Sir."
A new voice cut in—firm, controlled.
Teresa turned.
A man approached them, his presence quiet but commanding.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in all black.
His eyes scanned everything—the exits, the people, the corners—before settling briefly on her.
Sharp. Assessing.
"Everything's secured," he said.
Lester nodded once. "Good."
Teresa frowned. "And you are?"
The man's gaze shifted back to her.
"Marcus Hale."
A pause.
"Head of security."
That explained the intensity.
But not the way he was looking at her.
Like she was a problem he hadn't decided how to handle yet.
"She's with me," Lester said.
Marcus didn't argue.
But he didn't look convinced either.
---
"You shouldn't be here," Marcus added bluntly.
Teresa blinked. "Excuse me?"
"This just escalated from controlled to exposed," he continued, ignoring her tone. "And she's untrained, unprotected, and already targeted."
"I can speak for myself," Teresa snapped.
"Can you fight off whoever sent that message?" he shot back.
Silence.
Her jaw tightened.
"…No."
"Then you shouldn't be here."
Lester stepped in.
"She's staying."
Marcus held his gaze for a second longer than necessary.
Then gave a short nod.
"Then she gets protection."
Teresa folded her arms. "I didn't agree to—"
"You signed a contract," Lester cut in quietly.
Her breath caught.
"And this," he added, his voice lowering slightly, "is part of it now."
---
Before she could argue—
"Teresa?!"
Her head snapped toward the voice.
Shock flooded her face.
"Lila?!"
A girl rushed toward her, breathless and wide-eyed.
Lila Grant.
Her best friend.
The one person who had stayed through everything.
"What are you doing here?" Teresa asked, stunned.
"I should be asking you that!" Lila shot back. "I came to check on my aunt and saw you rush in like your life depended on it—what is going on?"
Teresa hesitated.
Her world had flipped in less than an hour.
How was she supposed to explain any of this?
"I—"
"She's with me."
Lila turned.
And froze.
"…Oh," she said slowly, her eyes widening slightly as she took in Lester. "And who exactly are you?"
"Lester Roland."
Recognition flickered instantly.
"Wait—that Lester Roland?" she blurted.
Teresa blinked. "You know him?"
Lila leaned closer, whispering harshly, "Everyone knows him, Teresa. Billionaire. Untouchable. Rumored to be involved in things people don't talk about out loud."
Teresa's stomach dropped.
"…What?"
Lester didn't react.
Didn't deny it either.
That scared her more.
---
Lila crossed her arms, eyeing him carefully.
"And what does someone like you want with my best friend?"
Teresa opened her mouth—
But Lester answered first.
"She's under my protection."
Lila's eyes narrowed.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
Tension.
Sharp. Immediate.
Teresa quickly stepped in. "Lila, it's complicated—"
"It looks dangerous," Lila cut in.
"It is," Marcus said flatly.
Everyone looked at him.
"Which is why," he continued, "we don't stay here any longer than necessary."
---
Lester's phone buzzed again.
This time—
He didn't show it.
He just looked at the screen.
And something shifted.
Something cold.
Final.
"…We're leaving," he said.
Teresa frowned. "What? Why?"
"Because," he replied, slipping the phone into his pocket, "we just got confirmation."
Her stomach twisted.
"Confirmation of what?"
Lester looked at her.
And for the first time—
There was no hesitation.
No mystery.
Just truth.
"We know who's behind this."
Silence fell instantly.
Teresa's heart pounded.
"Who?"
A pause.
Just long enough to make her chest tighten.
Then—
"Vanessa."
---
Everything stopped.
The name echoed in Teresa's mind.
"No," she said immediately. "That doesn't make sense."
"She warned you," Marcus added. "Told you to run."
"That could mean anything."
"It means she knew," Marcus replied.
Teresa shook her head. "Or it means she didn't want me involved."
"Why would she care?" he pressed.
Teresa opened her mouth—
And froze.
Because she didn't have an answer.
---
Lester's voice cut through the tension.
"She has motive. Access. And history."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"And she doesn't like losing."
Teresa's chest tightened.
"You think she tried to kill your brother… because of me?"
"No," Lester said quietly.
"Because of me."
---
The air shifted.
He wasn't guessing.
He knew.
---
"Then why involve me?" Teresa asked.
"Because you're the variable," Marcus said.
"Or the leverage," Lester added.
Her breath caught.
Leverage.
A pawn.
Something to be used.
Fear crept in.
Sharp. Uncomfortable.
"…I didn't sign up for this," she whispered.
"No," Lester said.
"You signed up for something worse."
Her heart skipped.
"What could be worse than this?"
He stepped closer.
Not too close.
But enough that she felt it.
That pull.
That tension.
"Real feelings," he said quietly.
Her breath hitched.
---
For a second—
Everything else faded.
The danger.
The fear.
The chaos.
All she could see was him.
Too close.
Too intense.
Too much.
And then—
"She's lying."
The voice came from behind them.
Cold.
Certain.
Everyone turned.
Marcus moved instantly, stepping slightly in front of them.
A man stood at the end of the hallway.
Dressed in a doctor's coat.
Calm.
Too calm.
Teresa frowned.
"That's the doctor from earlier…"
But something was wrong.
His posture.
His eyes.
The way he was looking at Lester.
Not like a doctor.
Like an enemy.
---
"Step back," Marcus said quietly.
But the man didn't move.
Instead—
He smiled.
Slowly.
"Vanessa didn't do this," he said.
Lester's gaze hardened.
"Then who did?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
And then—
His eyes shifted.
To Teresa.
And in that moment—
Her blood ran cold.
Because she recognized that look.
That voice.
That presence.
Her grip tightened around her phone.
"…You," she whispered.
The man smiled wider.
"Hello, Teresa."
Her heart slammed violently against her chest.
No.
No, that wasn't possible.
"You're supposed to be—"
"Gone?" he finished softly.
A step forward.
Marcus moved immediately, blocking him.
But the damage was done.
Because now—
Teresa remembered.
That voice.
That tone.
That cold, chilling familiarity.
The caller.
---
Lester's voice dropped dangerously low.
"Who are you?"
The man's smile faded slightly.
Not completely.
Just enough.
"Someone you underestimated."
His gaze flicked briefly to Marcus.
Then back to Teresa.
"But she didn't."
Teresa shook her head slowly.
Her pulse racing.
"This… doesn't make sense."
"It will," he said calmly. "Soon."
---
Marcus reached for his weapon.
"Last warning."
But the man only chuckled softly.
"You're protecting the wrong person."
The words hit harder than expected.
Teresa's breath caught.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He didn't answer her.
Instead—
He looked at Lester.
And said something that made the entire room freeze.
"Ask her about the money."
Silence.
Sharp. Dangerous. Explosive.
Lester's gaze slowly shifted.
Toward Teresa.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
Something darker.
"…What money?" he asked quietly.
Teresa's heart stopped.
"I—I don't—"
"Don't lie," the man cut in softly.
Her pulse spiked.
Her thoughts scrambled.
Because suddenly—
Everything wasn't so simple anymore.
The hospital bill.
The timing.
The desperation.
The contract.
---
Lester took a step toward her.
Slow.
Measured.
Dangerous.
"Teresa."
Her name had never sounded like that before.
Not soft.
Not distant.
But sharp.
Demanding.
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
Her throat went dry.
"I didn't—this wasn't—"
The man smiled again.
Satisfied.
Like he had just set something in motion.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," he murmured.
---
Marcus moved.
Fast.
But the man was faster.
By the time security reacted—
He was gone.
Vanished into the chaos of the hospital.
Like he had never been there.
---
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Lester didn't look away from her.
Not even for a second.
"…We're leaving," he said finally.
His voice was colder now.
Harder.
More distant.
And that—
That hurt more than it should have.
---
As they walked out—
Teresa felt it.
The shift.
The doubt.
The danger wasn't just outside anymore.
It was between them.
---
Her phone buzzed again.
She flinched.
Slowly… she looked down.
Another message.
Unknown Number.
Her breath caught as she read:
Tell him the truth…"
A pause.
Then a second message appeared.
"…or I will."
---
Teresa stopped walking.
Her heart racing.
Her past catching up.
Her secrets unraveling.
And Lester—
Was already starting to question her.
---
END OF CHAPTER 3