Three days passed before anyone realized how long they had been at it. Everything blended together. The halls, the patients, the herbs, the steady rhythm of Jasper’s voice telling the doctors what to do. No one complained. They couldn’t. Jasper didn’t give room for that.The doctors followed him everywhere, notebooks in hand, eyes fixed on him like they were afraid to miss a single movement. Zoey kept close too, though she was already drained by the first night. By the second day she barely spoke anymore, and by the third she looked like she was running only on willpower. Jasper, however, looked the same every morning. Awake, steady, and ready to keep going.“Another one,” Jasper said on the morning of the third day, hardly glancing up as a stretcher rolled in.Zoey exhaled sharply. “They’re not slowing down.”“They won’t,” Jasper replied. “Not when they think today might be their only chance.”The doctors exchanged small looks with each other. None dared say anything. They had learne

Jasper didn’t waste time once the plan was set. He moved the moment the sun went down, calling his men one by one and confirming their positions. Everyone knew their role already, but Jasper still checked. He didn’t believe in leaving room for mistakes.Tiger had been assigned to a member of the Brown family earlier that afternoon. The man wasn’t important. Not to the Browns, anyway. He was the kind of relative people tolerated because they had to, not because they wanted him around. Jasper knew the Browns wouldn’t care if something happened to him. But they would notice if someone saved him more than once.That was the point.Jasper sat on the arm of the couch in Jasmine’s living room, hands clasped, listening to Tiger’s voice through the phone.“I’m with the guy now,” Tiger said. “He’s useless. Doesn’t do anything. Sits around talking about horses.”Jasper kept his tone steady. “Stay with him. Don’t drift. When things start, keep him alive.”Tiger sighed quietly. “Yes, boss.”“If yo

The hall was a mess of bodies and broken breaths. Tiger stood in the middle, shoulders lifted slightly, eyes locked on Jasper’s men. They circled him, steady, waiting for Jasper’s next instruction.Jasper didn’t say anything at first. He just watched the way Tiger planted his feet, the way his chest rose, the way his fingers curled like he’d already chosen who he would hit first.“Keep formation,” Jasper said quietly.His men tightened their circle.Tiger exhaled once, almost like he was bored. “You’re wasting time.”“You talk too much,” one of Jasper’s men muttered, stepping forward.Tiger didn’t answer.He moved instead.The first man barely saw the punch. Tiger struck him in the gut, then grabbed his shirt and slammed him down on the floor. The man gasped, rolled, and didn’t get up again.The rest charged.Noise filled the hall immediately—steps, fists hitting skin, someone grunting, the thud of a body against a table. But none of it was chaotic. Jasper’s men fought like they alway

The Brown family mansion was quiet again by the time everything settled. Most of the guards were still unconscious. Some were groaning on the floor, trying to understand what had hit them. The family members had gone back to their rooms, but none of them slept. They kept checking their doors, whispering, talking about what happened and how close they had come to being wiped out.Tiger stayed in the hallway for a while, waiting. He didn’t talk to anyone. He didn’t explain anything. He just waited for someone to call him because he already knew they would.It didn’t take long.One of the house attendants came running toward him. “Sir Tiger,” the man said, trying to keep his voice steady. “The head of the family wants to see you.”Tiger nodded. “Alright.”The attendant led him through the corridor, up the stairs, and toward the main study. Tiger could hear people talking inside the rooms they passed. No one opened their door. They only stayed behind it, probably terrified he might sudden

They all waited.There was nothing else to do because Jasper didn’t want them to rush in too early. He had said it many times before they left the house.“Just wait for him to do something stupid,” he said. “He’s Roberts. He will.”And they all believed him. Roberts was known for acting like he owned every place he entered. Tiger had said it too many times. “He always causes trouble,” Tiger had told them. “You won’t need to provoke him. Just watch.”So Jasper and his men stood in the shadows. Nobody spoke loudly. They only whispered, and even those whispers were short.Clark asked, “Boss, how long do you think before he starts something?”Jasper shrugged a little. “Won’t be long.”Another man said quietly, “He’s already drunk. Look at how he’s laughing.”Jasper didn’t even look. “Just wait.”Roberts was still at his table with his two friends. All three of them were shouting at each other as if they were having some important argument, but it was just noise. Roberts swung his cup arou