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Silas remained still, his eyes closed, while Allison carefully reached for her phone. She glanced at the screen and saw a message from Jackson.

‘Call me back if you're awake.’

She checked the time. It was already close to two at night.

Allison quietly began slipping off the couch, careful not to disturb Silas, who was resting with his eyes closed. But the moment she tried to move away, his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

Without opening his eyes, he leaned closer to her ear and growled, “Mrs. Black, are you cheating on me?”

Allison smiled at his sleepy accusation. “Yes, I am. Are you going to divorce me now?”

Silas tightened his hold around her waist, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

“Unfortunately, I can never do that. Give me a few more options.”

Allison laughed softly at his response. After managing to slip out of his arms, she started to leave, but Silas caught her hand before she could get far.

She stopped and turned to face him.

“Come back soon,” he said in a softer voice, his fingers lingering around hers. “I can't sleep without you.”

“Alright. I'll be back soon,” she promised before finally leaving the living room.

She walked into the bedroom and continued toward the balcony. The air had grown chilly, and the cold seemed to intensify with every passing minute. Wrapping her arms around herself, she pressed the video call button on her phone to contact Jackson.

He answered after a few moments.

Allison looked at him through the screen. “What's going on? Why did you call me so late?”

Jackson studied her face before answering. “Is everything all right with you? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” she assured him, pulling the wrap tighter around her shoulders against the cold. “But why did you call?”

“It's about you,” he replied.

Allison frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I just found out that Silas Black is digging into everything related to you, including your parents' deaths and Justin.”

Her expression changed as she listened.

Jackson frowned at her through the screen, clearly troubled by what he'd learned.

“Isn't Silas the man who's supposed to be protecting you and your brother from Justin? Then why is he getting involved in your personal affairs and investigating your parents' deaths behind your back?” He paused, searching her face for an answer. “Is he hiding something? Is there something shady going on that you haven't told me?”

Allison fell silent, his questions stirring thoughts she had struggled with for years.

‘I still haven't been able to find proof of what happened to my parents. Even after looking into everything, I haven't been able to establish whether their accident was truly just an accident or whether Justin or anyone else was involved.’

The uncertainty had followed her for so long that she had almost grown accustomed to living with it. Yet the possibility of finally uncovering the truth was difficult to ignore.

After a moment, she brought her attention back to Jackson.

“If he's investigating it, let him find whatever information he needs. There's no reason to hide anything from him.”

Jackson's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He stared at her for a moment before a knowing smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, really?” He leaned closer to the camera, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “What's going on between you two? Why do I get the feeling he's no longer just the man protecting you and your brother, but your personal bodyguard as well?”