KISS
I didn't know how close she was.
How fate had drawn us to the same ground, the same air, the same moment—only to tear us apart again.
ELIZABETH
The car slowed.
"Madam," the driver said carefully, glancing at me through the mirror, "we are five minutes away."
Five minutes.
My fingers tightened around the glass of wine I hadn't touched. My heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears.
For years—years—I had watched my daughter from a distance. Protected her from the shadows. Waited for the perfect moment.
And now it's happening.
"She's pregnant," I whispered again, as if the words might vanish.
My mother sat beside me, her hand resting gently on mine. "You're trembling."
"I'm afraid," I admitted quietly. "What if she hates me?"
"She won't," my mother said firmly. "She's your blood."
The car turned onto the long private road leading toward the estate where Kiss lived.
I leaned forward, breath catching.
"I'll only watch," I said. "Just from afar. Just once."
The driver nodded.
Then—
💥 BOOM.
The world exploded.
The car jerked violently as the blast tore through the trees ahead, fire lighting the sky like hell itself. The screech of tires, shouting, gunfire—everything collided at once.
"AMBUSH!" someone yelled over the comms.
My body reacted before my mind did.
"Reverse!" I ordered sharply. "Now!"
Another explosion shook the ground.
Bullets shattered glass.
My mother screamed.
I grabbed her, pulling her down as armed men flooded the road—black-clad, trained, merciless.
"This is not random," I said coldly, eyes narrowing. "This is personal."
My head of security crouched beside the car. "Madam, we have confirmation—this is a coordinated strike on the clan."
"Who?" I demanded.
His jaw tightened. "Goodwill forces."
The name slammed into me like a blade.
"…Adrian's family?" my mother whispered.
I stared straight ahead, fury and disbelief tangling in my chest.
"No," I said slowly. "Not Adrian."
Then a bitter realization dawned.
"…His father."
KISS
I felt it before I knew it.
A sudden tightness in my chest. A sharp ache beneath my ribs.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?" he asked, standing from his desk.
"I don't know," I said, pressing my palm to my stomach. "I just—felt something."
He crossed the room in two strides, kneeling in front of me. "Is the baby—?"
"No," I said quickly. "It's not that."
But fear lingered in my voice.
Before either of us could speak again, Oscar burst into the office, face pale.
"Adrian," he said urgently. "We just received intel from Switzerland."
My heart stopped.
Adrian turned slowly. "What kind of intel?"
Oscar hesitated. "There's been an attack. A major one."
I stood up abruptly. "Who?"
Oscar looked at me, then back at Adrian.
"The Wilson clan."
The name rang like a bell inside my skull.
Wilson.
My mother's old name.
My breath caught painfully.
Adrian's jaw clenched. "Casualties?"
"We don't know yet," Oscar replied. "But—sir… the order came from within."
Silence fell like a death sentence.
Adrian's voice dropped. "…From who?"
Oscar swallowed. "Your father."
ADRIAN
I felt something inside me crack.
"My father?" I repeated, my voice dangerously calm.
Oscar nodded. "He authorized the strike. Old grudges resurfaced. Territory. Power. Revenge."
Kiss stared at me, her face drained of color.
"That means—" she began.
I grabbed her hands instantly. "No. Don't jump to conclusions."
But my chest was already burning.
Because I knew.
I knew my father's past.
Knew the bloodlines he hated.
Knew the wars he never forgave.
And now—
"They were five minutes away," Oscar continued quietly. "Elizabeth Wilson was on the road toward this city."
Kiss gasped.
My blood ran cold.
"She was coming here," Oscar finished. "To see her daughter."
Kiss staggered back like she'd been struck.
"No," she whispered. "No… she wouldn't—,so she's alive",she muttered.
Her eyes met mine.
The truth sat between us, heavy and undeniable.
"She was coming to see you," I said softly.
And my father almost killed her for it.
ELIZABETH
"Pull back," I commanded. "We return to the compound. Now."
"But Liza —your daughter—" my mother cried.
"I know," I snapped, then softened. "I know."
Gunfire echoed behind us as my men fought back with ruthless precision. The road burned. Blood stained the snow.
I stared ahead, fists clenched.
"So close," I whispered. "I was so close."
My mother gripped my arm. "You saved yourself."
"No," I said bitterly. "I saved her."
Because if Adrian's father knew how close I was—
If he knew who my daughter truly was—
He would never stop.
I turned to my commander. "Lock down the clan. Fortify everything."
"Yes, Madam."
"And send a message," I added coldly. "To Goodwill Senior."
My voice dropped to steel.
"This war is not finished."
KISS
I sat on the edge of the bed later that night, numb.
Adrian knelt in front of me again, hands warm, grounding.
"I didn't know," he said quietly. "I swear to you, Kiss—I didn't know."
"I believe you," I replied, my voice hollow.
But pain lingered.
"My mother was almost here," I whispered. "She was so close."
Adrian's eyes darkened with guilt and fury.
"I will confront him," he said. "This ends
now."
I looked at him then,really looked.
The man I loved.
The man carrying his father's sins.
And the father of the child growing inside me.
"This world won't let us be peaceful for long," I said softly.
He pulled me into his arms, pressing his forehead to mine.
"Then we'll fight it," he murmured. "Together."
I closed my eyes, tears finally falling.
Somewhere in Switzerland, my mother mourned a reunion stolen by blood.
And somewhere between love and legacy—
War had just been reborn.