[Jay's POV]
The screaming had stopped, but the air was still thick with the stench of Kiara's desperation. As Keigan and Keiran stepped forward to haul her away, I raised my hand.
"Wait."
The room went dead silent. The guards paused. Keifer's grip on my waist tightened, his protective instinct still flared to 1,000%, but he sensed the shift in my energy. I wasn't the "Assistant" anymore. I wasn't the grieving girl on the velvet couch. I was the Empress of the Watson Estate, and I had one final piece of code to execute.
I stepped out of Keifer's embrace and walked slowly toward Kiara. She was a mess—hair matted, face bruised, her expensive dress torn at the shoulder. She looked up at me, still trying to muster a look of defiance, but her eyes were full of the static of a failing system.
I stopped just inches from her, looking down at her from my full height. I didn't slap her. I didn't scream. My voice was a cold, surgical frequency that cut deeper than any blade.
"Look at me, Kiara," I commanded.
She flinched, her gaze meeting mine.
The Final Warning
"For seven days, I watched you touch my husband," I began, my voice vibrating with a lethal calm. "I watched you sit in my chair, sleep in my wing, and try to rewrite a love that you aren't worthy of even whispering about. You thought because Keifer's brain was broken, the Watsons were weak. You thought the 'Glow' was something you could steal."
I leaned down, my lips inches from her ear so the others couldn't hear the absolute darkness in my tone.
"This is your only mercy," I whispered. "If you ever mention his name again—if you so much as look at a photo of a Watson—I won't just delete your bank accounts. I will delete your existence. I have the files on every lie you've ever told, every person you've scammed, and every bridge you've burned to get here. If you ever cross the perimeter of our lives again, I will release that data to the world, and you will find that there is nowhere on this earth to hide from a Watson's reach."
I pulled back, my eyes locking onto hers with 1,000% finality.
"The 7-day protocol is over. The 'Assistant' is gone. You are currently looking at the woman who holds the key to your life or your destruction. Choose very carefully which path you take out of those gates."
[Author's POV]
Kiara's mouth opened, but no sound came out. The sheer weight of Jay's authority—the "Empress" in full command—shattered whatever was left of Kiara's ego. She realized then that she hadn't just been playing with a man's memory; she had been playing with a Lioness's pride.
"Get her out of my sight," Jay said, turning her back on the imposter.
Keigan and Keiran didn't wait for a second command. They grabbed Kiara by the arms and dragged her across the marble floor. Her heels scraped against the stone—a harsh, retreating sound that signaled the end of the "Glitch." The massive oak doors swung open, and she was thrown out into the gravel driveway, the gates of the estate slamming shut with a finality that shook the windows.
The Recovery
[Keifer's POV]
I watched Jay as she stood there, her back to the door, her shoulders finally dropping from their rigid stance. The "Empress" had done her job. Now, she was just my Weify again.
I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her back against my chest. I buried my face in her hair, breathing in that sandalwood scent that I would never, ever forget again.
"You handled that with 100% precision," I murmured, my voice thick with pride.
Jay turned in my arms, her eyes finally softening as she looked at me—truly looked at me—for the first time since the accident.
"I had to protect the perimeter, Hubby," she whispered, her hands finding their home on my chest.
"The perimeter is secure," I promised, leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss that tasted like victory and a new beginning. "The system is back online. And from now on... the only person with access to this heart is you."