Katy P.O.V
My room was dim, curtains half-drawn, the city light barely leaking in. I was still tangled in my sheets when my phone started vibrating violently against the bedside table.
Once.
Twice.
Nonstop.
I groaned, reaching for it blindly.
The phone screen showed DONALD.
My chest tightened instantly.
Donald never called this early unless something was wrong.
Or…something had broken open.
I swiped to answer, my voice was still heavy with sleep.
"Donald…?"
"Miss Katy" His voice came fast, too fast, tight and breathless. "Turn on the news. Right now"
My eyes snapped open.
"What happened?"
"You need to see it" He said. "It's everywhere"
A cold feeling crept up my spine.
"Donald, what happened?" I pressed.
There was a pause.
Then—
"They arrested James Bron"
Everything inside me went still.
"…What?"
I was already sitting up before my brain could catch up with my body.
"They arrested him" Donald repeated. "Early this morning. It's all over the news. Every channel"
My heart started pounding.
No.
No, no, no.
It didn't make sense.
Not like this.
Not so easily.
I threw the blanket off and rushed out of bed, nearly slipping as I stumbled toward the TV. My fingers fumbled with the remote before I finally switched it on.
The screen flickered to life.
And there it was.
BREAKING NEWS flashed across the screen in bold red letters.
A female reporter stood in front of a police station, her voice sharp with urgency.
"—in what authorities are calling a major breakthrough, the alleged criminal mastermind known as James Bron has been apprehended earlier this morning following an anonymous tip—"
My breath hitched.
The screen cut to footage.
Police cars.
Flashing lights.
Officers dragging a man out in handcuffs.
His head was lowered, face barely visible beneath the chaos of cameras and shouting reporters.
But something about it—
Something felt wrong.
"They're saying it's him" Donald's voice came through the phone again. "They're confirming identity. Multiple charges. Murder, illegal operations, everything. Katy, this is it"
"No" I whispered.
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
"No…this isn't right"
"What do you mean?" Donald asked.
I stepped closer to the screen, my eyes narrowing.
The man they were dragging—
He looked scared.
Not controlled. Not calculated.
Scared.
That wasn't the man from the shadows.
That wasn't the kind of person who could orchestrate murders like a game.
That wasn't—
"Donald" I said slowly, my voice tightening. "That's not him"
Silence took over.
"What?" He said.
"That's not James Bron" I repeated, sharper this time. "They arrested the wrong person"
"Miss Katy, they just confirmed it on live television—"
"I don't care what they confirmed!" I snapped.
The reporter's voice continued in the background.
"Sources say this arrest may bring closure to several ongoing investigations, with officials confident that they have finally captured the man behind the recent string of mysterious deaths—"
Closure?
My grip on the remote tightened.
This wasn't closure.
This was a cover.
"They're closing the case" Donald said quietly, as if realizing it too. "Miss Katy…they're going to shut everything down"
Exactly.
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
"This is a distraction" I said. "It has to be"
"What are you saying?" Donald asked.
"I'm saying James Bron is smarter than this" I replied. "He stayed hidden for months. No mistakes. No evidence. And now suddenly, he gets caught overnight?"
Donald didn't respond.
Because he knew.
"It's too clean" I continued. "Too easy. He's giving them someone else"
"A scapegoat…" Donald murmured.
"Yes"
My eyes stayed locked on the screen.
The man in handcuffs looked up for a split second.
Fear was seen on his face.
Pure, raw fear.
Not power.
Not control.
Definitely not the man I had started chasing in my mind.
And then—
The thought hit me.
What if Richardo is truly James Bron.
My heartbeat spiked.
The way everything connected. The silence. The control. The precision.
The way he moved like someone who owned shadows and he owned the law court.
What if—
No.
I swallowed hard.
"I think I know who the real James Bron is" I said quietly.
Donald's voice dropped.
"Who?"
I hesitated.
Because I had no proof.
Only instinct.
And instinct could get me killed.
"…I'm not sure yet" I said finally. "But I know this isn't over"
The news suddenly shifted.
"—and joining us live now is business consultant Acadia, who has been closely associated with some of the investigation networks linked to this case—"
My eyes snapped back to the screen.
Acadia.
She appeared calm.
Too calm.
Standing there like she wasn't standing on top of secrets.
"This arrest was long overdue" Acadia said smoothly, her voice was steady and controlled. "James Bron has caused enough damage. It's time justice is served"
My jaw clenched.
Lies.
Every word felt like poison.
"He was dangerous" She continued. "Manipulative. A man who hid behind fear and power. I'm relieved the authorities have finally stepped in"
Relieved?
I felt something dark twist inside me.
You're part of this.
I know you are.
Before I could stop myself—
I slammed the TV off.
The silence that followed was loud.
"What now?" Donald asked from the phone, his voice uncertain. "Miss Katy…if the case closes, we're done. Even if we find something,it won't matter anymore"
My breathing slowed.
But my anger didn't.
It sharpened.
Turned colder and more focused.
"This isn't over" I said quietly.
"Katy—"
"He thinks he'd won" I cut in. "Whoever he is…he thinks this ends here"
"And what if it does?" Donald asked. "What if we can't prove anything anymore?"
I clenched my fist.
"Then we find something they can't ignore"
"And how do we do that?" He pressed.
I didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was—
I didn't know yet.
But I wasn't going to stop.
Not now.
Not when I was this close.
"I'll figure it out" I said finally.
"Katy…"
"I have to go"
Before he could say anything else, I ended the call.
The room fell silent again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was filled with something else.
A feeling.
A certainty.
I walked slowly to the window, staring out at the city below.
Somewhere out there…
The real James Bron was watching.
Waiting.
Maybe even smiling.
My reflection stared back at me in the glass.
Tired.
Angry.
Obsessed.
"I know what you're doing" I whispered softly. "You think you can hide behind someone else…close the case…walk away clean…"
My lips curled slightly.
A dangerous kind of calm settling in.
"But I'm not done with you"
My phone buzzed again in my hand.
A message.
Unknown number.
My breath caught as I opened it.
One line.
Cold.
Precise.
"You're smarter than the others. That's what makes you dangerous"
My heart started racing.
Another message appeared immediately after.
"Stop now…or you won't get a second warning"
I froze.
Because this time—
It didn't feel like a threat.
It felt like a promise.
And somehow…
That only made me want to find him more.