LILA’S POV

The moment Ethan said the word marriage, the memory of my father’s death came back.

“No.”

“You haven’t even heard the rest,” he said.

“I don’t need to.”

I went back to the document on my desk, hoping he would take the hint and leave. He didn’t. Instead, he sat beside me and said, “Lila.”

“What?”

“The board is worried.”

“They’re always worried about something.”

“This time, it’s about you.”

“What did I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why are they worried?”

“They don’t think the company should be led by a single woman forever.”

“They’ve said that before.”

“This time is different.”

“How?”

“They want you to get married.”

“No,” I said.

“You’re not even considering it?”

“Ethan, every man who marries a Roberts woman dies.”

“You still believe that?”

I didn’t want to answer him. Then the memory had already returned. I was fourteen again. I was standing in the living room with my father’s lifeless body lying on the floor. There had been blood on his shirt. I remembered dropping to my knees beside him and grabbing his hand.

“Dad, please wake up.” He didn’t move

“Please, Dad. Open your eyes.”

My mother was standing behind me. Her hands were shaking.

“It was an accident,” she kept saying. “It was just an accident.”

But I didn’t understand what she meant. I was only fourteen. All I knew was that my father was dead. And I had watched him die.

“Lila?”

Ethan’s voice pulled me back to the present. He was still standing in front of me.

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t look okay.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“The board wants an heir.”

“They can wait.”

“What if they don’t?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying you may not have as much control over Roberts Group as you think.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No I’m not, I’m warning you,” he said.

He walked toward the door. Before leaving, he turned around and said, “You should start thinking about your future.”

Ethan had always wanted more control over the company. I knew that. And if I lost my position, he would be one of the first people to benefit. I had spent years working for this company. I wasn’t going to let anyone take it from me. Not Ethan. Not the board. And definitely not some old family curse.

By the time I got home that evening, I was exhausted and went straight to bed. I had barely fallen asleep when my phone rang. It was my grandmother.

“Grandma?”

“Lila, come to the house tonight.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I just want to see you.”

Her voice sounded different.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Come when you can.”

I agreed and ended the call. An hour later, I was sitting in my grandmother’s living room. She looked at me the moment I walked in.

“You look tired.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

She reached for my hand.

“You work too much.”

“I have to.”

“You don’t have to carry the whole company alone.”

“It’s what Grandpa would have wanted.”

For a moment, she said nothing.

“I had a dream about your father,” she said.

“What kind of dream?”

“He was standing on the stairs and he said something.”

“What?”

She hesitated.

“He said the danger isn’t over.”

“Grandma, it was just a dream.”

“You know our family.”

“Don’t ignore it,” she said.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I hope you are.”

My mother joined us for dinner later that evening. As usual, she asked me if I was eating properly, if I was sleeping, and if work was too stressful. I gave her the same answer every time.

“I’m fine.”

My mother had become very protective of me after my father’s death. Sometimes, I felt like she was afraid to let me out of her sight. After dinner, I said goodbye and left. I was halfway home when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen. Unknown number.

The Roberts women always end up alone.

I stopped walking. My heart started beating fast. Another message appeared.

You will be no different.

I stared at the screen. Then I deleted the messages. Someone was probably trying to scare me. That was all. At least, that was what I told myself. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

The next morning, another message came.

You cannot hide forever.

I ignored it. Later that afternoon, another one appeared.

The curse is patient.

I blocked the number. But the messages didn’t stop. They came from different numbers.

Someone has to pay.

I stared at the message. Then another one appeared.

You know what happened to your father, you just don’t know why.

I knew what happened to my father. He fell and died. Everyone had said it was an accident. But why was someone telling me that I didn’t know the truth? I didn’t tell my mother, nor did I tell my grandmother. And I didn’t tell Ethan. I kept going to work and pretending everything was fine. But something had changed. Someone was trying to get my attention. And they weren’t stopping anytime soon.

Then the next morning, it was a normal day at work. I arrived at Roberts Group earlier than usual. The receptionist stopped me before I reached the lift.

“Miss Roberts.”

“Yes?” I said.

“Someone left this for you.”

She handed me a small black box.

“Who?”

“She didn’t say.”

“She?”

The receptionist nodded. I took the box from her.

“Thank you.”

I went straight to my office. Once I was inside, I locked the door. I placed the box on my desk and stared at it. I didn’t know why, but I already had a bad feeling. Slowly, I opened it. There was a black rose inside. Underneath it was a small white card. Two words were written on it.

Still watching.

I stared at the message. Then I heard a knock. I quickly put the card inside my drawer.

“Come in.”

The door opened. Ethan walked inside. His eyes immediately moved to the box on my desk.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.”

He looked at the box.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing.”

As he walked closer. I quickly closed the drawer.

“It’s just a package.”

He looked at me for a few seconds. Then he smiled and said

“You should be careful, Lila.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

He turned around and walked out. I watched him leave. Something about his expression bothered me.

I stayed late at the office that evening. Most of the staff had already gone home. I was finishing a report when I heard footsteps outside my office. The footsteps came closer. Then they stopped. I slowly got up and opened the door. The hallway was empty. I looked around. Nothing. I went back inside. To my greatest surprise, another black rose was lying on my desk. I hadn’t heard anyone enter. I picked up the rose. There was another card underneath it.

You should have listened.

I threw the rose into the bin. Then I grabbed my bag and left.

Outside the building, I noticed a black car was parked across the road. The windows were tinted. Then the car started moving. It drove slowly in my direction. Then it stopped. The driver’s window lowered slightly. I couldn’t see the person’s face. Then the car drove away.

I walked home as quickly as I could. Then my phone buzzed. I didn’t want to check it, but I did. One new message.

Six months is a long time to wait.

Another message appeared.

But we are patient.

Then another.

Enjoy your quiet life while it lasts, Lila Roberts.

Six months. Why six months? What was supposed to happen in six months? Before I could think about it, another message arrived. This time, there was a picture attached. I opened it. It was a picture of my father’s grave. Someone stood beside my father’s grave and had taken a picture. Then another message appeared behind it.

Your father wasn’t the first Roberts husband to die.

And he won’t be the last.

For ten years, I had believed my father’s death was an accident. For ten years, I had believed the Roberts family curse was real. But now someone was telling me there was more to the story. And for the first time, I wondered if my father’s death had ever been an accident at all.