The room had a dim, moody vibe, with just the two of them in it. ra felt a chill run down her spine. Jackson''s dislike for her was no secret, and she couldn''t shake the feeling that one wrong word might set him off enough to pull a gun on her.


    "Jackson, do you honestly believe me when I say this has nothing to do with me?" she asked, trying to sound calm.


    Jackson''s eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief as he used a cigarette to tilt her chin up. "You might not remember your past, ra, but this isn''t the first time someone from the Dawson family has died because of you. They''ve decided you need to pay, so whether you''re involved or not, you have to..."


    He was cut off by a knock on the door, and they both turned to see Dn rolling in. Jackson blinked, wondering if he was dreaming. What was Dn doing here?


    Dn, seated in his wheelchair, locked eyes with the cigarette Jackson had just used to lift ra''s chin. Feeling the weight of Dn''s gaze, Jackson awkwardly put the cigarette down and straightened up. "Dn, what are you doing here?" Dn didn''t say anything at first, just nced at ra.


    ra stayed put, not about to assume Dn''s visit had anything to do with her.


    The room felt thick with tension. Finally, Dn spoke, his voice soft, "Come with me."


    Jackson thought Dn was talking to him. "Where to?"


    But Dn''s eyes were fixed on ra, and after a pause, he said, "You,e with me."


    ra got up slowly, confused. "Me?"


    As she moved closer to Dn, she saw how pale his lips were. "Mr. Dn, are you okay?"


    Jackson noticed too and rushed over, gently pushing ra aside. "Dn, what''s wrong?"


    Dn''s gaze stayed on ra. "Let''s go."


    Before ra knew it, she and Jackson were sitting in Dn''s car.


    Aiden, sitting up front, filled them in. "Miss Jeffree''s autopsy came back. Poisoning. We narrowed down the suspects to those who''d been near her recently. Only her boyfriend had the chance."


    Jackson stayed quiet, ncing at Dn, who was resting with his eyes closed.


    Something felt off here. Why was Dn involved in all this? Everyone knew he hated drama, especially with the holiday chaos and the Ferguson family headaches looming.


    He wouldn''t jump into this mess without a reason.


    Jackson thought about asking, but if Dn was stepping in to protect ra, maybe it was best to let it go.


    Jackson figured he could handle the Dawson family''s issues.


    When they stopped at the Dawson estate, Jackson got out of the car and turned


    to Dn, saying, "Take care, see you after the holidays."


    Dn didn''t reply as the car rolled away.


    Jackson stood there, lost in thought, before pulling out his phone to call Nichs.


    "Hey, have you noticed something going on with Dn and ra...?"


    Nichs interrupted, "Yeah, I picked up on that. Dn''s got a grudge, but if ra''s gonna face anything, he wants to be the one dealing with it. He hasn''t let go of what happened with his leg."


    Jackson lit a cigarette, the smoke curlingzily as he exhaled. Was that really it?


    He chuckled, realizing, "After all these years, I think you might be the slowest to catch on."


    Then again, there might be someone even slower...