HUSH

HUSH. Episode 13

⸻

The Raymond Mansion was unusually quiet.

The evening sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Theodore Raymond’s private study, casting long golden streaks across the polished wooden floor. At seventy-eight, Theodore still carried the commanding aura that had built the Raymond empire from nothing. Though age had slowed his body, his mind remained razor sharp.

His personal physician, the one Damian had quietly assigned months ago, stood before him with a grim expression.

“Theodore…” the doctor began carefully, placing a laboratory report on the mahogany desk. “I repeated the tests three times because I couldn’t believe the results.”

Theodore adjusted his reading glasses and studied the report.

His expression slowly hardened.

“What exactly am I looking at?”

The physician inhaled deeply.

“Someone has been mixing your daily heart medication with another substance.”

Theodore’s eyes narrowed.

“What substance?”

“A combination of drugs that gradually weakens the cardiovascular system. The dosage is small enough not to raise immediate suspicion, but over time…”

The doctor paused.

“…it would eventually trigger a severe heart attack or stroke.”

Silence.

The ticking of the antique grandfather clock echoed through the room.

Theodore slowly removed his glasses.

“So…”

His voice became frighteningly calm.

“…someone wants me dead.”

“I’m afraid so.”

The old billionaire leaned back in his chair, his weathered hands clasped together.

Instead of looking shocked…

He looked disappointed.

After several moments, he let out a bitter chuckle.

“I should’ve listened sooner.”

His thoughts drifted years into the past.

⸻

“Father.”

The familiar voice of his late eldest son echoed vividly in his memory.

“Don’t trust everyone simply because they share your blood.”

Theodore had laughed back then.

“You’re overthinking things.”

“No.”

Damian’s father had shaken his head.

“I’ve watched my brothers and sisters closely. They don’t care about the company. They only care about the inheritance. The day you’re weak enough… they’ll fight over your wealth before you’ve even taken your last breath.”

Theodore had dismissed it as unnecessary suspicion.

Now…

Every word sounded like prophecy.

Another memory surfaced.

Only months ago.

Damian had stood in this very study.

“Grandfather, replace your physician.”

Theodore had frowned.

“I’ve used him for fifteen years.”

“Please.”

Damian’s voice had been unusually serious.

“Just this once… trust me.”

Seeing the determination in his grandson’s eyes, Theodore had reluctantly agreed.

He never asked why.

Now he finally understood.

If Damian hadn’t insisted…

If he had continued taking those poisoned medications…

He might already be lying in a coffin while the family argued over who inherited what.

A wave of sorrow washed over him.

His son had tried to protect him.

His grandson had succeeded.

Yet the people trying to kill him…

Were his own children.

His own grandchildren.

Theodore slowly closed his eyes.

“What a disgrace.”

⸻

The physician finally spoke.

“What would you like me to do?”

Theodore opened his eyes again.

The warmth that usually lived there had vanished.

“No police.”

The doctor looked surprised.

“No investigations.”

“But sir—”

“I said no.”

His voice carried the authority that had ruled both boardrooms and the underworld for decades.

“If they know I’ve discovered the truth, they’ll become desperate.”

He stood and walked toward the window overlooking the sprawling estate.

Outside…

His children laughed together in the garden.

His grandchildren chatted happily around the fountain.

To anyone watching…

They looked like the perfect family.

Theodore smiled bitterly.

“What wonderful actors.”

He turned back to the physician.

“Continue giving me the correct medication.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And let everyone believe I’m still taking the pills they prepared.”

The doctor hesitated before nodding.

“I understand.”

After the physician left, Theodore remained alone.

He reached for the secure phone Damian had gifted him months earlier.

His thumb hovered over the contact simply labeled…

Damian.

After a few rings, the call connected.

“Grandfather.”

Damian’s calm voice came through immediately.

Theodore smiled faintly.

“You knew.”

There was a brief silence.

“I suspected.”

Theodore sighed.

“The pills…”

“They’ve been poisoning me.”

Another silence.

“I’m sorry,” Damian finally said.

“I hoped I was wrong.”

Theodore shook his head slowly.

“No…”

“If it weren’t for you changing my physician, I’d probably be dead already.”

Damian didn’t answer.

“I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“For ignoring your father.”

Theodore’s voice became heavy with regret.

“He warned me years ago about his brothers and sisters.”

“I thought he was being overly cautious.”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“Turns out he saw their greed long before I did.”

Damian remained quiet, allowing his grandfather to speak.

“And then you warned me too.”

“I ignored the reason… but thankfully I listened to the request.”

His grip tightened around the phone.

“They’re my children, Damian.”

“I built everything for them.”

“And now…”

“They’re trying to bury me before I’ve even died.”

Damian finally spoke.

“Don’t confront them.”

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“They need to believe their plan is still working.”

A dangerous calm settled into Theodore’s voice.

“I want to see who smiles the widest while waiting for my funeral.”

Damian was silent for a moment.

“Then let them keep acting.”

Theodore nodded.

“But Damian…”

“Yes, Grandfather?”

“When the time comes…”

His eyes darkened as he stared out at the family estate.

“…the Raymond legacy will belong to the one who protected it.”

Not the ones trying to destroy it.

The call ended.

Standing alone in his study, Theodore looked down at the bottle of pills resting on his desk.

Without hesitation, he picked it up…

Walked to the fireplace…

And emptied every poisoned tablet into the blazing flames.

As they crackled into ash, a cold smile formed on his face.

“The game begins now.”

The afternoon sun settled gently over the quiet little town, its warm rays slipping through the cabin windows. Outside, laughter echoed faintly from the neighboring houses, while the breeze carried the scent of fresh flowers from the old lady’s garden.

For the first time that day, the cabin was completely silent.

The old lady had cheerfully announced she was going to her weekly dance gathering, leaving with a smile and a playful wave.

Rebecca had gone back to her house to finish a few errands.

That left Damian alone.

His laptop rested on the wooden dining table beside several confidential files. Though he had chosen to disappear from the public eye, the Raymond empire had never stopped moving.

Neither had its leader.

Damian calmly reviewed a multi-billion-dollar investment proposal before pressing a secure button on his laptop.

An encrypted call connected.

“Ethan.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“The Dubai logistics contract.”

“Ready for your approval.”

“Approve it.”

“The European expansion?”

“Proceed with the acquisition.”

“The shipping negotiations?”

“Assign them to Mr. Collins. He’s handled similar deals before.”

“Understood.”

Damian opened another document.

“The renewable energy partnership will be profitable within three years.”

“I’ve already prepared the paperwork.”

“Good.”

Ethan hesitated briefly.

“Anything else, Boss?”

Damian closed the final file.

“That’s all.”

“I’ll make sure everything is executed before tonight.”

The call ended.

Damian leaned back in his chair just as his phone vibrated with a secure notification.

Encrypted Intelligence Report Received.

His expression remained unreadable as he unlocked the message.

The sender was one of his private intelligence operatives.

Subject: Ramos Stuart

Damian’s eyes scanned the report with practiced precision.

Page after page detailed Ramos’s personal history, business dealings, family dynamics, and psychological profile.

Then he reached the highlighted section.

Primary Weakness: An obsessive need to earn the Stuart family’s admiration and prove himself worthy of leading the family legacy.

Damian’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

He continued reading.

The report revealed how Ramos had spent years trying to outshine his siblings and cousins, desperate to become the undisputed pride of the Stuart family.

Every major decision…

Every ruthless business move…

Every dangerous alliance…

Had been driven by one thing.

Approval.

Another paragraph caught Damian’s attention.

“Despite projecting confidence and authority, Ramos possesses a deep fear of disappointing his family. He is highly vulnerable to criticism from senior members of the Stuart household and frequently makes reckless decisions to preserve his image.”

A quiet chuckle escaped Damian.

“So…”

He continued reading.

There were intercepted conversations between members of the Stuart family.

One dismissed Ramos as nothing more than “our best weapon.”

Another remarked that if he ever failed them, they would simply replace him with someone more capable.

The final assessment was brutally honest.

“Ramos Stuart believes he controls the Stuart family. Intelligence suggests the opposite. His desperation to remain their pride has made him their most obedient puppet.”

Damian locked the phone and set it on the table.

He rose slowly, walking toward the cabin window.

Children laughed in the distance.

A farmer guided his tractor across a nearby field.

The peaceful scenery contrasted sharply with the dangerous thoughts crossing his mind.

“So that’s your weakness.”

His reflection stared back at him through the glass.

“You’ve built an empire convincing the world you’re untouchable.”

A faint smile appeared.

“But all this time…”

“…you’ve been dancing on strings.”

He folded his arms.

“A puppet desperate for applause.”

“The day you fail the Stuart family…”

His voice dropped to a cold whisper.

“They’ll discard you without a second thought.”

Damian’s chuckle was quiet, almost pitying.

“And you’ll finally realize…”

“You were never holding the strings.”

“They were.”

His phone vibrated again with another message from the intelligence team.

Recommendation: Exploit emotional dependence on Stuart family approval. Subject is most vulnerable when his reputation within the family is threatened.

Damian read the message once before deleting it permanently.

“Interesting.”

His gaze drifted toward the horizon beyond the cabin.

“The easiest way to destroy a man…”

“…isn’t by attacking his strength.”

“It’s by turning the people he lives to impress against him.”

A calm smile settled on his face.

“The game just became much easier.”