"Casey!" Davey, with swift concern, closed the distance between him and Casey. A thorough look reassured him. Casey was undisturbed, her peace intact.

“Why the outcry?" The question came from Davey, his eyes sparking with an icy warning, sending a wave of intimidation crashing over Jimena.

"I..." Jimena's words faltered, trapped in her throat.

Davey's gaze followed Jimena's, landing on a solitary drop of blood on Casey's finger. “Did you harm her?" His voice, though laced with worry, demanded an explanation.

"It was because..." Jimena barely began before a sudden movement interrupted.

Smack! Davey's hand connected sharply with Jimena's face.

"Ah!" Jimena was sent tumbling to the floor with a startled cry.

The slap resounded sharply, leaving its mark.

Jimena cradled her face, now swelling and partially numb, as a trickle of blood edged its way from her mouth, a stark testament to Davey's harshness.

“Jimena... Davey's voice softened, adopting a calm and gentle tone, his lips curving in a semblance of a smile. Yet, the warmth of his voice belied the coldness of his words, sending a chill through Jimena.

"This is the first time," he stated, a simple phrase heavy with ominous implication.

Jimena felt as though she had been seared by hot iron. The memory of Davey uttering these words before lingered with haunting clarity. The individual he had warned previously vanished after a second misstep, only to be discovered later by fishermen, a nameless victim of the sharks.

The chatter among the bodyguards by the door had revealed the fate of the unnamed. Swollen and disfigured from the water, yet still recognizable.

In a silent act of compassion, the bodyguards had managed to secure half of the remains, ensuring a respectful burial.

Davey's words, thus, carried a grave finality, a declaration that there would be no tolerance for a repeat offense. Overcome with fear, Jimena stifled any words she might have had, her gaze fixed away from Davey.

"Get out!" Davey's command was terse.

Scrambling to her feet, Jimena stumbled in her haste to leave, her exit clumsy yet quick. Despite her disarray, she made sure to close the door behind her, a small act of propriety in the midst of her turmoil.

As the door shut behind her, Jimena caught a glimpse of Davey on his knees, cradling Casey's delicate fingers as though they were treasures, tenderly removing the dried blood. His expression, a blend of gentleness and sorrow, sent a shiver down Jimena's spine.

With her heart racing, Jimena made her way downstairs, her mind racing over the events that had just unfolded.

During the needle removal, Jimena had noticed Casey's fingers twitch, a sign of life from someone who had been in a coma since a tragic fall five years prior.