He held up one finger. “I have to take this.” He stood and walked toward the living room. “Hello, sir? Yes, this is a good time…” I glanced at my mother and Natalia, who were busy discussing how to celebrate Natalia’s promotion. I might as well be invisible. Relief bloomed in my stomach as I stabbed a cherry tomato and brought it to my mouth. At least I didn’t have to make up some stupid accomplishment to satisfy my parents. For once, their lack of interest in my career was a blessing, not a curse. I made it all the way to dessert without having to answer a single question when my phone lit with a new text.
Christian: How’s dinner?
A quick flutter disturbed my chest.
Me: How did you know I was at dinner?
Christian: It’s dinnertime. Call me psychic. A small smile curved my mouth.
Smartass.
Me: The food is great. The company could be better. Me: How was your day?
We texted back and forth for a while about my event and his day at the office （boring, according to him）。 It was our first conversation since last night and surprisingly normal. Neither of us brought up the note until dessert was finished.
Christian: I have some updates regarding last night. Christian: When will you be home?
I could practically hear the shift in tone over text. My stomach pinched with nerves as I typed out my reply. Stella: In the next hour or so. The trains ran less often this time of night.
Christian: Give me your address and I’ll send a car. Until we find the person who sent the note, you shouldn’t be taking the metro by yourself this late at night.
A strange warmth glided through my veins. Normally, I would’ve turned him down, but I didn’t want to take the metro alone again. The station closest to my family’s house was always creepily empty after rush hour, and taking an Uber would be too expensive. I sent him the address as requested.
Christian: The car will be there in twenty minutes.
Christian: I’ll see you soon.
Another flutter disrupted my heartbeat. The simple promise in his last text shouldn’t excite me so much…but, for reasons unknown to myself, it did.
13
CHRISTIAN
I’d slept a total of three hours last night. The anticipation of Kage’s hourly texts made anything more impossible, and I’d crashed that morning after he confirmed Stella got through the night okay. I lived by my systems. Seven hours of sleep a night, evening workouts three times a week in my private gym, and complex work and important meetings in the morning when I was sharpest, followed by duller tasks in the afternoon. My discipline had catapulted me to where I was today—CEO of a Fortune 500 company with a vast intelligence network and a direct line to almost every major power player in the world. In the span of twenty-four hours, Stella had thrown those systems into complete disarray. I’d slept until noon, rescheduled my meetings for after lunch, and skipped my workout so I could do a more thorough scan of her apartment for secret cameras or surveillance devices before she returned home. My disrupted schedule should’ve pissed me off, but the rush in my blood when her front door opened felt a lot less like anger and a lot more like anticipation. Despite my vow to stay away from her, her absence proved more of a distraction than her presence. I’d spent all day hounding Brock for updates until I caved and texted her myself. I leaned against the wall as Stella stepped inside, her head bent over her phone. “Security tip number one: don’t look down at your phone until you’re in a secure location.” She jumped and screamed until she saw me. “Christian!” She placed a hand over her chest, her face two shades paler than usual. “What are you doing here?” “Scanning your apartment for hidden cameras. There are none,” I added when she paled further.
“You can’t enter my apartment without notice! That’s an invasion of privacy.” “Privacy doesn’t exist when it comes to security.” Everyone wanted privacy until they were in trouble. Then they gave up keys and passwords like they were nothing. I’d merely skipped the inevitable back and forth with Stella about access and jumped straight to the protection part. “Sounds like something a tyrant would say.” “I’m glad you understand.” Her glare lit the air between us with aggravation.
“Christian, let me put it in plain terms. It is illegal for you to enter private homes without prior permission, even if you own the building.” Hmm. I suppose it was. Too bad I gave zero fucks
about the law. Legality did not mean right, and illegality did not mean wrong. One only had to look at the fucked-up justice system to realize the law was nothing more than a house of cards, created to give its citizens a false sense of security and weakened by doorways open only to a select few. I had to keep up the appearance of a civil, law-abiding citizen, but as anyone knew, appearances can be deceiving. And sometimes, we had to take justice into our own hands.
“Do you know how…” Stella’s knuckles turned white around her phone. “Do you know how many nightmares I’ve had of coming home to find an intruder in my house? Of being attacked while I’m in the shower or sleeping? Our homes are supposed to be our safe havens, but I…”
The tiny crack of her voice caused a strange twist in my chest. “How can I feel safe knowing someone could walk in here any minute and I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t…” Her words gave way to shallow, panting breaths. I could see the anxiety blooming in her eyes until the black of her pupils swallowed the green of her irises. Fuck. I’d known she might get upset, but I also figured she’d want someone looking out for her. Take the reins and handle her security so she didn’t have to worry about it. I wanted—no, needed—to watch over her. It was a rare miscalculation on my part. I rubbed a thumb over the face of my watch, strangely restless from both my error and Stella’s palpable distress.
Figuring her out was a constant challenge. A tight sensation unfurled in my chest until I had to push myself off the wall and walk toward her to ease its grip. “You are safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I placed my hands on her shoulders, steadying her. “Stella. It won’t happen again. Now breathe for me.” I softened the edge of my voice from a command to a request. The air was thick with recrimination, and something sharp and foreign pierced my gut at the tiny shivers wracking her body. What was it? Guilt? Remorse? Regret? I couldn’t tell, so I focused on Stella instead. “That’s it,” I murmured when her breathing finally evened out and color returned to her face. “Just like that.” She closed her eyes and exhaled one last deep breath before she stepped back. A chill set in at the loss of warmth. “I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it,” she said. “But you have to let me know what’s happening. This is my life.” A brief pause before I answered. “I understand.” “Thank you.” Just like that, the tension in the air dissolved. Stella’s ability to release a grudge as quickly as she picked it up was as baffling as it was impressive. I never forgot a slight. Ever. “You said you had updates for me. Did you find who sent the note?” Her hopeful voice sent a pang through my chest. “Not yet.” My jaw flexed.
The forensic analysis had turned up nothing. “But we’ll find him. Don’t worry.” I tilted my head toward the couch and waited until Stella was seated before I got down to business. “You said last night wasn’t the first time you’ve received such a note. Tell me what happened before.” In order to track the asshole down, I needed as much intel as possible. Information was gold, and right now, I was grasping at straws. “Don’t leave anything out,” I added. “Even the smallest details can be important.” Stella twisted her necklace around her finger, her expression distracted. Several beats passed before she finally spoke.