Elena couldn't move.
The driver was staring directly at her.
Even from across the street, she could feel it.
The certainty.
The intention.
This wasn't someone casually parked outside.
This wasn't a coincidence.
The black car had returned.
And now whoever was inside wanted her to know they were watching.
A chill crawled down her spine.
Slowly, she stepped back from the window.
Then another step.
And another.
Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it.
She grabbed her phone.
Her first instinct was to call Adrian.
Her thumb hovered over his name.
Then stopped.
No.
The last thing she wanted was another lecture about staying inside and letting him handle everything.
She was tired of being treated like a helpless victim.
Besides, maybe there was a reasonable explanation.
Maybe she was overreacting.
The thought sounded ridiculous even in her own head.
Her phone rang suddenly.
Elena nearly dropped it.
Adrian.
She answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"You sound nervous."
Straight to the point.
Always.
"I'm fine."
There was a pause.
Then Adrian sighed.
"No, you're not."
Elena hated that he knew her so well.
She glanced toward the window.
The car was still there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Something inside her snapped.
"I'm being followed."
Silence.
Dead silence.
When Adrian finally spoke, his voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Explain."
She told him everything.
The car.
The driver.
How long it had been appearing.
She expected questions.
Maybe disbelief.
Instead she heard a sharp curse under his breath.
The first she'd ever heard from him.
That scared her more than anything.
"Elena."
His tone changed.
Hard.
Controlled.
"Listen carefully."
Her stomach tightened.
"I'm listening."
"Lock every door."
"They're already locked."
"Check again."
The order came immediately.
Without argument.
Without hesitation.
For some reason, she obeyed.
A few minutes later she returned to the living room.
"Done."
"Good."
She could hear movement on the other end of the line.
Voices.
Doors opening.
Someone calling Adrian's name.
He was leaving.
Fast.
"Adrian?"
"I'm on my way."
Something about those words made her heart skip.
Not because she needed rescuing.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she knew Adrian rarely abandoned work.
And yet he was doing exactly that.
For her.
---
Thirty minutes later, the apartment door opened.
Adrian entered first.
Daniel right behind him.
Both men looked tense.
Dangerously tense.
Elena stood from the couch.
"The car is still there."
Without a word, Adrian crossed the room and looked through the window.
His expression darkened instantly.
Daniel joined him.
"That's him."
The words slipped out before Daniel could stop them.
The room went still.
Adrian turned slowly.
"So you recognize the car."
Daniel cursed quietly.
Elena's pulse quickened.
"What does that mean?"
Neither man answered immediately.
Which told her everything.
They knew something.
And they had been keeping it from her.
Again.
"Daniel."
This time her voice was sharper.
"Talk."
Daniel looked at Adrian.
Adrian looked back.
Some silent conversation passed between them.
Finally Adrian nodded once.
Daniel exhaled.
Then faced Elena.
"A few years ago," he began carefully, "there was a private investigator."
Elena frowned.
"A private investigator?"
"He worked for people who wanted information on Adrian."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"What happened to him?"
Daniel's expression became grim.
"He disappeared."
The words landed heavily.
No one spoke.
Then Elena asked the question neither man wanted to hear.
"And the person in that car?"
Daniel swallowed.
"The car belonged to him."
The blood drained from Elena's face.
Impossible.
The investigator was missing.
Gone.
So who was sitting in the driver's seat?
And why were they watching her?
Before anyone could answer, a new notification appeared on Elena's phon
e.
All three of them heard it.
The room fell silent.
Slowly, Elena looked down.
A message.
Unknown number.
Just three words.
**Ask about Victoria.**
The phone nearly slipped from her hands.
And for the first time since she met him...
Adrian Volkov looked genuinely shaken.