Chapter 4
1126 Words
Camilla's pov
Diego’s gaze locks with mine across the street, causing a sharp pain in my stomach
Sandra squeezes my wrist. “Why is he here? Is he stalking you?”
My pulse stops. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
The car door opens, and his driver steps out, speaking quietly into an earpiece. It’s not threatening… It’s worse.
“Camilla,” Sandra whispers, “we need to leave now.”
We back up slowly, the way someone might back away from a predator. But Diego doesn’t move toward us. He doesn’t shout or cross the street.
He simply watches.
Me.
Only me.
The wind blows his coat slightly, revealing the lines of his suit darkly..
Sandra grips my hand. “Okay, this is freaking me out. I'm calling the cops.”
“You can’t,” I say quietly.
“Why not?”
Because he owns the system they use to verify identities.
And I don’t even have a legal identity anymore.
The realization hits me like a punch.
He lifts a hand not a wave, not a command. Just a gesture. A reminder that he knows exactly who I am… and exactly what he took.
Sandra tugs my arm. “Camilla, come on let’s go.”
I force myself to turn away. We hurry around the corner, down the block, and into a crowded street where the noise swallows our panic. Only when we reach the bus stop does Sandra spin to face me.
“That man is dangerous,” she says. “He’s playing with you.”
“No,” I whisper. “He’s hunting something my father left behind.”
Sandra's eyes widen. “Cam your father’s archive was locked for a reason.”
“I know.”
I step back,
“But now… Diego wants it.”
Before she can respond, my phone buzzes.
Unknown number.
The message pops up on my screen:
You shouldn't run from me.
We're not done yet
My heart stops.
And then
another message appears.
Your name isn't the only thing I can take
Come back
Now
My fingers go numb around the phone.
Sandra leans closer. “ what did he say?”
I can’t speak. I just hand her the screen.
Her eyes widen. “Oh hell no. He cannot threaten you like this”
“He can,” I whisper. “And he will.”Sandra grabs my shoulders. “Camilla, listen to me. You can’t go back there alone. This man clearly does not care about boundaries. Or laws.”
I swallow hard, “He said my name isn’t the only thing he can take.”
“Which is exactly why you’re not going anywhere near him,” she fires back.
But I’m already shaking my head.
“You don’t understand,” I say. “He didn’t send this because he wants to scare me. He sent it because he already knows what power he has.”
“And what power is that?” Sandra demands.
I look at her.
Her apartment lease is in my name.
Her work emergency contact is me.
Half of her digital accounts were set up using my biometric signature because her system glitched two years ago.
My voice comes out faint. “He can freeze everything connected to my identity… and everyone linked to it.”
Sandra's face drains of color. “Camilla, no. He wouldn’t..”
But we both know he would.
The bus roars to a stop in front of us, doors hissing open. People shove past, boarding and exiting in a blur of noise. For a moment, we’re swallowed by the voices and, footsteps.
Then my phone buzzed
I won't repeat myself
My chest tightens.
Sandra grabs my hand. “You can’t let him control you.”
“I’m not,” I answer quietly. “I’m protecting you.”
Her grip tightens until her nails press into my skin. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“No.” I pull away. “I can’t drag you into this.”
“Camilla”
“I’ll be fine,” I lie. “I’ll talk to him.”
Another buzz.
This time, it’s not a message.
It’s a location ping from an unknown number.
Sandra stares at it, horrified. “Oh my God… he’s tracking you.”
And behind us,
we hear a car door slam.
I turn.
And standing just feet away on the sidewalk
Is Diego
He stands there like he owns the entire street, unreadable eyes, People pass him without noticing, but to me, his presence feels like gravity shifting.
Sandra stiffens beside me. “ Cam, get behind me”
I whisper, “he’s not going to hurt me in public.”
Diego’s gaze flicks to her. “Your friend is right to be cautious.”
His voice low, steady, and calm cuts through the air like a blade.
“Stop tracking me.”
“I didn’t track you,” he replies, stepping closer. “I monitored the identity gaps you created while running. You disappear from the system every time you move too fast.”
“That’s the same thing,” I snap.
“It’s not.” He stops in front of me too close. “If I tracked you, you wouldn’t have seen the ping.”
My breath stutters.
His eyes soften “You’re panicking. And you’re making reckless choices.”
Sandra advances, placing herself between us. “Leave her alone.”
Diego’s jaw flexes, but he doesn’t shift. “Miss Ortega, I have no issue with you.”
“My best friend is my business,” she fires back.
He looks at her coldly “And your accounts, lease, and digital records are tied to Camilla’s identity. Which I now control.”
Sandra turned pale immediately.
I step forward quickly. “ Enough please.”
His eyes return to me instantly, like I’m the only person in the world.
“I warned you,” he says softly. “Don’t run from me.”
I grit my teeth. “I’m not a pawn”
“No,” he agrees. “You’re the only person who can open that archive. That makes you significantly more than a pawn.”
“And the threat?” I challenge. “Was that just entertainment?”
“That was honesty.”
The wind blows between us, whipping against my jacket, but neither of us moves.
“Come with me,” he says. “Now.”
“And if I don’t?”
His gaze lowers slowly to my backpack.
I freeze.
Because inside it… is the old drive.
The one piece of the archive I took without telling anyone.
He knows.
Of course, he knows.
Diego steps closer
“You have something that belongs to me, Camilla.”
- Writer
