Healing His Shadows

Chapter 4: The Cold Mafia King Notices Her

-POV Elara

The next morning my eyes felt like sandpaper. I barely slept after seeing that i********: story and the half-hidden suit sleeve. Gelano’s weak “cuma sekali lagi” still echoed in my head, but I shoved it down, threw on my intern clothes, and drove to Vitale Tower like nothing was wrong. Fake it till you make it, right?

The office floor was already buzzing when I got there—people in sharp suits moving fast, voices low like they knew better than to make noise. I kept my head down, focusing on the stack of patient files they gave me for review. Heart cases. Charts. Anything to keep my brain busy.

I didn’t notice him at first.

Fletcher Draven was in the big glass office at the end of the hall, door half open. But I felt his eyes. That heavy stare from the elevator and the hospital hallway was back, only this time it followed me around the open workspace. Every time I looked up from my desk, he was watching. Not in a creepy way exactly… more like he was studying me. Mirroring the way I sat—back straight, shoulders tense—without even realizing it at first.

I caught myself doing the same. When he leaned back in his chair, I did too. When he rubbed his jaw, my fingers twitched like they wanted to copy him. Delayed reaction. It took me a second to notice what was happening, and by then it felt too late to stop.

He didn’t come over. Just stayed in his office, pretending to work while his eyes tracked every move I made. The Observer Trap. I could feel it closing around me—the way he saw things other people missed. My tired eyes. The way I kept twisting the diamond ring on my finger when I thought no one was looking. The small sigh I let out every time my phone buzzed with another “sorry babe” text from Glenn.

Around lunch, I stepped into the break room for coffee. The place was empty except for the low hum of the AC. I leaned against the counter, staring at the dark liquid in my mug, mind drifting back to last night’s fight. That’s when I felt it again. That prickling on the back of my neck.

I glanced up at the corner of the room. Small black dome on the ceiling. CCTV. Nothing unusual for a place like this… but something told me Fletcher was the one watching right now. Voyeurism, light but intense. I could almost picture him in his office, screen split, zooming in on me while I stood there exhausted and pretending to be fine.

My cheeks heated up. I turned away fast, but not before I saw the little red light blink once. Like he knew I’d noticed.

Later that afternoon he finally called me into his office. The door clicked shut behind me—soft, but final. Fletcher was sitting behind his massive desk, sleeves rolled up, looking every bit the cold mafia king everyone whispered about. Power rolled off him in waves.

“Sit,” he said, voice low and calm.

I sat. My hands stayed in my lap, ring catching the light from the window.

He didn’t speak right away. Just leaned forward, elbows on the desk, gray eyes locking onto mine. “I checked your background, Dr. Hart. Impressive. Top of your class. Dedicated. Loyal.” He said the last word like he was testing it. Premature admission—almost like he was admitting he’d dug into my life without asking.

I blinked, caught off guard. “You… checked me?”

A small smile tugged at his mouth. Not warm. Possessive. “I check everyone who steps into my building. Especially someone connected to the Voss family.” He paused, eyes dropping to the ring on my finger for a beat too long. “Gelano Voss. Your fiancé. Interesting choice.”

My stomach twisted. He knew. Of course he knew. The Observer Trap felt tighter now.

I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but the words stuck. Fletcher just kept watching me, like he could see every crack from last night. The fight with Glenn. The photos. The way I was slowly unraveling.

He leaned back, still mirroring my tense posture, but his version looked controlled. Dangerous. “You deserve better than late nights and weak excuses, Elara.”

The way he said my first name sent a stupid shiver down my spine. I stood up too fast, chair scraping loud in the quiet office. “I should get back to the files.”

Fletcher didn’t stop me. But as I reached the door, I heard him murmur under his breath, that cold smile still playing on his lips.

“She’s the perfect future daughter-in-law for the Voss family… or she could be mine.”

The words hung in the air even after I closed the door behind me. My heart hammered the whole way back to my desk. The ring felt heavier than ever, like it was burning against my skin.

And for the first time, I wondered how long I could keep pretending everything was fine… when the most dangerous man in the room had already decided he wanted me.

End of Chapter 4