Chapter 7—A Warning
1049 Words
Selena's phone buzzed as she stepped into Laurent Luxe's headquarters.
She barely glanced at it.
Another email.
Another meeting request.
Another problem demanding her attention.
Nothing unusual.
She continued walking toward the elevator.
Then the screen lit up again.
Unknown Number.
A cold feeling slid down her spine.
For some reason, she opened it.
The message contained only five words.
You should have stayed gone.
Selena stopped walking.
Her heartbeat skipped.
The elevator doors opened behind her.
Employees entered and exited.
Life continued around her.
Yet she couldn't move.
She stared at the screen.
Read the message again.
And again.
Her first instinct was irritation.
Some internet troll.
Some random person angry about a business deal.
Nothing more.
She forced herself to breathe.
Then deleted the message.
Problem solved.
Or so she told herself.
An hour later she was sitting in a boardroom.
Executives discussed quarterly projections.
Graphs flashed across giant screens.
Numbers filled the room.
Selena wasn't listening.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the text.
It was ridiculous.
She had enemies.
Every successful company did.
People made threats all the time.
That didn't mean anything.
Her phone vibrated again.
The sound felt unnaturally loud.
Selena glanced down.
Unknown Number.
Her stomach tightened.
She opened it.
The color drained from her face.
We know where your daughter goes to school.
Everything around her disappeared.
The voices.
The presentations.
The room.
Gone.
All she saw was that message.
All she heard was the sudden pounding of her heart.
No.
No.
No.
Not Aria.
Anyone but Aria.
"Ms. Laurent?"
Someone was speaking to her.
She barely heard them.
Her hands were shaking.
A third notification appeared.
This time it wasn't a text.
It was a photograph.
Selena opened it.
And nearly dropped her phone.
Aria.
Standing outside school that morning.
Smiling.
Completely unaware someone had taken her picture.
A strangled breath escaped Selena.
Fear unlike anything she'd ever experienced crashed into her.
Not fear for herself.
For her daughter.
Her child.
Her entire world.
"Meeting's over."
The words burst from her mouth.
Everyone stared.
Confused.
Selena was already standing.
Already grabbing her purse.
Already heading toward the door.
Nothing mattered except Aria.
The drive to the school felt endless.
Every red light became torture.
Every slow driver became an enemy.
Selena called the school twice.
Then three times.
Then four.
No answer.
Her panic grew.
What if someone had already taken her?
What if she was hurt?
What if….
"No."
Selena gripped the steering wheel.
She refused to think like that.
Aria was fine.
She had to be fine.
The school finally appeared.
Selena parked illegally.
Jumped out.
Ran.
Teachers stared as she rushed through the front entrance.
The receptionist immediately stood.
"Ms. Laurent?"
"Where's my daughter?"
The woman's eyes widened.
"She's fine."
Relief nearly brought Selena to her knees.
"Where is she?"
"Art class."
Selena didn't wait.
She practically ran through the building.
Past classrooms.
Past students.
Past teachers.
Until she finally reached the art room.
Then she saw her.
Aria.
Covered in paint.
Laughing with friends.
Safe.
The sight nearly made Selena cry.
"Mommy?"
Aria looked surprised.
Selena crossed the room immediately.
Pulling her daughter into her arms.
Holding her tightly.
Too tightly.
The little girl giggled.
"Mommy."
Selena buried her face in Aria's hair.
Breathing.
Thank God.
Breathing.
"Are you okay?"
Aria blinked.
"Yes."
"Did anyone talk to you?"
"No."
"Did anyone follow you?"
"No."
"Did anyone"
"Mommy."
The small voice interrupted her panic.
"I'm okay."
Selena nodded.
But her fear remained.
Because whoever sent those messages had known exactly how to hurt her.
Across the city, Adrian was having a very different day.
Marcus entered his office carrying another file.
"You were right."
Adrian immediately looked up.
"About what?"
"The car."
Marcus tossed photographs onto the desk.
Adrian studied them.
The same black sedan.
The same license plate.
The same vehicle.
His jaw tightened.
"What did you find?"
Marcus folded his arms.
"It wasn't watching the building."
A chill crept down Adrian's spine.
"It was watching you."
Exactly what he'd suspected.
"Who owns it?"
Marcus hesitated.
"No one."
Adrian frowned.
"What?"
"The plates are fake."
That wasn't good.
Not remotely good.
Before Adrian could respond, another knock interrupted them.
His head of security entered.
Serious.
Tense.
Concerned.
Adrian immediately noticed.
"What happened?"
The man placed a tablet on the desk.
"We found something."
Adrian's stomach tightened.
"Show me."
The security footage began playing.
Black and white video.
A school entrance.
Parents arriving.
Children leaving.
Normal footage.
Until a hooded figure appeared.
The person stood across the street.
Motionless.
Watching.
The timestamp showed this morning.
The figure lifted a phone.
Then took photographs.
Dozens of them.
Adrian frowned.
"What am I looking at?"
The footage zoomed in.
The image sharpened.
And Adrian's blood ran cold.
Because he recognized the child being photographed.
Aria.
His daughter.
The hooded figure continued taking pictures.
Following her movements.
Tracking her.
Watching her.
Every protective instinct Adrian possessed exploded to life.
The room became silent.
Dead silent.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The footage continued.
Then the hooded person looked directly toward the camera.
Just for a second.
Long enough to reveal part of their face.
Not enough for identification.
But enough to feel deliberate.
Almost like a warning.
The video ended.
Adrian slowly stood.
Dangerous calm settling over him.
"When was this recorded?"
"This morning."
"Who else knows?"
"No one."
Adrian stared at the frozen image.
A stranger.
Watching his daughter.
Photographing her.
For reasons unknown.
A memory flashed through his mind.
The messages Selena must have received.
The threats.
The fear.
Someone wasn't merely observing anymore.
Someone was making a move.
And for the first time, Adrian realized the conspiracy surrounding the wedding might not be over.
It might have never ended.
His voice came out cold.
"Double security around Selena and Aria."
Marcus looked surprised.
"Without telling them?"
"Especially without telling them."
Because if someone was watching Aria now...
Then whoever destroyed their lives five years ago might be back.
And this time, they weren't hiding.
Adrian's eyes remained fixed on the image.
On the hooded stranger.
On the person stalking his daughter.
Then another detail caught his attention.
The figure wasn't just photographing Aria.
They were smiling.
And somehow that was the most terrifying part of all.
- Writer
