Clarissa’s POV
He stood on the other side of the gate, perfectly at ease, hands in his pockets, wearing that infuriating smile that had always felt like a challenge rather than warmth. The security lights washed him in white, as if exposing him should have stripped him of power but it didn’t.
“How did you find me?” I asked, my voice sharper than I felt. My heart was beating so loudly I wondered if he could hear it through the steel bars.
He tilted his head, amused. “Clarissa,” he said gently, like my name was a secret meant only for him. “You really underestimate me.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
He laughed, low and confident. “I’m wealthy. Wealthy enough to get anything I want. Information, places, people.” His eyes dragged over the estate behind me. “Including where you’re hiding.”
“I’
