Night fell covering the sky as a timid girl walked passed a tree not knowing what was watching her ahead as she walked home.....
Chapter One: Shadows in London The evening air in London was soft and cool, carrying that faint trace of rain that never seemed to leave the city. Streetlights blinked awake one by one, casting halos of gold on the wet pavement. The crowds had thinned to a quiet hum—only the distant hiss of a bus, a few murmured conversations, and the rhythmic sound of heels against stone.Sophia’s steps were light, almost fragile, as she walked down the narrow path that cut between two long rows of townhouses. She had just finished her shift at the café—her hands still faintly smelling of coffee beans and vanilla syrup—and all she wanted was to reach her small flat before the fog thickened. Her scarf fluttered in the wind like a ribbon of smoke, the deep blue fabric framing her delicate face.She was small—tiny, even—but her presence filled the space she walked through, like the soft glow of candlelight in a dark room. Her dark hair, long and smooth, caught the dim light of the passing cars. People often said she looked too young to live alone in the city. But Sophia was eighteen now, old enough to dream and old enough to walk through the world by herself. Or so she thought.Behind her, someone else moved with quiet precision.Leonard adjusted his black coat and matched his stride to hers. From a distance, he blended easily into the rhythm of the city—just another tall figure in the evening crowd. But his gaze never left her. There was something about her pace, her innocence, that drew him in. It wasn’t love, not yet. It was curiosity mixed with a sharp kind of fascination.He’d first seen her three weeks ago, at the same café. She had served him tea—nervously, politely, like someone afraid to make a mistake. Her smile had been brief, but it had stayed with him. Since then, he’d been back several times, always at the same hour, always sitting at the same corner table. She had never noticed that he stayed long after she left.Leonard was a man who lived in control. The world bent around him—the markets, the headlines, the people who whispered his name with both respect and fear. His company’s glass tower overlooked half the city. Every inch of his life was curated, measured, perfected. But this girl… she was unplanned. A crack in his precision.Now, watching her from across the street, he felt something unsettlingly human stir inside him.Sophia paused at the crossing. The red light flickered against her eyes. She rubbed her arms for warmth, glancing briefly behind her—just for a second. Leonard tilted his head, hiding half his face behind the collar of his coat. When she turned away again, he allowed himself a small, quiet smile. She hadn’t seen him. Not really.The light turned green, and she continued down the lane, her steps quickening as the air grew colder. A cat darted from a doorstep, vanishing into an alley. Somewhere, a clock struck eight.Her phone buzzed—one unread message from her friend at the café: “Text me when you’re home safe!”Sophia smiled faintly. She didn’t know why her friend worried so much. London wasn’t dangerous, at least not in her corner of it. She pocketed her phone and kept walking.From the other side of the street, Leonard followed at the same steady pace. His polished shoes made almost no sound on the wet ground. He had done this before—watched people, studied their habits, understood their patterns. But never like this. This was not business. It was… indulgence.He told himself it was harmless. Just watching. He wasn’t going to hurt her. He just wanted to know more—where she lived, who she talked to, what she dreamed of when she looked out her window. People were puzzles to him, and she was a particularly beautiful one.When she reached the small iron gate of her building, Sophia stopped. The house stood quiet, old, and ivy-covered, one of those hidden London apartments tucked between expensive streets and forgotten alleys. She turned her key, pushed the door open, and disappeared inside.Leonard stayed across the street for a moment longer. His reflection shimmered in the puddle at his feet, dark and crisp beneath the streetlight. Then, quietly, he turned and walked away—past the florist’s window, past the silent row of cars, until her building was only a shadow behind him.He didn’t know why he couldn’t leave her alone.But he knew he wouldn’t stop.That night, as Sophia closed her curtains and poured herself a cup of tea, she felt a strange sense of unease—a flicker of awareness, like someone had whispered her name just outside the door. She looked through the thin lace of the curtain, but the street was empty. Only the lamplight swayed gently in the fog.She shook her head, laughed softly at herself, and turned away.Across the street, hidden behind a line of parked cars, a black Mercedes idled quietl
Dreame-Editor's pick
His Unavailable Wife: Sir, You've Lost Me
The Lone Alpha
Claimed by my Brother’s Best Friends
Secretly Rejected My Alpha Mate
The Luna He Rejected (Extended version)
Bad Boy Biker
