The Stalker Between US

Chapter 4

Julia POV

Well that was a bust. I think to myself. Relief flooding through me as I walk out into the fresh air. One down, two to go. If the second one is anything like the first one, then I am in trouble.

The streets of New York City at 11 am pulse with life. Yellow cabs dart between delivery trucks, their horns blending into a symphony of urban sound. Sidewalks overflow with office workers in a hurry, tourists craning their necks at the towering buildings, and vendors calling out from carts piled with bagels and pretzels. The sun glints off glass skyscrapers, making the city feel electric and alive, each block brimming with possibility and noise.

Caught in the crowd, I realize I’ve missed a turn. My phone’s map spins as I backtrack, weaving through the river of people and dodging puddles left by an earlier rain. Anxiety prickles at the back of my neck—there’s no margin for error before my second interview. Street signs blur together as I hurry past storefronts and newsstands, heart pounding with every wasted minute. The city, for all its excitement, suddenly feels like a maze designed to test my resolve.

Finally, the building comes into view just as the clock strikes the hour. I push through the revolving doors, breathless but composed, and check in with the receptionist. Despite the frantic detour, I’m right on time. Relief washes over me as I smooth my jacket and prepare to step into the interview, grateful that New York’s chaos couldn’t keep me from seizing this opportunity.

As I hurried through the gleaming hospital lobby, nearly colliding with a passing nurse, I found myself face-to-face with a man whose presence commanded the room. He stood at least six foot five, his build athletic beneath a tailored suit, and his hair was a tousled shade of dirty blonde that caught the morning light. What truly caught me off guard, though, were his eyes—a piercing, familiar green that seemed to study me with immediate recognition, even as he offered a disarming smile.

For a moment, the hustle of the hospital faded into the background. There was something unmistakable in the way his gaze lingered—a flash of memory or maybe just the intensity of someone used to being in charge. Only when he extended a large, steady hand and introduced himself as the CEO did I realize who I was speaking to. The striking green eyes, so reminiscent of someone I’d known before, made my heart skip as I wondered where our paths might have crossed in the past.