THE STALKER WHO SAVED ME

CHAPTER 4

I didn’t wait for the elevator.

I stormed down the emergency stairs, heels slamming each step, heart still racing from Anderson’s “I’m keeping you.”

My phone exploded the second I hit the lobby.

Jake. Three missed calls. Twelve texts.

Jake: WHERE ARE YOU Jake: Security just told me you went to the top floor ALONE Jake: Tefon answer me or I’m coming up there myself

I pushed through the glass doors into the cool evening air. Jake was already waiting on the sidewalk, pacing like a caged animal, tie loosened, face pale.

“Tefon!” He grabbed my shoulders the moment he saw me. “What the hell happened up there? You look like you just fought a war.”

I tried to shrug him off, but his grip tightened. Real fear lived in his eyes.

“Jake, I’m fine—”

“No. You’re not.” His voice cracked. “I’ve been digging. Anderson doesn’t summon people. He destroys them. That man doesn’t do casual. He does obsession. And after last night? The way he looked at you in the club… he’s not letting this go. He’s going to swallow you whole.”

I opened my mouth, but he cut me off.

“I saw the videos, okay? Everyone has. The whole company is whispering. And now Liam’s texting me too, asking if you’re safe. Liam. The guy who never panics. He’s losing it over this.”

Liam.

My stomach twisted. The way he’d walked into Anderson’s office like he had every right. The way his eyes had lingered on me, protective in a way that felt… different now.

Jake’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it and cursed. “Speak of the devil. Liam again. Says he’s waiting in the parking garage if you need him.”

I stared at Jake’s worried face. My best friend—the one who’d dragged me to Red Town and laughed about it this morning—was terrified. For me.

“Anderson tried to claim me,” I said quietly. “Told me I don’t go anywhere without his permission. That I’m his now.”

Jake’s eyes widened in horror. “And you told him to f**k off, right?”

I didn’t answer fast enough.

“Jesus, Tefon.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You can’t play this game. He’s not some hot boss with a crush. He’s dangerous. People who cross him disappear from the industry. Careers. Lives. Gone.”

My phone vibrated again.

Anderson: My driver is outside. Get in. We’re finishing this conversation tonight.

I stared at the text. Possession, pure and simple. No question mark. No please.

I typed back with shaking fingers.

Me: No.

Jake read it over my shoulder and exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for hours. “Good. Finally. Now let’s get you out of here before he—”

A sleek black Maybach rolled up to the curb. The back door opened by itself.

Anderson stepped out.

Not in the office suit anymore. Black coat, open collar, looking like sin and power wrapped in one lethal package. His eyes found mine instantly, ignoring Jake completely.

“Miss Tefon.” His voice carried across the sidewalk, calm but commanding. “The board meeting is at eight tomorrow. You’ll prepare with me tonight. In my penthouse.”

Jake moved in front of me like a shield. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

Anderson’s gaze slid to Jake for the first time. Cold. Assessing. “Mr. Rivera. Your concern is… touching. But misplaced. This doesn’t involve you.”

Jake didn’t back down. “She’s my best friend. And if you think you can just snap your fingers and own her after one drunk night, you’re wrong.”

Tension crackled between them.

I stepped around Jake, chin high, even as my pulse thundered. “I’m not preparing anything with you tonight, Mr. Anderson. I’m going home. Alone.”

Something dangerous flickered in his eyes—surprise, then darker hunger. He wasn’t used to the word no.

“Defy me if you want,” he said softly, stepping closer until only inches separated us. “It won’t change the fact that the board wants answers. And the only answer I’m giving them is that you’re under my personal protection now.”

His fingers brushed my wrist. Light. Electric. A silent reminder of how easily he could pull me in.

I yanked my hand back. “I don’t need your protection. Or your possession. I can handle myself.”

For a second, his mask slipped—just a fraction. Raw need flashed across his face before the ice returned.

My phone buzzed one more time.

Liam: I’m still here. If he’s pushing too hard, say the word. I’ll get you out. No questions. I care about you more than you know.

The words hit harder than they should have. Liam had always been safe. Steady. But “more than you know”?

Jake saw the message too. His eyes met mine, wide with the same question I was suddenly asking myself.

Was Liam just a friend… or had he been waiting for something more this entire time?

Anderson watched me read it. His jaw tightened—the first visible crack in that perfect control.

“Choose carefully tonight, Tefon,” he murmured, voice low enough that only I could hear. “Because once I decide something is mine, I don’t stop. Ever.”

He slid back into the Maybach, but didn’t close the door.

Waiting.

Jake grabbed my arm, voice urgent. “Don’t get in that car. Please. I’m begging you. That man is going to ruin you.”

My heart hammered between two worlds—Anderson’s dark, all-consuming obsession… and Liam’s quiet, questioning pull.

I took one step toward the car.

Then stopped.

Anderson’s eyes lit with triumph.

I turned away instead, linking my arm through Jake’s.

“Not tonight,” I said loud enough for Anderson to hear. “And not ever on your terms.”

The Maybach door slammed shut.

But as Jake pulled me toward the parking garage—toward Liam—I felt Anderson’s stare burning into my back like a brand.

And I knew.

This wasn’t over.

It had just become war.