Used By My Billionaire Boss

chapter 10

Caught

The man steps closer, his eyes unwavering, studying her like she’s a puzzle he’s determined to solve. There’s something in his gaze that sends a shiver down her spine. A chill settles in her chest, but she refuses to let it show. She forces herself to stand tall, despite the growing panic inside her.

“I’ve seen you before,” he says, his voice calm, almost too calm. His words hang in the air, thick and heavy.

Stephanie’s pulse quickens. She can’t let him get to her. She has to stay calm and act like she’s nothing more than an odd hotel manager trying to get through her job. But inside, her mind is racing.

How could he have seen me? She clenches her fists at her sides, trying to steady her shaking hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replies, her voice shaky despite her best efforts. She can feel the lie in her throat. She knows he’s right there’s something about her face, something in her eyes that doesn’t belong here, that doesn’t fit with the story she’s been selling. But she can’t let him find out.

“I’m sure of it,” the man says, stepping even closer, his eyes narrowing. “You’re hiding something.”

The words hit her like a slap to the face. She presses her lips together, fighting the urge to back away. She’s never been good at lying, acting, and keeping the truth buried deep. But she can’t let him see through her. She can’t let him find the truth.

“I’m just a regular manager,” she says, her voice barely more than a whisper, but it sounds fake even to her ears. Her breath comes faster now, her heart beating in her chest.

The man eyes her for a long moment, and in that pause, Stephanie’s world feels like it’s falling in. Every cell of her being screams at her to run, to escape, to get away from him before he figures it out. But she doesn’t move.

He leans in, just a little, and it feels like the walls are closing in around her. “I think you’re lying,” he whispers, his voice low and threatening. “And I think you know exactly what I mean.”

Her gut turns into a tight knot. It’s as if he’s seen straight through her like he knows everything she’s running from. But how could he? She’s careful. She’s done everything right.

But as his gaze rests on her, there’s a moment a brief, frightening moment where she wonders if he’s going to reach out, grab her by the wrist, and pull her into his world. His world where the truth can’t be hidden, where the past can’t be erased.

Her breath hitches. She can’t breathe.

“I don’t know what you think you know,” she says quickly, moving back just a bit. “But you’re wrong.”

The man doesn’t move, doesn’t talk. He just stands there, watching her, and for a moment, it feels like time has stopped. Her heart thunders in her chest, and she can’t shake the feeling that this is it. She’s been caught.

Then, without notice, something moves in the man’s face. He seems to rethink, his jaw constricting just enough that she can see the muscles flex. His lips curve into a slight, knowing smile too small, too confident.

That’s when her reflexes kick in.

In an instant, her body responds before her mind can even catch up. She turns sharply, the edge of her heel scraping the floor, and she’s running. Running like she’d never run before.

The sound of her footsteps echoes in the hallway, her heart hammering in her ears. She doesn’t look back. She can’t afford to. She just pushes forward, moving between the small hotel hallways, looking for an exit.

The back alley. It’s her best chance. She knows the hotel well, and she knows where the back door is. If she can just make it there, she’ll be safe, at least for a little while.

As she bursts through the back door and into the alley, the cold air hits her face like a slap, but she doesn’t slow down. She keeps running, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps.

The alley is dark, the sounds of the street muted by the tall buildings around her. But she doesn’t feel any better. The terror swells in her chest, a raw, crushing fear. She can’t stop shaking. She has to get away. She has to escape.

I need to leave. I can’t risk it. He knows something. He has to.

Her thoughts race as she runs, her footsteps sounding too loud in the empty alley. She makes it to the end of the alley and skids to a stop, breathing hard. She looks around quickly. There’s no one in sight. No one followed her.

But she knows she can’t stay here. She can’t stay anywhere. The whole world feels like it’s closing in on her. She has no idea if the man is still inside the hotel if he’s following her, or if he’s already called someone to track her down.

She has to leave.

Stephanie doesn’t pause. She spins on her heel, making her way to the closest street. She has to get back to Jake’s flat. She needs to talk to him and figure out what the next step is. But as she walks quickly, her mind doesn’t stop spinning.

What if the man’s already told someone about her? What if it’s only a matter of time before Leon tracks her down?

She can’t outrun him forever.

Jake’s Warning

By the time Stephanie reaches Jake’s room, her legs are sore, her head spinning. She’s never felt so out of control. She can’t even remember the last time she felt safe.

Jake’s face hardens when she bursts through the door, her chest rising and falling with every shaky breath.

“Steph?” he says, worry clear in his voice, but it doesn’t take long for him to see the fear in her eyes.

“I... I think he knows,” she says, her voice breaking slightly. “The man at the hotel. He recognized me. He said he’s seen me before.”

Jake doesn’t say anything at first. He just stands there, his arms crossed, studying her. The quiet is heavy, smothering like he’s trying to figure out how to fix this mess, but he doesn’t know how.

Finally, he talks. “We can’t stay here anymore. Not after this.”

Stephanie nods, though a part of her hesitates. She doesn’t want to keep going. She doesn’t want to leave again, but she knows Jake’s right. Staying here is too dangerous.

“We’ll leave in the morning,” Jake continues, his tone final. “Get some rest tonight. We’ll figure out the next move.”

But something gnaws at her, something deep inside. She knows running won’t solve everything. She can’t outrun her past forever. She can’t keep hiding. But for now, there’s nothing else she can do.

Jake reaches for his phone and starts making plans, but Stephanie doesn’t pay attention. Her mind is elsewhere on the man who knows her secret, on Leon, on the future she’s afraid to face.

As she moves to leave the room, something catches her eye. A small envelope lies on the counter, its corners crisp and clean, as though it was just put there.

Her heart skips a beat when she sees the name written on the front Stephanie Chase.

She freezes.

The letter is written to her the woman she’s no longer meant to be. She stands there, looking at it, her fingers hovering just above the envelope. What could it mean? Who would send her a letter? And why now, when everything is falling apart?