Chapter 19: Mistaken stalker

Chapter 19: Mistaken stalker


Emma’s heart hammered. “He’s still there, i can hear him. He’s not even trying to hide it anymore.”

“Emma, listen,” Maria’s voice came sharp through the phone. “Don’t run unless you have to. Running will make him chase.”

Emma’s voice broke. “He is already chasing me.”

She tried to steady her steps, but her nerves betrayed her. Her heel caught a crack in the pavement, making her stumble.

The sound behind her quickened.

“No, no, no” Emma gasped, forcing herself back up. She broke into a half-run despite Maria’s warning.

“Emma!” Maria shouted in her ear. “Where are you now? Tell me!”

“I don’t know! Side street almost at Main”

She burst out of the narrow street, back into the faint glow of the larger road. Her chest was heaving, her legs shaky.

For a split second, relief flooded her. She could see Main Street just two blocks away, brighter, safer.

Then headlights flared from the corner.

Emma froze.

The sleek black car rolled forward, slow, deliberate.

The driver’s side window lowered.

“Emma.”

Her stomach dropped. That voice was sharp and commanding. Cole.

She stood rooted, phone still clutched in her hand.

“Get in,” Cole said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Maria’s voice screeched through the phone. “Emma? What’s happening? Who is it?”

Emma’s eyes darted between the car, Cole’s unreadable face behind the wheel, and the dark street behind her where she could still feel the stalker’s presence.

“Emma,” Cole said again, louder this time. “Now.”

Her chest rose and fell in quick bursts. She didn’t move.

“Emma!” Maria’s frantic voice echoed in her ear.

Emma blinked, stunned. “Mr. Cole?”

He leaned a little toward the window, expression unreadable under the streetlight. “Yes. Get in the car.”

Her heart was still racing. She shook her head. “You can’t just, what are you even doing here?”

“Emma,” his tone hardened, “this isn’t a request. Get in.”

She glanced behind her. The street looked empty, but she knew what she’d heard. Someone was out there, watching. Her chest tightened.

“I..no, I can walk home,” she said, though her voice wavered.

“Walk home?” he repeated. “With whoever’s been trailing you for the last ten minutes?”

Her eyes shot up to his. “You saw?”

His jaw flexed. “Of course I saw. Now stop wasting time.”

She hugged her bag tighter. “Why are you even here? Were you following me too?”

“Not following,” he said flatly. “Checking. There’s a difference. You wouldn’t last five minutes out here if I didn’t.”

Emma frowned. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“Emma.” His voice dropped lower, calm but cutting. “You can argue later. Right now, you either stand here and wait for that idiot in the shadows to grow bold, or you get in the car.”

The way he said it made her stomach flip. He sounded so certain. Like there really was someone, right there, waiting.

She glanced around again. The empty street felt heavier suddenly.

“Fine,” she muttered. “But just to get home.”

“Exactly,” he said.

Emma walked around the car slowly, every step reluctant. He unlocked it with a sharp click. She slid in, clutching her bag on her lap like it might protect her from him, too.

The leather seats were cold. The car smelled faintly of him, clean, expensive, controlled.

Cole pulled back onto the road without a word.

Emma shifted uncomfortably. “You didn’t have to scare me like that.”

He kept his eyes on the road. “I wasn’t the one following you.”

“You could’ve at least called out before barking at me,” she shot back. “Do you have any idea how it feels to have a car stop like that?”

His mouth twitched, like he almost smiled, but didn’t. “Good. Maybe next time you’ll be more careful about walking alone this late.”

“That’s not the point,” she muttered.

“It’s exactly the point,” he said. “You think Chloe’s your only problem? You’re wrong. You need to stop assuming people are harmless.”

Emma turned toward him, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”

He didn’t answer right away. His hand tightened on the wheel. “Just stay alert. That’s all.”

“That’s not an answer,” she pressed.

He finally looked at her, just for a second, then back at the road. “Do you really want to know everything? Or do you want to sleep tonight?”

That shut her up. Her fingers curled tighter around her bag.

Silence stretched between them, heavy.

After a while, she said quietly, “You didn’t have to come.”

“Yes,” he said, without hesitation. “I did.”

Emma looked out the window, pretending to focus on the passing buildings. Her chest still felt tight.

He finally dropped her off at her place and drove off without saying another word.

A few days later, Emma was at her desk, typing up the minutes from Cole’s last meeting. She was focused on her screen until the sharp sound of heels echoed through the hallway. She didn’t even need to look up. That sound had already carved a place in her head.

Chloe.

A second later, Chloe appeared in the doorway. She didn’t bother knocking, she never did. She just breezed in like the whole floor belonged to her.

“Darling,” Chloe said, her voice dripping sugar as she walked straight toward Cole’s office. “There you are.”

Cole was standing by the window, flipping through a file. He looked up, his expression unreadable as always.

“Chloe,” he said flatly.

She didn’t care about his tone. She went right to him, looping her arm through his like it belonged there. “I was just in the area,” she said brightly. “Thought I’d stop by and see if my future husband was free for lunch.”

Emma kept her eyes on her keyboard, but she could feel Chloe’s glance sweep over her, making sure every word landed where it was supposed to.

Cole’s eyes flicked once in Emma’s direction before settling back on Chloe. “We’ll see how the day plays out.”

Chloe pouted. “You always say that.”

“I’m busy.”

She leaned closer, lowering her voice, but not enough that Emma couldn’t hear. “You’re always busy, at least spare one hour for me, hm? If not today, then tomorrow.”

Cole shut the file and set it on his desk. “Tomorrow.”

Her pout disappeared instantly, replaced by a smile. “Perfect. I’ll make reservations.”

Cole said nothing.

Chloe held her position a little longer, as if to drive the point home. Then she straightened, smoothed her hair, and looked at Emma again. “You’ll keep it clear, right? No excuses.”

“Yes,” Emma said simply.

“Good girl.”

Emma clenched her jaw.

Cole finally moved, picking up another file. “Do you need something else, Chloe?”

Her lips parted slightly, just for a second, before she masked it with another smile. “Only you,” she said, tugging on his arm playfully. “But I’ll let you get back to work.”

She started to leave, but of course she couldn’t resist one last shot. She stopped at Emma’s desk, leaned her hand on the edge, and gave her a slow once-over.

“You’re very diligent, Emma,” she said sweetly. “Cole is lucky to have someone like you keeping track of his schedule. Just don’t forget, his life doesn’t revolve around this office. He has more important things outside of it.”

Emma kept her tone flat. “Noted.”

Chloe’s eyes lingered, waiting for her to flinch. When Emma didn’t, she smiled again, the kind of smile that was more warning than warmth.

Then she straightened, blew a kiss in Cole’s direction, and finally left.

The sound of her heels faded down the hallway, but the tension she left behind stayed thick in the room.

Cole didn’t say anything. He just sat back down, flipping open the file again, as if none of it had happened.

Emma turned back to her computer, typing harder than she needed to. Her fingers trembled a little on the keys, but she kept going. She couldn’t give Chloe the satisfaction of being right.