Chapter 123 Chapter 123
Chapter 123
(Flashback)
It was evening, the sky streaked with the soft orange of sunset, and the offices of Castellan Enterprises were slowly emptying. Amelia had parked at the far edge of the lot, deliberately keeping herself in the shadows where no one could spot her. From this distance, she could watch without being noticed, and she made sure to stay low, behind her car door, the engine off, her pulse steady but alert.
Across the lot, a sleek black SUV pulled up near the building’s main entrance. Amelia’s eyes narrowed, tracking every movement.
A woman emerged from the building, adjusting her bag on one shoulder as two of the company’s security men stepped forward, opening the car doors and guiding her inside with practiced care. Amelia could see the way the woman moved hesitant at first, as though she wasn’t used to being waited on, yet careful, deliberate, aware of her surroundings.
Amelia didn’t need to see her face clearly. Even from this distance, even with the tinted windows partially hiding her features, she recognized the posture, the poise, the way she carried herself. That was enough. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her mind raced, connecting the dots with sharp clarity.
“When did Ethan start giving staff security and drivers?” she whispered to herself, the words bitter and calculating. Her jaw tightened as her eyes flicked to the black SUV again. “And that SUV… that’s his. So basically… that’s the woman I’ve been looking for.”
A thrill ran through her, not fear, but a pulse of power and anticipation. All her planning, all her patience, had led to this moment. Finally, she had confirmation. Her fingers curled around the steering wheel, knuckles whitening, a small shiver of excitement racing down her spine.
“I’ll get her killed,” she muttered, the words low but venomous. Even from a distance, she felt a surge of control just knowing where her target was. The woman’s movements were confident yet vulnerable, a contradiction that made Amelia’s frustration grow. What did Ethan even see in someone like her? The question lingered, sharp and mocking, but Amelia pushed it aside. Understanding wasn’t important eliminating her was.
The SUV’s door closed, the driver sliding in behind the wheel, and the security men settled beside the woman inside, their presence obvious even from Amelia’s hiding spot. She couldn’t see the woman’s face well enough to distinguish features, but she didn’t need to. Everything the car, the guards, the careful, aware movements screamed the truth. This was her.
Amelia’s lips curled into a smirk, half satisfaction, half menace. Patience had brought her here, and soon, she would act. But for now, she watched, letting the confirmation sink in. The target was real. The target was vulnerable. And she was ready.
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Now, present day.
Amelia stood in front of her damaged car, staring at the dented hood and the deep scrape in the paint where she had left her mark. The morning sun glinted off the metal, reflecting the subtle cuts and bruises from her hands. They weren’t serious, but enough to sting, a reminder that she had been close to the danger she liked to court.
She ran her fingers lightly over the dents, tracing the marks as if replaying the events of that day in her mind. On the surface, she was calm, composed even, a smirk tugging at her lips. But beneath it all, her thoughts were running wild, circling around the confirmation she had gotten back then, the one that had made her sure: the woman she had been searching for was real, and she had found her.
Amelia tilted her head, letting the wind brush her hair back as she took a deep breath, savoring the control, the satisfaction of seeing her plan unfold exactly as she had intended. She didn’t need to rush; the pieces were moving, and soon, the moment would come when she could strike. For now, it was enough to watch, to remember, to feel that quiet, simmering power that came from knowing the target was exactly where she wanted her.
Her smirk widened as she finally stepped back from the car. The world kept spinning around her people hurrying past with their headphones in, cars honking like they had somewhere better to be but none of it touched Amelia.
She stood there on the cracked sidewalk, heart still doing that quick, uneven thud from the chase, and let the satisfaction roll through her like a warm shot of something strong.
She had her mark. She had her confirmation.
And damn, it felt good.
A quiet laugh bubbled up in her throat before she could stop it. Not loud, just enough to make her shoulders shake a little.
All those weeks of second-guessing herself, of lying awake wondering if she was chasing shadows or if she was actually onto something real thi
s moment made every single sleepless night worth it.