Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The dogs were standing at the entrance to the kitchen, growling low, their teeth bared.

Vlad stopped with his arms crossed, his body motionless like a statue. He didn’t need to see to know.

“Leave,” he said, his voice low. “Or I’ll come after you.”

Silence.

Then a faint creak came from the side of the kitchen where the door led to the garden. He heard someone trying to retreat.

The dogs took a step forward, growling louder.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. The air around him seemed to drop a few degrees; the hallway lights flickered once.

He glided toward the sound. There was no need to run. Every step was calculated. The stalker could feel it. Animal instinct screamed to flee, but fear paralyzed him as much as it fascinated him.

Vlad extended his hand without touching the doorknob. The door opened by itself, creaking slowly. He stepped outside with the dogs, who led him to the lower part of the house, in the backyard, where he kept the wine cellar.

Inside, crouched between shelves of wine bottles and preserves, was the man. Thin, unkempt beard, eyes wide with terror. He wore dark clothes, hood pulled up, a small camera hanging from his neck, and a hunting knife in his right hand, trembling so badly that the blade reflected the faint moonlight.

“I… I wasn’t going to do anything,” the man stammered, his voice breaking. “I just… just wanted to see. She’s beautiful… I just wanted to see her up close…”

Vlad tilted his head, the smile that formed on his lips slow, cold, stripped of any trace of humanity.

“See her up close,” he repeated, as if tasting the words. “How long have you been watching her?”

The man swallowed hard.

“Months… I… I saw when she started working for you.”

Vlad took a step forward. The man backed up until he hit the shelves, making the bottles clink.

The air froze around them. Vlad extended his hand. He didn’t touch the man. He simply pointed two fingers at his forehead.

The stalker screamed. His eyes rolled back, his body convulsed once, twice, and then he collapsed to his knees, the knife clattering onto the stone floor.

Vlad crouched slowly, bringing himself level with the man’s eyes. The man was now drooling, his gaze vacant, his mind shattered from within.

“You saw what you shouldn’t have,” Vlad murmured, almost gently. “And now… you will forget that she exists. You will forget that I exist. And if you ever remember…” He smiled, his teeth gleaming in the gloom with the few rays of moonlight. “Your heart will stop before you can say her name.”

He stood up. The man fell onto his side, unconscious, breathing shallowly, looking as if he might die.

Vlad looked at the dogs, who had followed him inside and now waited, sitting alertly.

“Take him outside,” he ordered. “Leave him on the road. Alive. For now.”

The dogs moved forward, each grabbing a sleeve of the man’s jacket, dragging him effortlessly down the corridor toward the back door.

Vlad stood still for a long moment, his chest rising and falling slowly as he controlled the hatred still burning in his veins. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to tear out every memory the man had of her. But no. Better not. Elena was upstairs, vulnerable and sleeping. He would not let her wake to the smell of blood in the air.

He climbed the stairs, his body still tense, interrupted desire mixed with a protective rage that consumed him from within.

When he opened the bedroom door, which unlocked itself at his presence, she was still asleep.

Vlad stopped beside the bed, watching her for several long seconds. He was still half-hard inside his pants, throbbing with the frustration of what had almost happened between them.

He lay down beside her carefully and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

She murmured something incoherent in her sleep and nestled closer to him.

Vlad buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

“No one will touch you,” he whispered against the nape of her neck. “Not even in thought.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. The house sank back into deep silence.

Whoever dared to come near her again… would not leave alive.

Vlad tried to rest, but the unease wouldn’t let him truly fall asleep. Annoyed with himself, he got up. He couldn’t leave her there.

Carefully, he picked up Elena in his arms, still unconscious. Without making a sound, he left the mansion and took her to the hotel, as he had done before. He had made sure a generous amount was transferred to her account, enough to keep her comfortable for several days. The receptionist was paid and given simple instructions: ask no questions and say nothing.

When Vlad drove away, he cast one last glance at the building and left.

When he returned to the mansion, the dogs were still restless, circling the gate with raised hackles and low growls. Vlad parked by the curb and stepped out calmly, as if nothing could surprise him.

He walked over to the man lying on the ground. The stalker was still unconscious, breathing with difficulty.

Vlad took out his phone and called the police.

“A man broke into my property. The dogs chased him off, but he collapsed on the road. He’s unconscious.”

He didn’t need to say anything else. Half an hour later, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics placed the man on a stretcher while the officers asked a few quick questions. They thanked him for his cooperation and left without suspicion.

As soon as silence settled again, one of the dogs growled nervously, staring at the empty road.

Vlad placed a firm hand on the animal’s head.

“Stay calm,” he said quietly. “It’s better this way. Better than him waking up knowing where he’s been… and starting to connect the dots.”

The dog calmed down.

The next day was Friday. A day that, for any human, would be exhausting from start to finish—but not for him.

Vlad arrived at the building accompanied by security and entered the anteroom. Silence. The secretary’s desk was empty.

Elena hadn’t arrived yet.

She was probably sleeping. And judging by the time, she was quite late.

He didn’t mind. Work was ahead of schedule; reports, contracts, and pending matters had been handled with an efficiency he himself didn’t remember having shown before. The only problem would be the phone calls. He wouldn’t be able to handle them all alone.

He picked up the internal phone and called HR.

“I need someone to cover for my secretary today. Just temporary support.”

He hung up and began his day.

---

Meanwhile, Elena woke up with a terrible headache and an absurdly dry mouth. She put a hand to her forehead, groaning softly, and slowly sat up in bed, trying to understand where she was.

She staggered to her feet, went to the kitchen, drank water straight from the bottle, and only then began to truly wake up. In the bathroom, still half dazed, she sat on the toilet… and jumped up instantly.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed in panic. “It’s still Friday! I’m terribly late!”

She brushed her teeth in a rush, almost hurting her gums from anxiety. As she spat the foam into the sink, she frowned, trying to understand.

Why hadn’t her phone gone off?

She always checked the alarm twice before going to sleep.

She picked up the device and looked at the screen. The alarm was there, set correctly. No missed calls. No strange messages. Nothing to explain that absurd delay.

And then came the most unsettling part.

She couldn’t remember anything that had happened before she went to sleep.

Nothing. Not even lying down. Not even turning off the light.

“What did I do to end up like this…?” she murmured to her own reflection.