Chapter 18

ZADE’S POV

The anonymous message had been sitting at the back of my mind since I received it, refusing to disappear no matter how many times I tried to convince myself that it was nothing more than another attempt to unsettle me. The warning about Charlotte, the photograph of her speaking with Sophie, and the knowledge that someone was watching the people around me had turned what should have been a private arrangement into something far more complicated. By the time Charlotte returned to the estate that evening, I was already waiting for her in my office.

“You’re back earlier than I expected,” I said as Charlotte entered the room and set her bag beside the chair. “Did something happen at the university? You look like you’ve been thinking about something all the way home.”

Charlotte hesitated before pulling out her phone. “Something did happen,” she admitted as she showed me the screen. “I saw a man near the campus exit, and he was watching me in a way that made me uncomfortable. I thought he might be connected to Lucas, but then I received this message from an unknown number.”

I took the phone and read the message carefully before examining the number. There was nothing useful attached to it, only a temporary number with no name or registration information that could immediately identify its owner.

“Did you recognize the man you saw?” I asked as I looked up from the screen. “Had you seen him around the university before?”

“No, I had never seen him before,” Charlotte replied as she watched my expression. “He was standing beside a black car near the exit, and when I noticed him looking at me, he didn't even pretend he wasn't watching. I turned around because I didn't want to take any chances, and that's when the message came through.”

“I’m going to have my security team trace this,” I told her as I placed the phone on my desk. “Don't respond to the number, don't call it, and if another message comes through, bring it directly to me.”

Charlotte stared at me for a moment before leaning back. “You always do that,” she said as frustration entered her voice. “Something happens, you make a decision, you give orders to your security team, and then you expect me to sit quietly while everyone else seems to know what is happening except me.”

“I’m trying to keep you safe,” I explained as I met her eyes. “That doesn't mean I'm trying to shut you out, Charlotte. There are things happening around you that I haven't fully understood myself.”

“Then tell me what you do know,” she insisted as she folded her arms. “Every time I ask about your family, Jasmine seems to know more than she should, someone sends me warnings, Lucas keeps threatening you, and now there's a stranger watching me at university.”

Her words made me pause because I couldn't deny the truth behind them. “My family has enemies,” I admitted as I leaned back in my chair. “Some of them have been around for years, and I don't always know what they're planning until they've already made a move. Jasmine's sudden interest in you isn't harmless either, even though I still don't know exactly what she wants.”

“So you do think she's involved?” Charlotte asked as her expression tightened.

“I think you should be careful around her,” I answered as I chose my words carefully. “That's different from accusing her of something I can't prove. The same goes for Sophie and Lucas. Don't confront any of them until we understand who is behind these messages and why they're watching you.”

“Do you think Sophie is working against me?” Charlotte asked as she looked down at her phone.

“I don't know,” I admitted as I shook my head. “But I know someone wants you frightened, isolated, and suspicious of the people around you, which means we need to be careful about believing every warning we receive.”

After Charlotte left, I called my security chief and instructed him to trace the temporary number immediately. The answer came sooner than expected.

“Does that identify the sender?” I asked as I stood beside my desk, listening to his report.

“No, sir,” the security chief replied. “The account used to obtain the number was connected to a device registered near the university, but that doesn't tell us who physically used it.”

“Quietly investigate the university,” I instructed as I looked toward the window. “Don't involve the administration or alert anyone. I want to know who has been tracking Charlotte and whether anyone connected to Lucas or Sophie has been following her.”

Once the call ended, my thoughts returned to Jasmine. Her warning from the previous night had seemed like another attempt to interfere in my life, but now I couldn't shake the feeling that there had been something deliberate behind her words. She had known enough about Charlotte to speak with confidence, and that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

As if my thoughts had summoned her, the estate staff informed me that Jasmine had arrived unexpectedly. I met her in the sitting room and watched her walk inside with the same calm expression she always wore whenever she knew I was suspicious of her.

“You have a habit of appearing when I have questions about you,” I remarked as I stood near the fireplace. “So tell me, Jasmine, do you know anything about the messages Charlotte has been receiving?”

Jasmine's expression barely changed as she removed her coat. “Messages?” she asked calmly. “What messages are you talking about?”

“Don't play games with me,” I replied as I stepped closer. “Someone has been watching Charlotte, and an anonymous number warned her about Sophie. I want to know whether you know anything about it.”

“You're becoming paranoid, Zade,” Jasmine said with a faint smile. “Not everything happening around Charlotte has something to do with me.”

“Then you shouldn't have a problem answering the question,” I replied as I held her gaze. “Were you involved?”

“No,” Jasmine answered calmly. “But if you're asking whether I think you should be more careful about the situation you're creating, then yes, I do.”

“What exactly does that mean?” I asked as my suspicion deepened.

“It means that if you truly want to protect Charlotte, you should stop pretending your arrangement is temporary,” Jasmine explained as she studied my reaction. “People can see that she matters to you, whether you admit it or not, and the longer you try to hide what is happening between you, the more curious everyone becomes.”

“How do you know enough about my arrangement to say something like that?” I asked as I stepped closer. “Who told you?”

Jasmine's smile faded slightly, but she didn't answer. Instead, she picked up her coat and moved toward the door. “You're asking the wrong questions,” she replied as she glanced back at me. “If you really want to keep Charlotte safe, you should start wondering who knew about her before Lucas ever found out.”

She left before I could stop her, and I remained in the sitting room, unsettled by her final words. They connected too neatly with what I had already discovered, making me wonder whether Jasmine knew something about the person watching Charlotte that she wasn't willing to reveal.

I returned to my office and immediately noticed a folder sitting on the center of my desk. I was certain it hadn't been there earlier, and after checking the room, I opened it carefully. Inside were several photographs of Charlotte around the university, including one of her speaking with Sophie.

The final photograph made my blood run cold because it showed Charlotte entering my estate on the first night of our agreement. Someone had taken the photograph from a distance, and written across the bottom was a date several days before Lucas had ever followed her there. I stared at it, suddenly understanding that Lucas had not been the first person to discover Charlotte's connection to my estate.

Someone had been watching her before him.

I picked up my phone and called my security chief, keeping my voice controlled even though every instinct told me we had uncovered something much bigger than Lucas's obsession with Charlotte.

“Find out who was watching Charlotte before Lucas ever knew she was here,” I ordered as I stared at the photograph on my desk. “I want to know who took this picture, where they were standing, and why they were watching her before any of us realized someone was paying attention.”