26

The Vespa roared into the alley behind Serayah’s apartment, Lawrose killing the engine before the kickstand even hit the pavement. He didn't wait. He bolted up the stairs, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He burst through the door, nearly taking out a floor lamp in the process.

"Lock the door!" he shouted, gasping for air. "Serayah! Lock the deadbolt! Put the chain on!"

Serayah came running from the kitchen, a spatula in hand. "What is wrong with you? Did someone steal your scooter?"

Giselle emerged from the hallway, looking pale and exhausted. "Lawrose? What happened?"

Lawrose dropped the bag of groceries on the floor—almond milk leaking onto the rug—and grabbed Giselle by the shoulders. He was shaking. "He’s here. He’s out there. The big man. Your father in law."

Giselle’s breath hitched. "Richard? He found us?"

"He cornered me in the grocery store parking lot," Lawrose panted, pacing the small living room. "He didn't just find us, Gigi. This is almost like a witch hunt. He knew my name. He knew my brand was struggling. He tried to buy me some money! He offered me a career on a silver platter just to tell him you were behind that door."

"He offered you a sponsorship?" Serayah asked, her eyes wide.

"You cant believe this mans audacity, Serayah! But that’s not the point!" Lawrose turned back to Giselle, his expression deadly serious. "The look in his eyes... it wasn't a worried father-in-law. And I do not like whatever I am feeling from this whole shenanigans. He’s not here to bring you home for Chase. He’s here for himself."

Giselle sank onto the sofa, her hands trembling. "How did he find you? I turned the phone off. I did everything right."

"He’s a Hemingway, Giselle," Lawrose hissed. "They own the air we breathe. He told me he’d find you and I think he already did or He’s probably got ten men in suits watching this building right now."

Serayah peered through a slit in the blinds. "I don't see anyone. Just a black car some walks down."

"I suspect that’s him!" Lawrose yelled. "That’s the car or maybe I am over reacting! Listen to me, Giselle. You are under absolute, total lockdown. Do not step a foot out of this house. Don't even go onto the balcony to water a plant. If he sees a strand of your hair, he’s going to swoop in and take you."

"He can't just kidnap me," Giselle whispered, though she didn't sound convinced.

"A man of that caliber? In this world? With the kind of money he has He can do whatever he wants," Lawrose said. "He told me loyalty is a rare currency when he tried luring me with money. He’s trying to see which one of us will break first. But more than that, he’s waiting for you to walk out that door."

"I'm not going anywhere," Giselle said, her voice small.

"You better not," Serayah added, turning away from the window. "Lawrose is right. The energy is different now. This isn't about a divorce anymore. This is a siege."

Giselle looked at the door, feeling the weight of the man on the other side. She could almost feel Richard’s presence pressing against the walls of the apartment, a dark, magnetic force she had spent her life trying to find—and was now terrified to face.

"He won't leave," Giselle muttered to herself. "He doesn't know how to lose."

"And you don't know how to say no to him," Lawrose countered. "That’s why you’re staying inside. For your own safety—and your own heart."