Chapter 3

Grant had barely driven two blocks before his phone vibrated.

Damien.

He answered without taking his eyes off the road.

"Speak."

"You smiled."

Grant's jaw tightened.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Our men saw you."

"They were supposed to watch the perimeter, not my face."

A chuckle echoed through the speaker.

"In the ten years I've worked for you, I've never seen you smile at anyone."

Grant ended the call.

He wasn't interested in discussing something so insignificant.

Yet his thoughts drifted back to the girl in the flour-dusted apron.

She hadn't recognized him.

She hadn't cared who he was.

She had simply seen a man who'd ruined her day.

For some reason...

That honesty unsettled him.

---

Back at the taco stand, business had slowed.

Meera wiped the counter while Rosa counted the day's earnings.

"We did better than I expected," Rosa said with a smile.

Meera nodded absentmindedly.

"You've been quiet."

"I'm thinking."

"About the handsome man?"

Meera scoffed.

"Handsome? He's annoying."

"You noticed he was handsome."

"I noticed he splashed muddy water over my livelihood."

Rosa laughed.

"He apologized."

"Only because he got caught."

"You don't know that."

Meera sighed.

Maybe she didn't.

There had been something different about him.

His apology hadn't sounded forced.

It had sounded... sincere.

Still, she wasn't about to forgive him so easily.

---

That evening, Grant arrived at the hotel where the confidential meeting would take place.

The ballroom was filled with executives, investors, and politicians.

Every conversation stopped the moment he entered.

"Mr. Gonas."

"Good evening, sir."

"It's an honor."

Grant acknowledged them with a slight nod before making his way to the head table.

Halfway across the room, a man in an expensive navy suit blocked his path.

"Grant."

Grant's expression hardened.

"Victor Romano."

Victor smiled, though there was no warmth behind it.

"I heard you came to San Diego alone."

"I heard your spies need better information."

Victor's smile faded.

"You've become overconfident."

"And you've become predictable."

The room suddenly felt colder.

Neither man raised his voice.

Neither made a scene.

But everyone present understood they were witnessing a war hidden beneath polite conversation.

Victor leaned closer.

"Be careful while you're in my city."

Grant met his gaze without blinking.

"You should worry about your own men."

After a long silence, Victor stepped aside.

Grant continued walking as though nothing had happened.

But every instinct told him the Romanos were planning something.

---

Meanwhile, Meera locked up the taco stand and began the walk home with Rosa.

The neighborhood was quiet.

Too quiet.

A black sedan sat parked beneath a broken streetlight.

Its windows were tinted.

As Meera and Rosa passed, the engine started.

The car rolled forward slowly.

Meera frowned.

"Grandma..."

"Hm?"

"Do you think that car has been following us?"

Rosa glanced over her shoulder.

"It could just be heading the same way."

"Maybe."

But the uneasy feeling in Meera's stomach refused to disappear.

The sedan maintained its distance.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Watching.

Waiting.

Far across town, Grant stood on the balcony of his rented house, looking over the city lights.

His phone rang again.

This time, Damien didn't waste a second.

"Boss."

"What is it?"

"Our surveillance team picked up unusual movement."

Grant's eyes narrowed.

"Where?"

"Near the taco stand."

His grip on the phone tightened.

"Who's watching it?"

"We don't know yet."

Grant's voice turned cold.

"Find out."

The call ended.

For reasons he couldn't explain, the image of Meera flashed through his mind.

She was stubborn.

Fearless.

Completely unaware that by crossing paths with Grant Gonas, she had unknowingly stepped into a world where enemies didn't play fair.

And somewhere in the darkness...

Someone else had already noticed her.