Chapter 16: “Someone Knows”

Tayla’s POV

The ride home felt wrong.

Everything felt wrong.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

My mind replayed Damian’s words over and over again.

You’re not safe.

Take Noah and leave.

Not later.

Not tomorrow.

Now.

The fear in his voice haunted me.

Because Damian wasn’t the kind of man who scared easily.

Not when business rivals threatened him.

Not when the company nearly collapsed years ago.

Not even when he was arrested.

Yet today…

He looked terrified.

Terrified for me.

Terrified for Noah.

And somehow that frightened me more than anything else.

The city blurred past my car window.

The closer I got to home, the heavier my chest became.

Something was coming.

I could feel it.

The penthouse was unusually quiet when I arrived.

Too quiet.

Noah should have been watching cartoons.

Or running around.

Or talking nonstop.

Instead—

Silence.

My pulse immediately quickened.

“Noah?”

Nothing.

I stepped inside.

“Noah?”

Then suddenly—

“Mom!”

Relief flooded through me as he came running from the living room.

I immediately hugged him.

Tighter than usual.

Much tighter.

Noah frowned.

“Mom?”

I forced a smile.

“Nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing.

Not anymore.

That evening rain hammered against the windows.

Thunder rolled across the city.

Noah had finally fallen asleep.

And I sat alone in the darkness.

Thinking.

Trying to make sense of everything.

The notebook.

The photographs.

The letter.

The warnings.

Then my phone vibrated.

A message.

Unknown Number.

My stomach dropped.

Slowly, I opened it.

The message contained only one sentence.

Stop looking for answers.

My blood turned cold.

I stared.

Read it again.

Then again.

No.

No.

No.

This wasn’t possible.

My fingers immediately typed back.

Who is this?

The reply arrived instantly.

As if they had been waiting.

Someone trying to help you.

Fear crawled up my spine.

I deleted the conversation.

Blocked the number.

Yet somehow…

I knew it wouldn’t matter.

Because whoever sent it already knew where I was.

Across the city…

Luca stood inside his office.

A glass of whiskey rested in his hand.

His gaze remained fixed on the skyline.

Cold.

Thoughtful.

Dangerous.

One of his men stood nearby.

Nervous.

Very nervous.

“She got the message.”

Luca nodded.

“Good.”

The man hesitated.

“What if she doesn’t stop?”

Luca’s expression darkened.

His smile disappeared.

Then he spoke quietly.

“She will.”

The confidence in his voice sent chills through the room.

Because everyone knew what happened when Luca decided something.

Eventually…

He got what he wanted.

Near midnight, Tayla couldn’t sleep.

Again.

The apartment felt suffocating.

The silence felt louder than noise.

Eventually she stood.

And walked toward Damian’s office.

She needed answers.

Needed proof.

Needed something solid to hold onto.

The door creaked open.

The room was dark.

Empty.

Still.

At first everything seemed normal.

Then she noticed it.

The drawer.

Open.

Her heartbeat stopped.

No.

No.

No.

She knew she’d closed it.

She knew it.

Slowly, she approached.

Her pulse thundering in her ears.

The drawer was completely empty.

Every file.

Every photograph.

Every piece of evidence.

Gone.

A terrified gasp escaped her lips.

“No…”

She dropped to her knees.

Searching frantically.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The notebook.

Gone.

The letter.

Gone.

Everything.

Gone.

Someone had been here.

Someone had entered her home.

Someone had searched Damian’s office.

Someone who knew exactly what they were looking for.

A loud crack of thunder shook the windows.

Elena jumped.

Her entire body trembling now.

Because suddenly…

Damian’s warning didn’t sound paranoid anymore.

It sounded real.

Terrifyingly real.

Then she heard it.

A sound.

Soft.

Barely audible.

From the hallway.

Tayla froze.

Her breathing stopped.

Another sound followed.

A floorboard creaking.

Someone was inside the penthouse.

Fear exploded through her body.

Her eyes immediately moved toward Noah’s room.

No.

Not Noah.

Please not Noah.

Tayla slowly stepped into the hallway.

The apartment seemed darker now.

The shadows deeper.

Every instinct screamed at her to run.

Then she saw it.

A figure.

Standing near the end of the corridor.

Watching her.

Motionless.

Silent.

Her heart nearly stopped.

“Who’s there?”

The figure didn’t answer.

Lightning flashed outside.

For a split second, the face became visible.

A man.

A stranger.

Dressed entirely in black.

Then the lights went out.

Complete darkness.

Tayla screamed.

The sound echoed through the penthouse.

Immediately she turned and ran.

Toward Noah’s room.

Toward her son.

The only thing that mattered.

Behind her—

Footsteps.

Fast.

Heavy.

Getting closer.

Terror surged through her veins.

She reached Noah’s bedroom.

Bursting through the door.

“Noah!”

The little boy shot upright.

Terrified.

“Mom?!”

Tayla grabbed him immediately.

Holding him against her chest.

The lights suddenly flickered back on.

The apartment became silent.

Completely silent.

No footsteps.

No movement.

Nothing.

Only her rapid breathing.

Only Noah’s frightened tears.

Only the storm outside.

For several minutes she couldn’t move.

Couldn’t think.

Couldn’t breathe properly.

Then security alarms suddenly began blaring throughout the penthouse.

Someone had opened the emergency exit.

Someone had escaped.

And Tayla finally understood.

This wasn’t about Damian anymore.

This wasn’t about prison.

This wasn’t about secrets.

Someone was watching her.

Someone was willing to break into her home.

And someone wanted her afraid.

The terrifying part?

It was working.