Obsession begins

LIANA

My heart was still pounding from Kane’s question when my mother suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.

“We’re leaving,” she said quickly.

“Mom—”

“Now, Liana.”

Her voice left no room for argument.

I looked back at Kane, embarrassed by how aggressively she was dragging me away from him in front of the police officers. But Kane didn’t seem offended. He simply stood there calmly, watching me with those dark unreadable eyes.

“I’ll see you again,” he said quietly.

Something about the way he said it sent a strange shiver down my spine.

Rain still poured heavily onto the empty streets as we hurried toward our old car parked across the road. The second we got inside, she locked the doors immediately with shaking hands.

I stared at her in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?”

She gripped the steering wheel tightly without looking at me. “You are staying away from that man.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

I let out a frustrated laugh. “Mom, that’s not an answer.”

“He’s dangerous.”

“How? He literally helped us tonight.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me!”

She finally looked at me then, and the fear in her eyes startled me.

“You don’t understand the kind of people men like Kane Mercer are,” she whispered.

I frowned. “Then explain it to me.”

But just like before, she stayed silent.

That silence irritated me more than anything else.

The drive home felt painfully tense after that. I kept replaying the night inside my head. The robbery. The fear. The way the police officers reacted around Kane like he was someone important.

And the way he looked at me.

God.

Nobody had ever looked at me like that before.

By the time we got home, it was after midnight. I barely slept at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the robber pointing a gun at my mother’s head.

The next morning, I woke up exhausted and anxious.

Mom was already awake in the kitchen making coffee when I walked in.

“You should stay home today,” she said quietly.

“I have classes.”

“You barely slept.”

“Neither did you.”

She sighed tiredly but didn’t argue.

The bruise on my arm hurt badly when I reached for my bag. Mom noticed immediately.

“You need ice on that.”

“I’ll survive.”

“Liana—”

“I said I’m fine.”

The sharpness in my voice surprised both of us.

I immediately felt guilty.

Mom rubbed her forehead tiredly. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”

“Of what exactly?”

Again, silence.

I grabbed my bag in frustration. “You can’t keep warning me about Kane while refusing to tell me anything.”

“Some things are better left alone.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“No,” she whispered quietly. “It’s not.”

I stared at her for a second before leaving the apartment.

The weather was cold and cloudy when I reached campus. I tried focusing during class, but my mind kept drifting back to Kane. Every little thing reminded me of him somehow.

Which was crazy.

I had only met him properly once.

By lunchtime, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

I stared at the screen in confusion.

>How is your arm?

My stomach flipped instantly.

There was no name attached, but somehow I already knew who it was.

I typed slowly.

>Who is this?

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

>Kane.

A stupid smile almost appeared on my face before I stopped myself.

>How did you get my number?

I watched the screen carefully.

>I asked the officer from last night.

That should have felt creepy.

Instead, it weirdly made my chest warm.

I typed back before thinking too hard about it.

>It hurts a little.

Another instant reply.

>You should let a doctor look at it.

I laughed softly under my breath.

“Why are you smiling at your phone like that?”

I looked up to see my best friend, Jess, sitting across from me with narrowed eyes.

“Nobody.”

“Liar.”

Before I could answer, another message appeared.

>Did you eat lunch?

Okay.

That one startled me.

I stared at the phone.

How did he even know it was lunchtime for me?

Jess leaned across the table. “Who is it?”

I hesitated. “The guy from the jewelry store.”

“The hot one?”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t even know what he looks like.”

“You described him dramatically for twenty minutes after class.”

“I did not.”

“You absolutely did.”

Before I could argue, another message appeared.

>You skipped breakfast too.

My smile disappeared immediately.

I sat up straighter.

>How did you know that?

This time his reply took longer.

>Lucky guess.

I should have been unsettled.

Instead, my heart started beating faster.

Later that evening, I arrived at the jewelry store after classes and completely froze outside the entrance.

The broken display cases from the robbery had been replaced.

Not repaired.

Replaced.

Inside the shop were brand-new glass displays, fresh lights, and trays of jewelry more expensive than anything we had ever owned.

“What the hell?” I whispered.

I rushed inside and found my mother arguing with two men carrying boxes.

“I said take them back!” she snapped.

“Ma’am, the items have already been paid for.”

“I don’t care!”

The delivery men looked exhausted. “We were told everything stays.”

Mom noticed me and immediately looked upset. “Liana, tell them we don’t want any of this.”

I looked around in shock. “Who paid for all this?”

Deep down, I already knew.

One of the men handed me an envelope.

Inside was a short handwritten note.

>Your store deserved better. — K

My chest tightened.

Mom snatched the note from my hand angrily. “This is exactly why you need to stay away from him.”

“He’s helping us!”

“He’s controlling the situation.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“You don’t understand men like him.”

I crossed my arms. “Then help me understand!”

Her face suddenly paled.

For a second, she looked terrified again.

“He’s dangerous,” she whispered. “Please believe me.”

---

The next few weeks only made things worse.

Flowers started arriving at the store every few days.

Not cheap flowers either.

Huge arrangements of white roses and orchids.

Our overdue electric bill mysteriously got paid.

A supplier who had ignored us for months suddenly agreed to work with us again after “a conversation” with someone.

Even the landlord stopped harassing my mother about rent.

Everywhere I went, traces of Kane followed.

Sometimes I’d leave class and find coffee already waiting for me at my favorite café.

Exactly how I liked it.

Extra cream.

No sugar.

Once, while walking home in the rain, a black car pulled beside me.

The tinted window rolled down slowly.

Kane sat inside wearing a dark suit, one hand resting against the steering wheel.

“You forgot your umbrella,” he said calmly.

I stared at him in shock. “How do you know where I live?”

His mouth twitched slightly. “Get in before you catch a cold.”

The inside smelled expensive and clean, like leather and cologne.

Kane handed me a warm cup of coffee without even asking what I wanted.

It was exactly how I drank it.

“You keep doing that,” I murmured.

“Doing what?”

“Knowing things about me before I tell you.”

His eyes briefly flickered toward me. “I pay attention.”

The way he said it made my stomach flutter.

Then he finally asked me softly, “Have dinner with me tomorrow night,” I didn’t say no.

I looked out the rain-covered window for a moment before answering quietly.

“Okay.”