Chapter 9

Alexander didn't utter a single word.

He stood where he was while Daniel continued talking about the deal as though nothing had happened.

But Alexander could no longer hear a thing.

His eyes still wandered toward the garden from time to time.

Elena was there.

Only a few meters away.

And yet, he didn't move toward her.

He could call her name.

He could ask Daniel to leave them alone.

He could approach her and ask where she had been for the past two months.

But he did none of those things.

For the first time, he chose to think before acting.

He quietly took out his phone and typed a short message.

Then he slipped it back into his pocket.

Daniel asked, "Is everything all right?"

Alexander raised his eyes to him.

"Of course."

Daniel smiled.

"You seem distracted today."

"I was thinking about the deal."

It was an easy lie.

So easy that Daniel never suspected a thing.

Lunch continued.

The two men discussed figures, investments, and the new expansion plan.

Alexander participated in the conversation as usual.

He discussed the numbers.

Objected to certain clauses.

And suggested revisions.

Daniel noticed nothing unusual.

But inside Alexander's mind, a single set of questions kept repeating themselves.

How had she been living?

Where had she been?

And was she all right?

When lunch was over, Alexander left the house as though nothing had happened.

He shook Daniel's hand with a formal smile.

"It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise."

Alexander got into his car.

The door closed.

And as soon as the car pulled away from the house, his smile vanished.

"Take me to the office," he told the driver.

---

Less than an hour later, Omar was standing in front of his desk.

Alexander closed the door himself.

He placed his phone on the desk.

Then he spoke.

"I found her."

Omar's expression changed.

"Mrs. Elena?"

Alexander nodded.

Omar didn't ask how.

He knew the man before him wouldn't summon him to his office over ordinary news.

"Where?"

"At Daniel Walker's house."

Omar fell silent for a moment.

"Did you speak to her?"

"No."

Omar raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Alexander sat down behind his desk.

"Because she doesn't know I saw her."

Then he added, "And I want it to stay that way."

Omar nodded slowly.

"What would you like me to do?"

Alexander took a small piece of paper and wrote the address on it.

"I want you to make sure she's all right."

Omar took the paper.

"Do you want us to keep an eye on her?"

"From a distance."

Then Alexander looked directly at him.

"Don't approach her. Don't make her feel as though someone is following her."

"Understood."

"And I want only two trusted men assigned to this."

He paused briefly.

"If anything unusual happens around her, I want to know before it reaches her."

Omar nodded.

"It will be done."

Just as he was about to leave, Alexander called out to him.

"Omar."

The man turned around.

"Don't disappoint me."

Omar's expression shifted slightly. He nodded, then left.

Alexander was alone once more.

He opened his desk drawer.

Inside was an old photograph of Elena.

He gazed at it for a long time.

Then he set it aside.

He didn't know why he had chosen to protect her from a distance.

Perhaps he had finally realized that the last thing Elena needed was for the man who had caused her pain and driven her away to force his way back into her life.

But there was another truth he couldn't ignore.

He had found her. He had found his angel.

And he wouldn't allow himself to lose sight of her again.

---

On the other side of the city, Elena was walking through the garden beside Liam.

The boy was enthusiastically talking about school.

"Miss Elena, will you come again tomorrow?"

She smiled.

"Of course."

"Even if I finish all my homework?"

She laughed.

"Especially if you finish it."

Liam ran ahead of her.

She paused for a moment, gazing at the trees beyond the fence.

A strange feeling crept over her.

The sensation that someone was watching the area.

She looked around.

There was no one in sight.

Only a black car passing along the street before disappearing from view.

She shook her head.

"Maybe I'm imagining things."

Then she returned to Liam.

She had no idea that the man who had seen her from a distance hadn't appeared there by chance.

Nor did she know that a pair of eyes had been watching the area ever since...

After finishing her session with Liam, Elena said goodbye to both him and his father and left.

Sophia was waiting outside in her car. The two friends were going shopping together, hoping to lift Elena's spirits and give her a change of scenery before she returned home.

---

A Note to My Readers

Please forgive me if the events still seem a little slow. I promise you'll enjoy what's coming. I'm still planning and thinking carefully about how to develop the plot while making sure this novel stands apart from other stories in the way its events unfold.