---
PROLOGUE – The Man Who Watches
Vierrah Thompson always felt it.
The weight of a stare.
The subtle chill on the back of her neck whenever she walked alone down the street after class.
The feeling of being followed — but never caught.
Minsan, tinatawanan niya na lang.
Maybe she was just paranoid.
Maybe it was just her imagination.
Pero sa gabi, sa tuwing maririnig niya ang mahina at mabagal na kaluskos mula sa labas ng bintana niya—her heart would race.
Her hands would tremble as she locked her bedroom door.
And somewhere, in the darkness, someone smiled.
---
Lucas Alvarez had been watching her for five long years.
He knew the way her hair fell on her shoulders every morning, the exact scent of her favorite perfume, the sound of her laugh when she’s with her friends.
He knew where she liked to sit in her favorite café, the time she usually left her dorm, even the brand of pens she used when she studied.
He knew everything.
Because he made sure he did.
From the tinted windows of his black car, he watched her cross the street that first day five years ago — the day everything inside him changed.
It wasn’t just attraction.
It wasn’t love.
It was something far, far deeper.
It was need.
---
He watched her grow up.
From a college student full of dreams to a young woman struggling to find her path.
At bawat sandali, lalo siyang nalulunod sa ideya na balang araw, magiging kanya si Vierrah.
No matter what it takes.
Kahit gaano pa siya kabusy sa empire niyang pinaghirapan, lagi niyang nakikita si Vierrah sa monitor.
Yes—monitors.
Because Lucas had cameras.
He had men.
He had eyes everywhere.
And every time she smiled at someone else, he felt something dark boil inside his chest.
A silent, jealous rage.
---
“Sir, gusto n’yo po bang ipatanggal ‘yung lalaking kausap niya sa café?” tanong ng isa sa mga tauhan niya, habang pinapanood nila ang live feed.
Lucas leaned back in his leather chair, eyes never leaving the screen.
Vierrah was laughing—so carefree, so beautiful.
He clenched his jaw.
“No,” he said in his low, calm tone.
“But make sure he doesn’t talk to her again.”
“Copy, sir.”
Lucas watched as his man walked away to execute his silent order.
And as he looked back at the monitor, a soft smile played on his lips.
“She looks tired,” he murmured, almost tenderly.
“She should go home early tonight. Tell the driver to follow her.”
---
That night, while Vierrah walked home, unaware of the car trailing a few meters behind her, Lucas sat in his office surrounded by darkness.
Only the light from the monitors illuminated his face — sharp jawline, deep-set eyes, and the faintest trace of a smile.
He traced his finger along her face on the screen.
“Someday,” he whispered.
“You’ll see me not as a stranger… but as someone you can’t live without.”
---
Weeks turned to months.
Months into years.
And soon, fate gave him what he had been waiting for.
The Thompson Empire — her father’s business — was drowning in debt.
Investors were pulling out one by one.
Her father, desperate and broken, began seeking help from anyone who could save them.
And Lucas…
Lucas was waiting for that moment.
The moment she’d have no choice.
The moment she’d finally come to him — even if it meant selling her freedom for her family’s survival.
---
He stood in front of his office window, watching the city lights below.
Cold rain traced down the glass, reflecting the storm in his chest.
“She’s mine,” he whispered again, his voice low, almost reverent.
“She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Then, he turned, eyes dark with hunger and triumph.
His lips curled into a faint smirk as he reached for the phone on his desk.
“Prepare the contract,” he said to his secretary.
“Tell Mr. Thompson that Alvarez Enterprises is ready to help his company.”
He paused, his voice dropping an octave deeper.
“But on one condition…”
---
Outside, thunder rolled through the city.
Inside, Lucas smiled—a smile that could both melt and destroy.
In his heart, he wasn’t making a deal.
He was sealing destiny.
Because for Lucas Alvarez, love wasn’t about patience.
It was about possession.
And tonight was just the beginning.
---
To be continued…
---