Adrian
She turned me down.
The rain was quite frustrating, like the sky itself wanted to humiliate me. I stood there, soaked to the skin, watching her refuse my offer, I couldn't care less about Tobias. My father and his father are business partners so, that was I knew about his dad's birthday party...and him.
Her words weren't cruel, but they were final. She didn't want help. Not mine, not his. And somehow, that cut deeper than I expected. Her hair clung to her face, rain dripping from her lashes as she thanked me anyway, that polite tone that made me feel like a stranger. Then I left her presence and went to a quiet place.
She turned to Mrs. Walker minutes later, saying their last goodbye. Ushered her into the car, and drove off. No glance back. No hesitation. Just... gone. She had a red car too, parked in-front of her car. Who could she be?
I stayed long after her car disappeared. Tobias's men were still around, their silhouettes ghostly through the sheets of rain. His car had already left. And here I was, standing like a fool in the rain for a woman who wouldn't even take a ride from me. I got into my car, shut the door, and leaned back. The silence pressed on my ears until I couldn't take it anymore. My hands were gripping the steering wheel too tight. I didn't understand why I couldn't just let her go. Two months of texting, one ruined date, that's all it had been. But it didn't feel small. It felt like I'd lost something real before I even had it. She made me laugh when I'd forgotten how to. She saw through my confidence like it was glass. Every time her name popped up on my screen, I'd feel something shift, something I didn't think I was capable of anymore.
I started the car but didn't drive off immediately. My phone buzzed on the dashboard. A message from my assistant, Felix: "You asked me to monitor property sales at Bright Haven. Tobias Moretti just made a large purchase near Ridgewood." Ridgewood. The same neighborhood I once told Meera about, where the view stretched across the city like a painting. Of course he'd pick there for her. He thinks this is a competition. Tobias Moretti doesn't back off. Ever. And I'm ready for him. I texted back a single reply: "Keep an eye on him. I want to know if he contacts anyone from the estate."Then I sat in silence again. Rain tapping against the windshield. My reflection staring back, tired eyes, nearly soaked suit. I looked like a man losing control of something I never even owned.
Minutes passed before I finally drove off, headlights slicing through the dark. I told myself I'd stop caring, that I'd let her go. But the thing about obsession, it doesn't ask permission. It just grows.
Two days later, I found out she'd moved. Not from her directly, of course. But she didn't cover her tracks well. She'd booked a short-term apartment under someone's name. Rebecca Hart. My people are good at finding things that aren't meant to be found. When Felix sent me the address, I just stared at it for a long time. I shouldn't go. I knew that. She didn't want me near her. But logic and love never existed in the same room.
That evening, I drove past the street, windows tinted, watching from the other side. Her car was parked by the curb. She was standing at the balcony, hugged by a blanket. Meera looked different. Lighter. Like she was finally breathing.
And that should've been enough for me. To know she was fine. Safe. But I couldn't drive away.
Every part of me wanted to stay, to make her look at me again, to remind her that I wasn't Tobias. I wasn't the man who owned half the city but couldn't see the people in it. I was the man who noticed when her laugh cracked in the middle, who remembered her favorite flowers, who wanted her, not because she was a mystery, but because she made me feel like myself again.
I stayed long enough to see her disappear into the building. The light from her apartment window flickered on a few minutes later. And then I did something reckless. I pulled out my phone, typed a message. "Sweet dreams, Meera.". Am I being a creep? Or I'm in just in love? She'd know I'm the one. She's that smart. It wasn't meant to scare her, it was a reminder. That I was still here. Still thinking about her. Still waiting for a chance to make things right.
When I finally drove away, the ache in my chest didn't fade. If anything, it deepened. Because I knew I was crossing a line. But I also knew something else, I wasn't done. Not until she looks at me again the way she once did, when she thought I was the man she could fall for.
And if Tobias thought he could get to her first…
He's wrong.
Tobias
The rain hadn't stopped since that night. It drummed endlessly against the roof of my car. Wolfe. The name alone irritated me. The way he says her name, like he'd earned it.
When I didn't hear anything from Meera throughout that day, about the deal I gave her. I forgot about it. I know my way of finding her and I know exactly how to bring her to her knees.
And if she declines my offer, I've always loved a challenge. I stood in the rain, shivering, to see that stubborn look, the kind that said she'd rather drown than be saved. I've met women who begged to be noticed, who dressed themselves in desperation just to get my attention. Meera Walker didn't even try. She walked away from me, from him, from comfort and I find it very alarming.
My father once said power doesn't make people obey you, it makes them want to. I never understood that until now. Because I could've ordered her to take my offer. I could've sent my men to move her things without her consent. But I didn't. For the first time, control felt meaningless if she didn't choose me willingly.
Back to the morning of the tenants' eviction, I leaned back in my office chair, the city's skyline bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My desk was cluttered with documents for the estate sale, contracts, signatures. I wanted the transaction sealed by Friday. But lately, every decision I made came with her shadow in it. Meera Walker.
A knock interrupted my thoughts. It was Mason, my manager. "Sir, Mr. Wolfe called earlier. He wanted to confirm tomorrow's board meeting with your father." I kept wondering how he couldn't recognize me the night of the snow. Stupid Adrian, he claimed she was his.
I exhaled slowly. "Tell him I'll be there."
"Yes, sir." He hesitated. "Also… the estate manager sent word. Most of the tenants have vacated except one. Mrs. Meera Walker."
Of course. I should've expected that. "She's still there?"
"Yes, sir."
"Leave it," I muttered. "I'll handle it." When Mason left, I reached for my phone, scrolling through my messages until I found her name. I stood, pacing. The penthouse felt too large, too quiet. I've lived in this glass tower long enough to know silence like a lover, it follows me everywhere. But tonight, it mocked me. I poured myself a glass of bourbon, took a sip, and stared out at the rain-blurred city lights. I shouldn't care this much. She was just another tenant. Another woman who'd caught my attention for a fleeting second. That's what I kept telling myself. But whenever I closed my eyes, I saw her hair dripping wet, lips trembling, voice steady as she told me no. A man can buy everything, but not that kind of resistance. I'd love to have her in my bed.
I set the glass down and loosened my tie. Wolfe would use this as an advantage. I knew men like him, men who wore charm like armor, who played nice until they got what they wanted. He didn't want her because of love. He wanted her because she said no to him first.
I caught my reflection in the window, tired eyes, clenched jaw. I looked like my father when something didn't go his way. I hated that. My phone buzzed again. A message from my mother. "Dinner tomorrow. Your father insists." I replied with a simple Okay.
I grabbed my coat and keys, stepping into the rain. I definitely had a destination in mind, Meera's place. To go check on her. I drove there and found Mrs. Lucelia Walker. I've heard about her.
She hugged me like we had a lot to catch up on. And I barely know this woman. I stood outside and waited for Meera. I honestly didn't want her out of my sight but money's more important. But I had a plan. I wanted to move her to my new estate. She was quite unhappy and didn't like the offer. I gave her time to think about it.
I drove to my parents house the next morning. The farewell banners were still fluttering weakly against the fences, the party debris washed away. I parked anyway, the engine still running. I told the cleaners to take care of them but they said my father didn't want them to. Classic Dad.
I saw my mother first. My beautiful woman. The only woman I ever trusted. Hannah Moretti. She divorced my father right before I left for London an now, they're surprisingly back together. For a moment, I was happy to be here. Seeing where I grew up. The house painting, family portraits. It's a nostalgic feeling. Dinner was set, the maids had done their part. I dug in and enjoyed the meal because I missed my mother's delicacies. Father didn't show up for an hour straight. The rest of the foods were already cold. I already knew he wasn't going to show up. Same thing happened last time. "Mom, thanks for meal, I'll be on my way". I stood up quietly with napkins in my hands. I moved to her seat and kissed her cheek.
"Let's wait son, you can't keep avoiding your father"
"I'm not avoiding him, he's the one avoiding me". I chuckled and I made it clear. She looked worried, I hate seeing her that way. "Mom, don't worry about me and your husband. We'll figure it out later but for now I have to go". I assured her and kissed her cheek gently again. Then walked off.
I stayed in the car, looking at the place I grew up again, so many ups and downs. People wonder why I'm like this, I was forcefully made that way. I had no other choice. I can't let people see my weakness, like my dad did. He made me feel less of myself. I had to go far away to start from scratch. I brought out a cigarette and lit it up. Smoke moving around in the car. Nothing else mattered at this moment. I was at it for minutes till I dropped it.
I scrolled through my phone, to see anything new.
Tomorrow, I'd sign the final papers. The estate would be sold. Gone. And then I knew. Women like Meera Walker don't disappear quietly. They haunt you.
And when the time comes, I'll be waiting.