Ava woke early the next morning.
Lucien was already gone.
The penthouse felt strange without him.
Too empty.
Too quiet.
She walked into the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter.
Don't leave the building.
She frowned.
"Bossy."
Still, curiosity gnawed at her.
Her life had been erased.
Someone wanted her dead.
And Lucien clearly knew more than he was telling her.
Ava walked toward his office.
The door was locked.
But after a moment of searching, she found a hidden keypad beside the wall.
"Seriously?"
She tried a random code.
Nothing.
Then something strange happened.
Her fingers typed numbers almost automatically.
As if her body remembered something her mind didn't.
The door unlocked.
Ava froze.
"How did I…?"
She slowly pushed the door open.
Lucien's office was darker than the rest of the penthouse.
Black walls.
Glass desk.
Computer monitors everywhere.
But what caught her attention was the giant screen on the far wall.
Photos.
Dozens of them.
All of her.
Ava.
Walking down streets.
Leaving buildings.
Talking to people.
Her stomach dropped.
Lucien had been watching her long before the accident.
A lot longer.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
"Ava."
She turned slowly.
Lucien stood in the doorway.
His expression was unreadable.
"You weren't supposed to come in here."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"How long have you been watching me?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately.
He walked into the room slowly.
"You weren't meant to see this yet."
"That's not an answer."
Their eyes locked.
The tension between them thickened.
"Two years," he finally said.
Ava stared at him.
"You've been watching me for two years?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Lucien stepped closer.
His voice lowered.
"Because you were getting too close to something dangerous."
Her heart pounded.
"What was I investigating?"
Lucien's jaw tightened.
"Me."