Charlotte kept her cool, staying perfectly still.
After a moment, the man finished his call and returned to his car.
His vehicle sat diagonally across from hers. He popped open a soda and sipped it lazily, looking for all the world like any other tired traveler taking a break.
Nothing screamed suspicious.
Maybe it really was coincidence–leaving, New York at the same time three days ago and returning at the same hour today?
Yeah, right. She didn’t buy that for a second.
Thirty minutes crawled by. Charlotte didn’t budge, and neither did the man.
That settled it.
Who would send someone to follow her?
Had the Granthams hired some kind of hitman?
But if he was here to hurt her, why wait three whole days?
Questions tumbled through her mind as she weighed her options.
Should she call the police?
They’d take too long to arrive, and what evidence did she have? Being on the same highway wasn’t exactly proof of stalking. The guy could easily play innocent.
She was still an hour outside New York. If he’d shadowed her for days without making a move, maybe she could just drive normally, pretend she hadn’t noticed, and he wouldn’t try anything before she reached safety.
Decision made, Charlotte started her car and pulled onto the highway.
His car lazily followed suit.
He kept his distance, sometimes disappearing entirely only to materialize again later. If she hadn’t been looking for him specifically, she wouldn’t have noticed him at all.
Whoever this guy was, he knew what he was doing
The hour–long drive left her palms slick with sweat.
Only when she crossed into the city limits did she allow herself to breathe a little easier. As she approached her building complex, she suddenly floored it.
12:08
The Moment
oment I Let Go My Uncle Escaping the Furballen Past.
“Shit, she made us!” the man muttered, hitting his steering wheel.
On the nearly empty street, Charlotte blew through a red light without hesitation. She swerved into her complex while the tail car got stuck at the security gate.
She exhaled a shaky breath.
Safe.
Charlotte guided her car down into the underground garage.
After parking, she grabbed her luggage and called Summer while walking, explaining the whole stalker situation.
In another section of the garage.
A car door opened silently, and a man with an artistic vibe stepped out. He wore a wide–brimmed black hat pulled low, completely hiding his face.
He moved unhurriedly behind Charlotte, ghost–like, his footsteps making no sound whatsoever.
Charlotte stopped at the security door.
She paused for the facial recognition scan, still filling Summer in on her stalker.
Without warning, a sharp blow struck the back of her neck. White–hot pain flashed through her, and the world went black.
As her body crumpled, her phone slipped from her fingers….
The person behind her caught her before she hit the ground, deftly intercepting the falling phone and ending the call with one smooth motion.
“Charlotte? Hello? You there?” Summer called her name repeatedly before realizing the call had dropped. “Damn
It
Accidental hang–up?
She called back immediately.
The phone rang but went unanswered. Charlotte had just said she was in the parking garage–she should be at the elevator by now.
After several rings, the call went to voicemail.
Something felt very wrong.
Summer grabbed her car keys and bolted for the door. As she rushed out, she pulled up Zarek’s number–she’d boldly asked for it that night at the kebab shop.
He lived in the same building and could check on Charlotte.
12:08
The Moment Let Go My Uncle Escaping the Forbidden Past
The phone rang several times before he answered with that impossibly smooth voice of his. “Hello.”
No time for swooning. Summer cut straight to the chase. “Zarek, something’s wrong, Charlotte just entered her building garage, but our call suddenly cut off mid- sentence. Now she’s not picking up.”
“I’ll handle it,” he replied, his tone shifting instantly.
Before Summer could say another word, he hung up.
At that moment, Zarek was sitting with his parents at the Weasley family mansion. A tablet on the table displayed. photos of various eligible young women.
After ending the call, he stood and addressed his parents with practiced politeness. “I need to step out. Whatever you decide about the candidates is fine–just let me know when it’s settled.”
With that, he strode toward the door.
Arthur and Cecelia exchanged knowing glances.
Once their son was safely out of earshot, Cecilia spoke up. “That definitely sounded like a young woman.”
“Don’t get your hopes up just because a girl called him. Did you see his face? Cold as ice. Does that look like a man
“Maybe with time, something could develop?”
“You said the same thing about Olivia. You practically engineered that Portugal trip to throw them together, and now she keeps crying to me.”
“You don’t think our son actually prefers men, do you?” Cecelia whispered, looking genuinely distressed. “When I visited my family last week, I ran into that Lowell boy. He mentioned that he and Zarek spent ten days together in Switzerland last winter!”
Arthur didn’t grasp her implication. “And?”
Cecelia’s checks flushed pink as she struggled to articulate her concern: “That Lowell boy… he’s…. he’s into men… Word is, he goes for the handsome, athletic types. And he’s… well, he’s the one who… takes charge.”
Arthur’s face contorted in horror.
He immediately pictured his son’s classically handsome face.
…His son with another man?? What??
The blood drained from his face.
Cecelia leaned forward. “Now you see why I’m desperate. At this point, I have zero requirements for at daughter–in–law. Female, breathing, someone he can tolerate–I’ll take anything. Just… not that.”
Arthur clutched his chest. “That’s enough! I can’t. My heart..”
The Moman I Let Go My!
exping the Forbidden Pa
Chapter 87
Outside, Zarek was already making calls while walking briskly to his car.
First, he contacted building security, briefly outlining the situation. They promised to check cameras and send
someone to investigate.
Then he called Hector, his man assigned to protect Charlotte.
“She dropped a call suddenly in the garage. Check it out. Now.”
“On it,” Hector replied, already starting his car. “I saw her enter about ten minutes ago. I kept my distance after that amateur exposed himself at the rest stop. Ms. Whitmore was spooked the whole trip, but that guy couldn’t get past the gate.”
Zarek went silent for a moment.
He h
had a pretty good idea who sent the amateur.
“Finding her is your only priority,” he said with deadly calm.
Ending the call, he slid into his waiting car. Liam closed the door and quickly took the driver’s seat. “How could Ms. Whitmore lose contact inside the building? Our security is top notch.”
“It’s tight for visitors, not residents,” Zarek pointed out. “What if whoever got to her lives there?”
“But why would a resident-”
“Issac bought a unit specifically to gain access. I authorized Hector to enter. If someone wants in badly enough. they’ll find a way.”
Understanding dawned on Liam’s face.
Inside the complex.
As Hector’s car descended into the garage, a sleek black sports car approached from the opposite direction, passing him with a soft purr of its engine..
