Chapter Three – Danger in His Eyes
The ride home should have calmed her. The hum of the engine, the smooth rhythm of the tires against the road, even the distant city lights glowing against the horizon—all of it should have lulled her back into a sense of normalcy.
But Elena Romano sat rigid in the back seat of the black sedan, her pulse refusing to steady. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him again—Alessandro De Luca standing in the moonlight, his gaze locked on her like a hunter's mark.
Those eyes…
Cold, commanding, magnetic.
She had been looked at before, admired even, but no one had ever looked at her like that. As if she were a puzzle to be solved. A secret to be uncovered. A possession already claimed.
The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Everything alright, Lady?"
Elena forced a small nod, clutching her purse tightly on her lap. "Yes. Just… tired."
He said nothing more, and for that she was grateful. She needed silence to untangle the storm raging inside her chest.
When she finally arrived at her apartment building, she exhaled with relief. The familiar creak of the elevator, the hum of the hallway lights, even the faint chatter of neighbors behind their doors—this was her world, not his.
Yet as she turned the key to her apartment, a shiver ran down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that his presence lingered, invisible but heavy, like shadows stretching across her floor.
She set her purse down and went straight to the mirror, staring at her reflection.
Same brown eyes. Same dark hair falling loose around her shoulders. Same ordinary girl.
And yet… she didn't feel the same.
Alessandro had changed something.
Her phone buzzed on the counter, startling her. Elena snatched it up quickly, her heart skipping when she saw the unknown number.
She hesitated, then opened the message.
Did you make it home safely?
Her stomach twisted. No name, no signature. But she knew.
It was him.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, uncertain. Why would he care if she made it home? And why did his concern feel less like kindness and more like… surveillance?
She typed a simple reply: Yes.
She expected that to end the conversation. But a second message came almost immediately.
Good. Sleep well, Elena Romano. Tomorrow, the real game begins.
Her chest tightened. The real game? What did he mean?
She set the phone down quickly, as though touching it too long would burn her. But long after she crawled into bed, Alessandro's words carved themselves into her thoughts.
Tomorrow, the real game begins.
---
The next day at campus, Elena tried to act normal. She wore her usual jeans and blouse, tied her hair back, and carried her books close to her chest as if they could shield her from the weight of last night.
But nothing felt normal.
The stares of her classmates suddenly made her uneasy. The laughter in the cafeteria seemed too loud, too forced. Even the sunlight felt sharper, almost intrusive.
And then she saw him.
Not Alessandro—but one of his men.
Tall, broad, in a dark suit that screamed he didn't belong among carefree students. He leaned casually against a car near the main gate, but his eyes followed her every step.
Elena froze mid-walk. Her heart pounded as realization hit.
She was being watched.
Gathering courage, she kept walking, pretending not to notice. But her skin prickled under the weight of his surveillance. Was this Alessandro's idea of protection? Or control?
By the time her last lecture ended, her nerves were frayed. She rushed out of the building, clutching her books tightly.
And that was when it happened.
She collided with someone at the doorway, her books scattering across the ground.
"I'm so sorry—" Elena began, crouching quickly to gather her papers.
"No need to apologize."
The voice sent chills down her spine.
She looked up.
Alessandro De Luca.
Standing right there, in the middle of her university campus, dressed immaculately in another dark suit that made him look wildly out of place—and yet impossibly commanding.
Her breath caught. "You—what are you doing here?"
He crouched beside her, his movements fluid, deliberate, as he helped gather her papers. Their hands brushed, and she felt a jolt of heat she refused to acknowledge.
"Checking on you," he said smoothly. "Is that so strange?"
"Yes," she hissed under her breath, glancing nervously at the other students passing by. "You can't just show up here."
"Why not?" His lips curved in that maddening smirk. "Do I embarrass you, Elena Romano?"
"It's not about embarrassment," she snapped softly. "This is my life, my world. You don't belong here."
Alessandro straightened, handing her the stack of papers. But his eyes… his eyes held that same dangerous glint she had seen last night.
"On the contrary," he said, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "I belong anywhere I choose to be. And right now, I choose to be here—with you."
Her heart raced. Students around them whispered, curious about the tall, mysterious stranger speaking to Elena. Heat rose to her cheeks, not from attraction, but from the weight of unwanted attention.
Alessandro noticed. His gaze swept over the students lingering nearby, and in an instant, they scattered, intimidated by nothing more than his presence.
He leaned closer, his tone a velvet whisper. "You see, Elena… danger isn't always in guns or blades. Sometimes, it's in the eyes of the man who refuses to let you go."
Her breath hitched.
She wanted to tell him to leave, to never come near her again—but her words caught in her throat. Because deep down, beneath the fear, something else stirred. Something she didn't want to name.
Alessandro seemed to sense it. His lips curved in satisfaction, though his eyes remained sharp, unreadable.
"I'll see you again soon," he promised, turning to leave as smoothly as he had arrived. His men followed at a distance, shadows dissolving back into the city.
Elena stood frozen, her papers trembling in her hands.
Danger in his eyes.
It wasn't just a phrase. It was a truth she could no longer deny.
---
That night, Elena sat at her desk, trying desperately to focus on her assignments. But the memory of his gaze haunted her.
He was everywhere—in her thoughts, in her fears, even in the silence between her breaths.
And the worst part?
Some traitorous part of her didn't want him gone.
Her phone buzzed again. Another message.
You looked beautiful today. Even in fear, you shine.
Her chest tightened. She wanted to delete it, to block the number, to run. But she couldn't.
Because deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.
---
The whispers at campus grow louder. Rumors spread about Elena and the mysterious man who visited her. Envy brews among classmates. But the most dangerous attention isn't from her peers—it's from someone else who has been watching, waiting, and is not pleased with Alessandro's interest in her.