Chapter 3: He Started Watching Her
Lianna felt it the moment she stepped out of the Blackwood estate.
The air was too still.
In her past life, she would have dismissed the unease as nerves.
Now, reborn and sharpened by death, she recognized it instantly.
She was being watched.
The black car appeared in her peripheral vision—parked across the street, engine humming softly, windows tinted dark.
Lucien's car.
Of course.
Lianna didn't slow her steps. She walked calmly, chin lifted, as if she were just another woman heading toward her future.
I won't panic, she told herself.
That's what he expects.
She hailed a cab and slid into the back seat.
"Anywhere specific?" the driver asked.
"Yes," Lianna replied. "Downtown. And take the long way."
The car pulled away.
In the side mirror, she caught sight of the black vehicle following at a careful distance.
Her lips curved slightly.
So it begins.
Lucien Blackwood was not a man who accepted rejection. He was a hunter—silent, patient, ruthless.
In her previous life, she had mistaken his attention for affection.
This time, she knew better.
—
Inside the black car, Lucien sat in silence.
"She's different," his right-hand man muttered from the front seat. "Should I have someone check her background again?"
Lucien's fingers tapped once against his knee.
"No," he said coolly. "I want to see what she does next."
On the tablet in front of him, live footage from nearby cameras tracked Lianna's route.
She didn't look scared.
She didn't look relieved either.
She looked… composed.
That unsettled him more than anger ever could.
"She refused me," Lucien murmured, eyes dark. "Yet she walks away like she already won."
His gaze sharpened.
"No one walks away from me."
—
Lianna arrived at a small café tucked between bookstores—quiet, unremarkable.
Perfect.
She sat by the window, ordered tea, and opened her phone. Her fingers moved swiftly as she sent a message.
I'm coming back.
Moments later, a reply flashed.
Are you sure? After everything?
Lianna's grip tightened.
In her past life, she had cut ties with the only person who ever truly cared for her—her childhood friend, the one Lucien had quietly erased from her life.
This time, she typed back:
I'm sure. I need you.
She looked up—and froze.
Across the street, Lucien stood beside his car.
No guards. No disguise.
Just him.
Watching her through the glass.
Their eyes met.
The world narrowed to that single moment.
Lucien raised his hand—not a wave, not a threat.
A promise.
Lianna's heart skipped, but she didn't look away.
Instead, she lifted her teacup slowly and took a calm sip.
A silent challenge.
Lucien's lips curved into a dangerous smile.
Run all you want, his eyes seemed to say.
I see you now.
And once he saw something—
He never let it go.