He stood there, his expression tight and visibly unsettled as his gaze locked onto mine. There was something heavy in the way he looked at me, something that made the air between us feel harder to breathe.
I didn't like this feeling of being cornered, of not knowing where I stood. So I lifted my chin slightly and answered with quiet firmness, "Yes. I will tell you if you ask."
He rose to his feet, and in that moment his presence felt overwhelming, his shadow falling over me as if the space itself had narrowed. "Who was the man you hugged at the airport yesterday?"
The question caught me off guard. For a second, I just stared at him, disbelief rising quickly into something sharper. "Are you spying on me?" My voice tightened as anger began to surface. "Ashton, what does this mean? Do I not have the right to my own space anymore?"
"Yes, you should know," I replied, my voice laced with irritation. "Everything you say must be followed, Mr. Fuller."
