Selena didn't turn around right away.
She kept walking, trying to keep her pace steady, but her heart was already starting to hammer. The sound behind her wasn't going away. It wasn't slowing down, either. It was just... there. Measured. Deliberate. Matching her step for step.
She turned a corner, her fingers curling tight into her palm, just trying to see if he'd follow.
The footsteps followed.
Her chest tightened. It wasn't full-blown panic yet, just that sharp, cold awareness. The street was still busy—people were talking, cars were humming past—but none of that mattered.
She slowed down. Then she stopped.
She turned around.
The man stopped a few feet back. Not close enough to touch, but close enough that he couldn't pretend he wasn't following her. For a second, neither of them said a word.
"Why are you following me?" Her voice came out sharper than she wanted, thin with the fear she was trying to hide.
The man stood there. He didn't look like a threat—no weapons, no sudden moves. He just looked... watchful. Like he'd been waiting for this.
"I'm not here to hurt you," he said quickly. His voice was low, controlled.
"That's exactly what someone like you would say," Selena snapped, taking a small step back.
"I don't have time for this," he said, glancing nervously around them. "You shouldn't be out here alone."
Her breath caught. "Then stop following me."
"I needed to reach you."
That made her pause. "Why me? If you have something to say, go to him. Why come to me?"
"Because I can't get to him." The answer was fast. "Sebastian doesn't move without security. He doesn't take meetings. Right now, I wouldn't even get past the lobby. But you..."
Selena didn't like the way he said that. "But me what?"
"I saw you," he said. "On the news. At the building with him. You're the only person I can reach who actually has his ear."
The words sat there between them. Selena didn't relax. "And how long have you been watching me?"
"Long enough to know I won't get another chance like this."
Her grip on her phone tightened. "That doesn't make this better."
"I know. But I don't have another option."
The silence stretched out, tense and heavy. Finally, Selena asked, "What do you want?"
He looked even more serious now. "There's someone inside McGrey Holdings. Someone leaking info. I'm not guessing. I know it."
Selena felt the air leave her lungs. She thought of everything Sebastian had been saying lately—the deals, the timing.
"You're not the first person to say that," she said, watching him. "What makes you different?"
"I'm not guessing," he repeated. "I've seen it."
"Then say it. Who is it?"
He hesitated. And that hesitation changed the whole vibe.
"See? You don't even sound sure—"
"I am sure."
"Then say the name."
"I can't."
Frustration flared up through her fear. "Then why are you here?"
"Because if I say it out loud, if I move wrong, if I expose myself too soon... they might come for me. Or they'll disappear before I can prove a thing. And then this never stops."
That quieted her. She studied him, trying to figure out if this was real or if she was being played.
"And you expect me to just believe you?"
"No," he said. "I expect you to listen. I can help him."
Selena swallowed hard. "And what do you want in return?"
"Nothing."
"Everyone wants something."
He shook his head. "Not this time."
She searched his face, looking for the lie. "Then tell me now. If it's that important, you don't need another meeting. Just say it."
She looked at him. "You have one minute. Talk."
He exhaled, looking like he'd been holding his breath for hours. "It's about McGrey Holdings. You already know something's wrong. The Westline deal, HelixCore... that's not a coincidence."
"That's just speculation," she challenged.
"It's a pattern," he argued.
"Then say something useful."
He hesitated again. "I know who's leaking. I have proof. I'll give it to him, but not yet."
"What do you want from me?"
"Time. And a way in."
"You're not using me to get to him."
"I'm not asking to. I just need you to listen first. And there's something you need to know... about him, and the people around him."
Her chest felt tight. "Then say it."
"Not here."
Selena shook her head. "Then we're done."
"Wait!" He took a step toward her, then caught himself. "I'm not trying to put you in danger."
"You already have."
He looked at her, his voice dropping. "Don't tell him about this."
That was the moment it felt wrong. Selena's eyes narrowed. "That's not your decision."
"If you do, this ends before it starts. And he won't get the truth."
"And I'm supposed to trust you?"
"No. You're supposed to decide if what you've already seen makes sense."
The Westline deal. The timing. The pattern. It all hummed in the back of her mind.
"If anything happens next, it's on my terms," Selena said. "You don't follow me again. You don't come near his home. And you don't control what I tell him."
He paused, then nodded. "Understood."
Selena held his gaze for a beat longer. "If this is a lie, you won't get another shot."
"It's not."
" I'll meet you here again in two days, same time . She just turned and walked away, and this time, he didn't follow.
-
By the time she got back to the penthouse, she was still wound tight.
The second she stepped inside, she knew Sebastian was there. He turned as soon as he saw her, his eyes scanning her over, making sure she was okay before he even spoke.
"Where were you?" He sounded calm, but she could hear the weight in it.
Selena dropped her bag. "Out."
"That's not an answer."
"I needed air."
His jaw tightened. "You left without security."
"I didn't think it was necessary."
"It is." He stepped closer, his voice firm. "Daniel called you. I did too. Neither of us could reach you."
She glanced at her phone. "I didn't hear it."
"That doesn't change anything." He studied her, like he was looking for a secret. "Did something happen?"
Selena looked at him. For a second, she almost told him everything. But then she thought of the man's face.
She shook her head. "No."
Sebastian didn't look like he believed her, but he didn't push. Instead, he stepped closer and put a hand on her waist, pulling her toward him.
"Next time, stay where I can reach you."
"That sounds like an order."
"It is."
She let out a small breath. "You're impossible."
"And you're not careful enough."
That almost made her smile.
-
Later that night, Selena stood by the window, replaying the whole thing.
The man. The warning. The one thing that stuck: Don't tell him.
She knew better than to trust a stranger. She knew she shouldn't keep secrets from Sebastian. But something about it felt... real.
She exhaled slowly. She had made a decision.
She'd meet him again. But this time, she'd be ready.