CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56

Stranger’s POV

I stood in the shadows behind Wellington & Sons building, my back pressed against the cold wall as I waited for my beautiful Olivia to emerge. Or rather, Oliver.

The thought made me chuckle softly.

She really was a brave little daredevil. My brilliant, reckless angel, walking into the lion’s den every single day with nothing but prosthetics and pure audacity to protect her. How she managed to maintain this insane charade without getting caught was beyond me, but maybe that’s exactly why my attraction to her keeps increasing every day.

She was crazy. I was crazy. We were a match made in heaven - or hell, depending on your perspective.

I checked my watch: 7 PM.

*What the fuck was keeping her?*

Most of the building’s lights had already dimmed. The other staffs have retired hours ago. But the executive floors still glowed like beacons in the darkness, and I knew exactly which office held my obsession captive.

Was that bastard Maxwell Wellington keeping her occupied up there? Making her work late while he sat in his ivory tower, probably still nursing the injuries I’d so graciously provided him with?

*Maybe I should teach him some more lessons,* I mused, my fingers unconsciously curling into fists. *This time it’ll be about letting staff go home on time.*

The thought of Maxwell’s hands on her or any other man’s - Alex, Gabriel, - made something violent and possessive surge through my chest. I’d already marked my territory once this week. Perhaps it was time for a more... permanent reminder of who really owned Olivia’s attention.

My phone buzzed insistently in my pocket, but I ignored it. Nothing was more important than this moment, than watching for her to appear.

Another buzz. Then another.

*Fuck off,* I thought irritably, not even bothering to check who was calling. The world could burn to the ground for all I cared. Olivia was the only thing that mattered.

Minutes dragged by with agonizing slowness. I found myself counting heartbeats, measuring time in the rhythm of my own desperate need to see her face. Even disguised as Oliver, even hidden beneath layers of artificial masculinity, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.

Then, finally - there she was.

*God... she is so beautiful.*

She stepped out of the building, her Oliver disguise still in place, but I could see through it all. The way she moved, the tilt of her head, the unconscious grace in her stride - it was unmistakably my Livy, and the sight of her made my chest tighten with an emotion so intense it was almost painful.

How was it that nobody could figure out she was a woman? Were they all completely fucking blind? Even with the prosthetics, even with the masculine clothing and altered voice, everything about her screamed feminine perfection to me. The delicate curve of her neck, the way her hips moved despite her best efforts to hide them, the soft fullness of her lips that no amount of contouring could truly disguise.

*Idiots. All of them. They don’t deserve to share the same air as her.*

She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking around with those expressive eyes that haunted my dreams. Even from this distance, I could sense her exhaustion. Had Wellington been cruel today? Had he made her suffer for sins she’d never committed?

The possessive rage that thought triggered was almost overwhelming. If that arrogant prick had so much as raised his voice at her, I would make sure his next "assault" was far more creative than a few blows and punches.

She raised her hand to hail a cab, and I felt my pulse quicken with anticipation. Soon I’d be able to follow her home, to watch over her, to ensure she arrived safely in her apartment.

A yellow cab pulled up to the curb, and my breath caught as she approached it. The streetlight caught her face for just a moment, and I saw something there - frustration? Sadness? - that made me want to sprint across the street and pull her into my arms.

*Soon, mi amor. Soon I’ll make everything better for you.*

She climbed into the cab, and I immediately moved toward my car, an expensive black Jaguar I’d parked carefully behind the building. I knew her address by heart - hell, I knew everything about her life by heart, obsessing over someone for years would do that to you. I didn’t need to follow too closely. But I would follow nonetheless, because the need to protect her was as essential as breathing.

I slid behind the wheel and started the engine, keeping the cab’s taillights in sight as we merged into traffic. My phone started buzzing again, the sound insistent and annoying.

*Not now. Not when she needs me.*

Whoever was calling could wait. Board meetings, business emergencies, family obligations - none of it mattered when Olivia was involved. She was my priority, my obsession, my reason for existing, and I would die before I let anyone or anything harm her.

The cab drove through the city streets, past glowing storefronts and busy restaurants where normal people lived their simple, meaningless lives. They had no idea that a goddess was traveling among them, disguised and unrecognized, more precious than anything their mundane existence could ever produce.

I followed at a careful distance, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I imagined what I wanted to do to her tonight. It had been too long since I’d touched her, since I’d felt her body respond to mine with that beautiful, helpless surrender. The memory of her gasps, her soft moans, the way she’d begged me for more - it was driving me insane with need.

*I miss her. I miss touching her and kissing those succulent lips that I can’t stop thinking about.*

Every night I dreamed of her mouth, of the way she’d tasted like honey and desperation when I’d kissed her in that karaoke room. Every morning I woke up hard and aching, my body demanding what only she could provide. This forced separation was torture, but it was necessary. She wasn’t ready to know the truth yet. She wasn’t ready to understand what we meant to each other.

But soon. Very soon.

The cab turned a corner, and within minutes it was pulling up in front of her apartment - a little three story apartment that housed my precious treasure. She didn’t deserve a place like this. What if her neighbors were troublesome people?

*I need to buy her a new house. Immediately.*

I parked across the street, positioning myself where I could see her apartment windows but remain hidden in the shadows.

*Fuck.*

I wouldn’t be able to get close tonight. Again.

It had been difficult to arrange a private encounter since our last meeting on Monday. She’d been more cautious, more aware of her surroundings, and while I admired her intelligence, it frustrated the hell out of me. I needed to touch her, to remind her that she belonged to me, but she was making it nearly impossible.

I watched as she climbed the short steps to the front door. My fingers itched to reach out and smooth away the exhaustion I could see in her posture, to carry her upstairs and worship every inch of her beautiful body until she forgot all about every other man.

She disappeared inside the building, and I settled back in my seat to wait. Patience had never been my strong suit, but for Olivia, I would wait forever.

A few minutes later, the light in her bedroom window came on. My heart rate picked up as I saw her silhouette moving around the room - removing her jacket, running her hands through her hair, beginning the nightly ritual of shedding Oliver’s identity and becoming herself again.

*God, what I wouldn’t give to be in that room with her right now.*

Then another figure entered the frame - taller, more dramatic. Kira, her roommate. I’d done extensive research on everyone in Olivia’s life, and while Kira seemed harmless enough, I didn’t like how much influence she had over my angel.

Olivia was pacing now, her movements agitated as she spoke to her friend. Even from this distance, I could see the tension in her body, the way she gestured emphatically as if trying to explain something urgent.

*What was she talking about? Was she okay? Did something happen at the office?*

The need to know, to understand, to comfort her was overwhelming. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to go to her, to demand an explanation for her distress, to eliminate whatever was causing her pain.

*Damn. I wish I could hear every word.*

I made a mental note - when I next encountered her, I would find a way to plant a listening device in her bag or clothing. Not to invade her privacy, of course, but to ensure her safety. To know when she needed me, or when she was in danger.

It wasn’t stalking if it was for her own good. It wasn’t obsession if it was love.

My phone buzzed again, and this time I glanced at the screen long enough to see seventeen missed calls. Whatever crisis was demanding my attention could wait. Olivia was more important than anything else in my world, and I wasn’t leaving this spot until I was certain she was safe and settled for the night.

The silhouettes in her window continued their animated conversation, and I found myself leaning forward, as if proximity could somehow help me decipher their words. Olivia’s body language suggested she was upset about something - work, most likely. The way she kept gesturing toward the window, toward the city where Wellington & Sons stood.

*What did he do to you today, mi amor? What fresh hell did that arrogant bastard put you through?*

The conversation in her bedroom seemed to be winding down. Kira’s silhouette moved toward what I knew was the door, probably heading to her own room for the night. Olivia remained at the window for a moment longer, and I held my breath, hoping she might look out and somehow sense my presence.

*I’m here, mi amor. I’m always here, watching over you, protecting you, loving you with every breath in my body.*

She moved away from the window, and the light dimmed as she prepared for bed. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I imagined her undressing, removing the bindings and prosthetics that hid her true beauty, becoming the woman she was meant to be.

*Soon,* I promised myself. *Soon I’ll find another opportunity to be alone with her. Soon I’ll remind her that she’s mine, that this connection between us is till eternity.*

My phone buzzed one final time before falling silent, and I allowed myself a small smile. Whatever emergency had been demanding my attention had apparently resolved itself or been handled by someone else. The world would always find a way to function without me, but Olivia - my beautiful, brave, reckless Olivia - she needed me in ways she didn’t even understand yet.

I remained parked across from her building until well past midnight, watching her window, promising myself that tomorrow would bring another opportunity to get closer to the woman who owned my soul.

*Sweet dreams, mi amor. Dream of me, as I dream of you.*