chapter 14: A Sinister Presence

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. The shadowy figure outside my apartment window seemed to be watching me, its presence sending a chill down my spine.

I slowly backed away from the window, my eyes fixed on the figure. It didn't move, but I could sense its malevolent presence.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed, breaking the spell. I hesitated for a moment before answering it.

"Hello?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Camila, it's Rachel," said the voice on the other end. "I sent you Sophia's schedule like you asked."

I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the conversation. "Thanks, Rachel. I really appreciate it."

As I hung up the phone, I noticed that the shadowy figure was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if I had just imagined the whole thing.

But as I turned to walk away, I saw something that made my blood run cold. On my windowpane, someone had scrawled a menacing message:

"You're being watched."

My heart racing, I knew I had to take action. I couldn't let Sophia's goons intimidate me.

I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Ethan's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Ethan, it's Camila," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I think Sophia's people are watching me."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Ethan spoke.

"I'll send someone over to keep an eye on you," he said. "In the meantime, stay inside and keep your doors locked."

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Okay."

As I hung up the phone, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being watched. And I knew that Sophia would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

Here's the continuation of Chapter 14:

As I waited for Ethan's security team to arrive, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The message on my windowpane had left me with a chill, and I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see someone lurking in the shadows.

After what felt like an eternity, I heard a knock on the door. I cautiously made my way over to the peephole and looked out, seeing two burly men standing in the hallway.

"Who is it?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"We're with Ethan's security team," one of the men replied. "He sent us to keep an eye on you."

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. I opened the door and let the men in, trying to shake off the feeling of being watched.

The two men, who introduced themselves as Mike and Tom, quickly got to work securing my apartment. They checked the locks, the windows, and even the air vents, making sure that no one could get in.

As they worked, I couldn't help but think about Sophia and her motives. Why was she so determined to ruin Ethan's reputation? And what did she hope to gain from it?

Just as I was starting to get lost in my thoughts, Mike approached me with a serious look on his face.

"Camila, we need to talk," he said. "We've been monitoring Sophia's movements, and we think she's planning something big."

My heart skipped a beat as I listened to Mike's words. What could Sophia be planning? And how could we stop her?

As I stood there, frozen in fear, Mike and Tom quickly sprang into action. They carefully approached the window, scanning the area outside for any signs of movement.

"Get away from the window," Mike whispered to me, his voice low and urgent.

I nodded, slowly backing away from the window as Mike and Tom took positions on either side of it.

Suddenly, Tom spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think I see someone," he said, his eyes fixed intently on something outside.

My heart skipped a beat as Mike slowly turned to me. "Stay here," he mouthed, before turning back to Tom.

The two men exchanged a brief, wordless conversation, before Mike nodded and crept towards the door.

"I'll check the hallway," he whispered to Tom, before slipping out of the apartment.

Tom remained by the window, his eyes fixed intently on the figure outside. I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest.

What was happening? Who was outside my apartment?

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything went silent.

The figure outside seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving Tom and me staring at each other in confusion.

"What just happened?" I whispered to Tom.

Tom shook his head. "I don't know," he said, "but I think we just got a warning."

A warning? From who?

And what did they want?

I didn't have time to wonder. Mike burst back into the apartment, his face grim.

"We need to get you out of here," he said, his voice firm. "Now."

Mike quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door. "We need to go, now," he repeated.

I didn't argue. I could sense the urgency in Mike's voice, and I knew that we had to get out of there as quickly as possible.

As we rushed out of the apartment, Tom followed close behind, his eyes scanning the hallway for any signs of danger.

We quickly made our way to the stairwell, Mike leading the way. I could hear the sound of footsteps echoing behind us, and I knew that we were being followed.

"Where are we going?" I asked Mike, trying to keep up with his rapid pace.

"We're getting you to a safe house," Mike replied, his voice firm. "Somewhere that Sophia's people can't find you."

I nodded, my heart still racing with fear. I knew that I had to get out of there, and fast.

As we reached the bottom of the stairwell, Mike pushed open the door and gestured for me to go through.

I did, finding myself in a dimly lit alleyway. Tom followed close behind, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Mike pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "We need extraction," he said, his voice firm. "Now."

I looked around, trying to get my bearings. Where were we? And where were we going?

As I looked around, I saw a black SUV pull up to the end of the alleyway. Mike gestured for me to get in.

I did, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. We were getting out of there.

But as we pulled away from the curb, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.

And I knew that Sophia's people would stop at nothing to find me.