Chapter Ten

The house felt like a fortress after the alarm incident. Security guards roamed the property with their radios

crackling, and the newly installed cameras seemed to hum with tension. Yet, even with the added protection, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.

Rex had been unusually quiet since the alarm went off the night before. He spent most of the day in his study, making calls and working with his security team. I wanted to ask him what he'd discovered, but his tense

demeanor kept me at bay.

By late afternoon, I decided I couldn't take the silence anymore. I knocked lightly on the study door before stepping inside.

"Do you have a minute?" I asked.

Rex looked up from his desk, his expression unreadable. "What is it?"

"I just... I need to know what's going on. The alarm, the security, Jane... everything. I feel like I'm in the dark, and it's driving me crazy."

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "There's not much to tell. The security team didn't find anything unusual last night, but I'm not taking any chances. As for Jane..." He hesitated, his jaw tightening. "I've hired someone to keep an eye on her. If she's behind this, we'll know soon enough."

I nodded, though his answer did little to ease my nerves. "And what if she is behind it? What then?" "Then I'll handle it," he said firmly.

I wanted to believe him, but the growing unease in my chest told me this was far from over.

That evening, I sat in the living room, trying to distract myself with a book. The words blurred together on the page as my mind wandered to the chaos surrounding us.

The sound of footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. Rex entered the room, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened.

"Do you want to go out for dinner?" he asked unexpectedly. I blinked, caught off guard. "Out? Like, leave the house?"

"Yes," he said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "It's been a while since we've done something normal. Besides, I think we both need a change of scenery."

I hesitated, the thought of leaving the safety of the mansion making me uneasy. But the idea of sitting through another tense evening at home wasn't appealing either.

"Okay," I said finally. "Let's go."

Rex took me to an upscale restaurant downtown, the kind of place where everything gleamed under soft

lighting and the waitstaff moved like clockwork. As we were escorted to our table, I felt the weight of curious stares.

"People are watching," I whispered.

"Let them," Rex said, his tone dismissive. "It's part of the job."

I sighed, reminding myself that this was just another performance.

As the evening went on, I found myself relaxing for the first time in days. The food was exquisite, and Rex, surprisingly, was good company when he wasn't buried in work.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this...calm," I said, sipping my wine. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"A little of both," I teased, smiling.

He chuckled, and for a moment, it felt like we were just two normal people enjoying a night out.

The illusion shattered when my phone buzzed with a message. I glanced at the screen, my stomach twisting as I read the text:

"Nice night for dinner, isn't it? I hope the food is worth it."

My breath hitched, and I quickly locked my phone, but Rex noticed my reaction. "What's wrong?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"Nothing," I said, forcing a smile.

"Sarah," he said firmly, leaning closer. "What's going on?"

I hesitated, then handed him the phone. He read the message, his expression darkening. "She's watching us," I whispered. "She knows we're here."

Rex's jaw clenched as he signaled for the waiter. "We're leaving."

The ride home was tense. Rex was silent, his grip on the steering wheel tight. I sat beside him, staring out the window, my mind racing.

When we arrived at the mansion, Rex wasted no time calling his security team.

"I want every detail about how she's tracking us," he barked into the phone. "Cameras, phone records, anything. I want answers by morning."

I stood in the corner, feeling helpless as the security team scrambled to follow his orders.

Later that night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about the message. Jane wasn't just threatening us anymore... she was escalating.

A knock on the door broke through my thoughts. "Come in," I called softly.

Rex stepped inside, his expression softer than before. "Can't sleep?"

I shook my head. "Every time I close my eyes, I feel like she's out there, watching."

He sat on the edge of the bed, his presence oddly comforting. "I won't let anything happen to you, Sarah. I promise."

"You keep saying that," I said quietly, "but what if it's not enough? What if she goes too far?" Rex reached out, taking my hand in his. "She won't. I'll make sure of it."

His words carried a weight that made me believe him, if only for a moment. The next morning, the security team reported back with their findings.

"She's been tracking your phone," one of the guards explained. "She must've planted spyware at some point. We've removed it, but there's no telling how much information she already has."

Rex cursed under his breath. "Get me everything you can on her. I want to know where she is, who she's talking to, and what she's planning."

"Yes, sir," the guard said before leaving the room.

I looked at Rex, a mix of fear and anger bubbling inside me. "How does she keep getting away with this?" "She won't," he said firmly. "Not for much longer."

But as much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't shake the feeling that Jane was always one step ahead. That evening, I received another message:

"You can cut me off, but you can't stop me. This is far from over." My hands trembled as I showed the message to Rex.

"She's not going to stop, is she?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Rex's expression hardened. "No. But neither will I."

Cliffhanger: How will Rex stop Jane, and what is Jane planning next?