Chapter 6

"Something else?" After weighing their respective power levels, Anna reluctantly stopped in her tracks and, like a total people-pleaser, forced out a smile. People who knew her well often said Anna acted tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She could talk big all day, but the second she ran into someone really powerful, she'd instantly switch to bootlicker mode. Anna felt a bit wronged—honestly, she just knew when to pick her battles. No need to throw herself into unnecessary danger, right? "Come here." As soon as Julian gave the command, Anna cautiously shuffled over to him, moving inch by inch while eyeing him like one might watch a wild animal—ready to bolt if he so much as twitched the wrong way. But Julian didn't make any sketchy moves. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out... a card? A business card? "Take it." His long fingers held the card out toward her, wrist barely flicking. "Huh? What's this?" Even though she had zero interest, Anna still took it reluctantly, gave it a lazy glance, and shoved it into her pocket without another thought. Did she read a single word on it? Not a chance. "Anything else?" Her half-hearted attitude couldn't have been more obvious if she tried. Julian's gaze darkened a bit, but all he did was shake his head. Getting the answer she hoped for, Anna finally let out a sigh of relief. The smile on her face turned a bit more genuine as she pretty much ran off, fearing he might change his mind last minute and drag her back again. What had felt like a long walk earlier now seemed ridiculously short—just a few blinks and she'd rounded the corner. Once she did, he would be out of sight. Anna didn't know what came over her, but just as she turned the corner, she stole a glance back. He was still standing right where he'd been, leaning casually against the wall. The sunlight fell just right, wrapping around him in a way that almost made him look... untouchable. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up and met her eyes.Anna froze right there. Her gut screamed at her to bolt, but weirdly, her legs just wouldn't respond. What kind of stare was that? Even though they were super far apart, and she couldn't clearly see his face, that gaze locked on her felt way too intense—like a predator eyeing its catch. No escape. She couldn't even remember how she managed to leave. By the time she came back to her senses, her back was drenched in cold sweat. Yikes. That was terrifying. Yeah, note to self—stop poking the bear just for fun. She gave herself a little shake, dug the business card out of her pocket, didn't even glance at it before chucking it straight into the trash like it burned. Under the sunlight, the gold print on the card—"Julian, President of Apexera Group"—glinted like it was mocking her. ... Anna flagged down a cab, and slid into the backseat. She had just settled into the seat and unlocked her phone when over thirty missed calls nearly gave her a heart attack. Most were from Sophia Jones. One was from her scumbag ex. That one she instantly ignored. Frowning, she called Sophia back, guilt flooding her. Last night she'd been too focused on catching her ex cheating to care about anything else. Just to be safe, she'd muted her phone—and today had been so chaotic, she'd totally forgotten to check back in. She was so screwed. The phone barely rang twice before it was picked up. Anna had just opened her mouth when Sophia's voice blasted through the speaker. "Anna! Answer your damn phone or I'm filing a missing person report—and when I find your corpse, I'm killing you myself!" The voice blasted through the car's speakers at max volume, sharp enough to make the Uber driver wince. "Still breathing… kinda," Anna managed, forcing a weak laugh that sounded more like a choked whimper. She could practically see her best friend's death glare through the phone.