I wasn’t leaving until I got answers

Genevieve’s pov

What a jerk.” Edward muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in frustration.

“Are you okay?” He rushed to my side, his face was full of concern.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, my voice very unsteady. “I’m sorry you had to witness all that.”

“You shouldn’t apologize. Are you sure you’re okay? That man seemed... dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine,” I lied, forcing a weak smile. “Thank you for stepping in. He’s just, he mistook me for someone else.”

Edward frowned, unconvinced. “Mistook you? That didn’t seem like a simple misunderstanding. You should think about filing a police report.”

“I’ll consider it,” I replied.

“Please do. You never know what people like him are capable of. Just promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“I will. And I’m sorry again for all the trouble.”

Edward gave me a small, reassuring nod. “Don’t apologize. I’ll be waiting for a response from your company.”

“You’ll have it by tomorrow,” I assured him.

We stepped out of the café together, and his driver was already waiting by the curb. After exchanging final goodbyes, he slid into the backseat, and the car disappeared down the street.

I hurried to my own car, my heart racing. My hands shook as I fumbled with the keys, locking the doors as soon as I got inside. My breath came in shallow gasps as I tried to steady myself. Only when I felt the slightest sense of security did I reach for my phone, scrolling through my contacts with trembling fingers.

Darlington!

I hit the call button, my throat tightening as I waited for him to pick up.

“Genevieve?” His voice came through.  “What’s wrong? You sound... off.”

“He’s here,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes.

“Who’s here?” His tone sharpened. 

“Alex,” I said, my voice cracking. “I saw him, Darlington. He…he attacked me.”

“What the hell? Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I’m in my car. It happened at the café where I was meeting a client. He recognized me, Darlington. He told me to watch my back. I don’t know what to do. I’m terrified.”

“Shit!” Darlington cursed. I heard the sound of something slamming on his end of the line. “Listen to me, Genie. Take a deep breath. I’m not going to let him anywhere near you or Jasper. You hear me? He’s not getting close. I’ll die before that happens.”

I choked back a sob, tears spilling over. “I don’t know what to do. I feel like he’s watching me, like he’s waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

“You’re not alone in this,” Darlington said. “I’ll protect you both, no matter what. Are you still at the café?”

“I’m in my car, about to leave,” I replied.

“Are you going back to work?”

“No,” I admitted. “I don’t feel safe anywhere, not outside, not at home. I’m heading to Jasper’s school to pick him up.”

“That’s a good call,” he said. His voice softened, his anger replaced with a protective tenderness. “I’m so sorry you had to face him again. After everything he’s done to you, you don’t deserve this. But you’re not alone anymore, Genie. I’ve got you. We’ll get through this together.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Thank you, Darlington.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s my job to keep you safe. I’ll call in some bodyguards, people I trust. They’ll stay with you discreetly, so you won’t even notice them. That bastard won’t get within a mile of you or Jasper. I swear it.”

His words were a lifeline, steadying me when I felt like I was drowning. “You’re always there for me,” I whispered.

“Always,” he replied without hesitation. “And I’ll send Lara over to check in on you tonight.”

“Thanks, Gab.”

“Stay strong, Genie. You’ve been through worse and come out on top. Don’t let him scare you into running. You’re better than that.”

I exhaled shakily, his words giving me the strength I desperately needed. “You’re right. I won’t let him win.”

“That’s my girl. Call me if anything happens, okay?”

“Okay. Love you, Ganie.”

“Love you too, angel.”

As the call ended, I gripped the steering wheel, taking a deep breath. I wouldn’t let Alex control my life. Not again.

***************

Alex’s pov

The moment I stormed out of the café, I made a beeline for the car. My driver stood waiting by the curb, his posture straight and alert. Without a word, I slid into the back seat, slamming the door shut harder than I intended.

“Where to, Sir?” he asked cautiously, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

“Just drive,” I snapped, my tone sharper than usual. Frustration clawed at my chest, suffocating me. I didn’t care where we went, so long as it was far away. Away from her. Away from the chaos she’d just unleashed in my mind.

The car eased into the flow of traffic, but my thoughts raced too quickly to notice the city blurring past the windows. Genie. I’d been chasing ghosts for years, paying investigators and scouring the globe for even the faintest trace of her. Every lead, every clue, had dissolved into nothing.

Yet today, out of nowhere, there she was, standing right in front of me, every bit as breathtaking as I remembered. Her confident demeanor, the way she carried herself, it was infuriating. She looked like she’d moved on. Like I was nothing more than a chapter in her past.

“Take me to the hotel,” I finally muttered, rubbing my temples.

“Yes, Sir,” the driver replied, his voice subdued.

I barely registered the ride, my thoughts too tangled to focus on anything outside the suffocating swirl of emotions. When we reached the hotel, I didn’t wait for the driver to open the door. I stepped out, striding past the staff with barely a nod.

Once inside the suite, I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it carelessly onto a nearby chair. My hands trembled as I poured a drink from the minibar. The first glass disappeared in seconds, the burn of the whiskey doing little to calm the storm inside me. Before I could pour a second, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was the pilot. I quickly texted back, canceling the flight. My plans had changed. I wasn’t leaving Italy, not yet. As I slid the phone onto the counter, it buzzed again. It was Drew.

“Yes?” I answered quickly.

“You were right, Sir. Miss Genie is in Italy,” Drew said, his tone cautious. “She’s... done quite well for herself.”

My grip on the glass tightened. “What the hell does that mean?”

Drew waited for a while before he continued. “After she left, she reconnected with her stepbrother. He’s wealthy, inherited a massive estate from his mother. He helped her start over here. New identity, new life. That’s why it took so long to track her down.”

The words felt like a punch to the gut. “That bastard.”

“She’s now a senior manager at a leading marketing firm,” Drew continued, his tone careful. “She owns properties and lives comfortably with her son.”

My heart stopped. “Her what?”

“Her son,” Drew repeated. “A five-year-old boy named Jasper.”

“No,” I snapped. “You’ve got the wrong person. Genie doesn’t have a son. She wouldn’t, she couldn’t keep something like that from me.”

“I’m certain it’s her, Sir. I verified the hospital records. She gave birth five years ago. The child wasn’t adopted.”

My breath hitched. Five years. The timeline didn’t add up, or maybe it did. My head spun, and I gripped the edge of the counter for support.

“What’s her full name?” I demanded.

“Jasper Fidelis. Genie gave her son her surname.”

Fidelis. The name sounded foreign, yet bitterly familiar.

“She’s done an impressive job keeping the child out of the spotlight,” Drew added. “No public photos, no social media presence. It’s like she’s protecting him.”

I ended the call without another word. The phone slid from my hand onto the countertop as I stared blankly at the shattered pieces of my composure.

A son. She had a son. My mind replayed the way Genie had smiled at the man in the café, the way she’d touched his arm. Was he the father? Has she really replaced me so completely?

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, but it quickly turned into a growl of frustration. I grabbed the glass in front of me and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into tiny pieces, much like the calm I’d fought so hard to maintain.

“What have you done, Genie?” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. My voice cracked as I sank onto the couch, burying my face in my hands.

Memories of her haunted me, the way she used to look at me, the promises we made. And now, this. A life without me. A son I never knew about.

For the first time in years, I felt completely unmoored. Lost in the silence of the suite, I realized one thing with certainty, I wasn’t leaving until I got answers.