Chapter 95

'You said what? The stalker has been sending you messages?" Ashleigh's froze as Adrian nodded with a grim expression. He turned the laptop to her, showing a glowing map of with scattered with glowing red dots across various regions. ' While I was in Italy, I had my private investigation team has been trace the message activity from your phone." he explained, his voice low. 'They have also monitored my messages as well. The patterns of the calls are much clearer now." A chill ran down Ashleigh's spine as her eyes scanned the map. Her college dorm,the library, the restaurant where she met Arthur, even the mansion were all marked. He clicked another window, and a black screen appeared with several lines of encrypted code came up. 'The last message was traced to Italy, and it has been confirmed this evening that the stalker is connected to an old Italian mafia organization." Ashleigh's brows furrowed, her pulse quickening. 'Mafia?" she repeated, almost dumbfounded. Adrian's next words were slower, heavier, as his gaze darkened. 'This mafia organization has also begun searching for you, and my team suspects they may have ties to your family." Silence thudded between them, echoing through the quiet office as well. 'My family?" she echoed, barely above a whisper. 'But why would they know my parents?That doesn't make any sense." He held her gaze, eyes solemn. 'That's because your parents are Italian, Ashleigh. And there's history between them and this mafia organization, history we don't fully know yet." Ashleigh's mouth opened, but words failed her. Her body remained frozen as she tried to piece everything together. Her parents ? The mafia? This wasn't an obsessed student or a random stranger. This was a targeted, organized threat with roots deep in her family's past. The fact that she was Italian stunned her even more, what else had her aunt kept hidden? For a brief second, a wave of relief washed over her: maybe Adrian hadn't gone to Italy just to see Caelia. But that thought was quickly drowned by fear and confusion. Her fingers curled tightly over the edge of the desk. 'Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, her voice cracking. Adrian looked away, closing the laptop and standing up. He then rounded the desk slowly, stopping just a few steps away from her. 'Because I wanted to handle it first. Without causing you more fear." 'The more I found out about this stalker, the deeper the case gets about your family." Ashleigh's fists clenched, her voice sharp. 'So you thought keeping me in the dark was a good idea?" Her voice trembled with emotion. 'What if something had happened to me again? What if I walked into danger, clueless, while you were hiding the facts from me to ‘protect' me?" Adrian raked a hand through his hair, his posture stiff enough to cut glass. 'What do you expect me to do?" he shot back. 'Do I stop you from going to college because someone might be following you? Should I tell you to stay locked up in that house or by my side?" His hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her close to him. 'More importantly, will you listen to me if I did?" Her mind swirled as their eyes locked, his gaze was stormy and his forehead had creases which tightened as his grip on her hand tightened. Ashleigh, under the weight of his gaze and the tension of the room, forced a silent plea out of her lips. 'Your grip is too tight Adrian," she whispered, drawing a silent breath from his. 'Let me go." The room faded into a blur as she stared at him, waiting for him to release her. Instead, Adrian pulled her even closer to himself, causing her to hold her breath. 'No, I won't." he said. 'Because you don't seem to get it." His eyes bored into hers. 'I don't want you to look over your shoulder every second of every day when you get back to College. I don't want fear to rule your life anymore, not after what you went through." ''The idea of you being dragged into this once again…." He stopped himself, his jaw tightening. 'I couldn't risk it." Ashleigh's heart fluttered at the rawness in his voice. Her anger started to fade under the heat of his confession; the exhaustion and protectiveness in his voice rushed through her like a storm, and for the first time she could see his care for her. His arms finally fell to his sides, but she quickly grabbed them and held them in hers. 'I understand all this Adrian, but I also need to know what I'm up against, Adrian," she said softly. 'You keeping me in the dark is isolation. And that's what scares me the most, because it feels like I'm fighting alone." Her last words came out like a whisper, her heart skipping and she swallowed hard. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Adrian's gaze grow soft for a moment, as if hurt was flashing across his features. It then struck her: this was the first time she could clearly see the emotions in his eyes when he looked at her. He unclasped his hands from hers, his fingertips brushing against her cheek in a feather light motion that made her lean in that direction. His thumb hovered near her jaw delicately, as though he was afraid one wrong move might break her. 'You're not alone," he murmured. The air between them grew thick with something electric, something neither of them could deny any longer. Arthur's message flashed in her mind once again: Kiss him. Ashleigh's breath hitched as her eyes fell to his lips before snapping back up to his gaze. Her heart thundered in her chest. Every inch of her buzzed with tension, uncertainty, and longing. Was this finally the moment? Adrian must have noticed because his other hand immediately snaked around her waist, pressing her against his firm chest. Her hands flew to his shoulders to steady her legs which wanted to give out, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it and feel it against his chest. She searched his eyes, searching for certainty, hesitation……anything. But all she found was longing…. Unspoken, unrelenting longing, and that was all she needed to see. The room blurred into oblivion outside, she closed the distance herself, pressing her lips gently against his in a moment of reckless abandon. For a split second, he didn't move, as if caught off guard. Then, a low groan escaped him, and his hand moved to her neck, tilting her head as he deepened the kiss. A low groan escaped from the back of his throat, rumbling deep into hers and a more needy sound came from hers as a response. Adrian deepened he kiss with a hunger that seemed like he was releasing months of restraint, his fingers threading into her hair, his hands roaming her face to her body. Ashleigh melted into him as her lips responded with a gentle urgency that made her knees weak. When they finally broke apart, the air between them crackled and she leaned against his shoulders. Ashleigh's eyes were wide, heat creeping up her neck as her breath came in short bursts, but Adrian lifted her chin from his shoulder to meet his intense gaze that sent warmth through her body. His forehead rested against hers, taking in deep breaths as well. 'Was that... okay?" she breathed, the question hanging between them for a long moment. He laughed softly, his voice hoarse. 'You have no idea, mi amore" Then.......he brought his lips to hers again.