“Fine, but I want an answer by the end of the day.”

Chapter Five

Willow

I was so distracted by Ronan’s offer that I almost didn’t notice the man behind me. It was only after he’d followed me around the third consecutive corner on my walk back to Lennox Securities that I grew worried. I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to get a better look at him, but he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and his face was in shadow. That in itself wasn’t unusual. There was a chill in the air, and many people were dressed warmly, but it was strange that he was making all the same turns as me.

My heart rate accelerated. Perhaps I was imagining things, but I didn’t think so.

I was rapidly approaching another corner—one I didn’t intend to turn—but I knew this might be my best chance to get a look at him. I darted around it and into a narrow alley between two buildings. Then I ducked behind a dumpster and peered around the edge. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the hooded guy strode past. He was glancing around as though looking for someone.

Me?

He paused at the entrance to the alley. Took a few steps forward and scanned it.

I huddled against the wall, praying he wouldn’t see me or hear my breathing. But a moment later, he continued on his way, muttering to himself.

I counted to one hundred before venturing out. I couldn’t see the man, and I didn’t want to wait around for him to come back, so I retraced my steps until I was back on the route to Lennox Securities.

My phone rang, piercingly loud to my frantic mind, and I fumbled it out of my handbag.

It was an unknown number.

“Hello?” I asked as I accepted the call. Nobody responded. “Is someone there?”

There was a muffled thud and then the call ended.

I stared at my phone, quietly freaking out.

The call couldn’t have been related to the guy following me, could it? It was just too weird. But I couldn’t convince myself they were unrelated. Two strange things happening at once? I didn’t think so.

I speed-walked the rest of the way to the office. The fear I’d felt put any thoughts of Ronan’s offer to the back of my mind, but as soon as I was inside and feeling safer, I began to dwell on it again. I couldn’t understand why he would offer a solution that seemed to be to his detriment. What did he have up his sleeve?

Still, at the end of the day, it didn’t really matter if he had a secret agenda. I couldn’t turn him down. He was in a position of power, and he was offering a win-win—although I wasn’t sure Tom would see it that way. As much as I loved Tom, he didn’t always understand that compromise was sometimes necessary to get the things we wanted. He’d been raised as the heir to the Lennox empire, and in his perspective, the world revolved around him. I’d never been in the running to take over the company. Partially because I didn’t have a head for business, and partially because our father had been a little old-fashioned. He’d loved me but preferred to think of me as his baby girl rather than his potential replacement.