Page 5 of Perfect Stalker

“That’s a lot of responsibility for someone who was just an executive assistant last week.”

“You’ve proven yourself capable of far more than your previous position allowed.” I hold her gaze. “Unless you don’t feel up to the challenge?”

A flash of defiance crosses her face. “I can handle whatever you throw at me, Mr. Markov. I just prefer to understand what I’m getting into.”

“Good.” I smile slightly. “Then we understand each other.”

She stands, tablet clutched to her chest. “Will that be all?”

“For now.” I watch her walk to the door. “ Jenny?”

She turns back. “Yes?”

“The state of the company review meeting is at two. I expect you to lead the presentation.”

Her eyes widen slightly, but she recovers quickly. “Of course, Mr. Markov. I’ll be prepared.”

The door closes behind her, and I pull up the security feeds again. Through the cameras, I watch her return to her desk, her movements betraying a hint of agitation as she begins preparing for the meeting.

At the endof the day, I watch Jenny pack up her belongings to head home. She moves with practiced efficiency, tucking her laptop into her bag and straightening her desk with precise movements.

My phone buzzes. Dmitri’s name flashes on the screen.

“Marcus relayed the background checks are complete on the new hires,” he says. “All clear, as expected.”

“Good.” I tap through different camera angles, tracking Jenny’s progress toward the elevator. “Any word from our contacts about the former employees?”

“They’re staying quiet. The severance packages were...persuasive.”

“Make sure it stays that way.” I have plenty of evidence of wrongdoing by most of the former workers to ensure silence if money doesn’t, but I’d rather move past all of them and forget they ever existed. I hope they’ll be smart enough to allow that strategy. I wonder how long it will take them to realize they’ve all been blackballed?

The elevator doors slide open on my screen. Jenny steps inside, pressing the lobby button. Even through the grainy footage, I notice how she rolls her shoulders, releasing tension from a long day.

“Is there anything else, Mr. Markov?”

“No.” Through the exterior cameras, I watch Jenny step onto the sidewalk. “That will be all.”

I end the call, my attention fixed on the monitors. Jenny pauses at the crosswalk, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. A man walks too close behind her, and I tighten my fingers around the edge of my desk. She shifts away subtly, maintaining her personal space without drawing attention.

Smart girl. Always aware of her surroundings, even if she doesn’t realize I’ve been watching over her all this time. Protecting her from threats she never saw coming.

Like that night last year, when her ex-boyfriend tried to hurt her. Pure chance—or perhaps fate—led me to witness him running after her as I came home from a late dinner with clients, his drunken rage evident even from a distance.

I’d intervened before he could hurt her too much, though he’d punched her. Back then, I hadn’t yet realized how special she was, or I would have throttled him with my bare hands for daring to do that. Instead, I’d beaten him to submission, as I would have done for any woman under those circumstances.

It wasn’t until after he was subdued, and we waited for the police to arrive, that I’d started to see beyond her quiet exterior and recognized the beautiful soul underneath. She never really saw my face, but that night changed everything—first for me, and now for her, though she doesn’t know it yet.

Meeting her gave me my purpose, and my obsession. I spent most of the past year orchestrating this takeover, positioning myself to become an integral part of her world, especially after my discreet surveillance got the full picture of how awful her coworkers and bosses were to her.

The security feed shows Jenny boarding her usual bus home. I switch to the transit authority cameras I’d gained access to months ago, tracking her journey. She pulls out a book—one of those romance novels she favors—and loses herself in the pages.

My phone buzzes again. Natalia this time.

“The team finished setting up her new office,” she says. “Everything’s ready for tomorrow.”

“Including the special modifications?”

“Yes. All cameras and monitoring equipment are in place. She’ll never notice them.”

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