Page 87 of Obsessing Over His Favorite

Emily stood frozen as the red taillights faded into the dark road, the sound of his car echoing in her silence.

Slowly, the last of the party guests trickled out and went home. Silence took over. The street outside the hotel, dimly lit despite the overhead lights, felt hauntingly empty. Since the hotel catered only to corporate events, it had already shut down for the night.

Emily stood alone, the chill of the evening creeping over her skin. Her heart pounded violently inside her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself as anxiety began to rise. No one was around—only her.

Just then, her phone rang. Startled, she looked down at the screen.

Amelia.

Her lips curled in disgust. She didn’t want to hear her voice again. She let it ring out, but when it buzzed a second time, she reluctantly answered.

“What?” she said coldly.

Amelia’s voice came through just as cold, if not colder. “Lucas asked me to tell you to meet him on Harvard Street, just across the hotel. Walk straight, take a left, and stop by the red house in the middle of the road. He’ll pick you up from there. His phone died, so he asked me to tell you.”

She hung up before Emily could say a word.

Frowning, Emily immediately tried calling Lucas. His phone rang, but he didn’t answer. The call kept on getting declined.

Her hands were trembling. A tight knot of unease twisted in her stomach.

She didn’t want to wait on an unknown street for him. But what if he didn’t come back here to pick her up? What if he just went home and left her stranded?

Her eyes swept across the quiet mountain hotel. No cabs. No traffic. Just the distant sound of wind brushing against trees.

Her stomach twisted. She hugged her arms around herself, the cold air suddenly biting.

The only way down… was in Lucas’s car.

With a heavy sigh and dragging steps, she turned and began walking toward the street Amelia had mentioned, her shoes crunching softly against the gravel path.

With every step into the quieter, narrower street, the air grew colder and the darkness deeper. The streetlights did little to push back the shadows, and she felt her fear growing.

Something felt off. Wrong.

She glanced over her shoulder, heart thudding. There was no one there, but still… she couldfeelit—eyes on her, watching.

Her pace quickened. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself and moved faster, boots clicking on the pavement.

Then—footsteps.

Fast. Heavy. Gaining on her.

Panic jolted through her chest. She broke into a near jog, heart hammering, lungs tightening with every step. With trembling fingers, she fumbled for her phone, dialing Lucas again. Once. Twice. Finally, he answered.

Her voice cracked as she spoke, almost a whisper.

“Lucas, please… I’m scared,” she breathed. “Someone’s following me.”

The footsteps behind her picked up speed.

“Emily, will you stop making excuses already?” Lucas snapped on the other end. “I’m just dropping Amelia off. Why do you have to be so damn dramatic all the time?”

“Lucas, you told me to take this street! You said you’d meet me at Harvard Street. Where are you?” she said, her voice shaking.

“When the hell did I say that? I told you to wait outside the hotel,” he shot back. “Emily, this was an important day for my business. Do you really have to ruin it even more just because I said I’d drop Amelia off first?”

“No—Amelia told me! She said you wanted me to wait here. She—”