Gavin Valentine arched an eyebrow. "Fine, have it your way. I'll agree to your last condition."

He smirked inwardly. Ethan Roscente was such a hypocrite—clearly smitten with Jenna Roland yet refusing to admit it.

...

Studio 54 buzzed with its usual Friday night energy.

Jenna worked nonstop until 3 AM before finally catching her breath.

She hadn't even noticed when Ethan and Gavin left.

In the locker room, Jenna changed out of her uniform and bid Stella Laurent a quick goodbye before hurrying out.

The night air carried a chill as she scanned the street.

The familiar black Volkswagen Passat was nowhere in sight.

But she knew better. Her stalker was likely lurking in the shadows.

A taxi pulled up.

Jenna instructed the driver to take a detour.

Sure enough, the black sedan appeared in the rearview mirror, tailing them like a phantom.

The dim interior revealed only the silhouette of a driver in a black baseball cap.

Jenna clenched her fists.

Who was following her?

Someone sent by Sophia Merouin?

"Pull over here, please," she suddenly said.

The moment the taxi stopped, the trailing car halted too.

Jenna tried enlisting the driver's help, but fear held him back.

Considering the stalker might be armed, she settled for memorizing the license plate and directed the cab to the police station.

The black sedan maintained its distance the entire way, only peeling off when they reached the precinct.

"Where to now, miss?" the driver asked.

Jenna stared at the retreating taillights. "Wait a moment longer."

Once certain the coast was clear, she gave her Beverly Hills address.

"Look, I'd help if I could," the driver sighed. "But I've got a family to think about. You should file a report—a young woman like you can't be too careful."

Jenna nodded understandingly and stayed silent.

...

A shrill ringtone yanked Jenna from sleep.

Blinking groggily, she fumbled for her phone. Tony Lombardi's name flashed onscreen.

"Tony?" Her voice was thick with sleep.

"Still in bed?" His tone held exasperation.

"Mmm... What's up?"

"We agreed you'd bring Milo for lunch today. Just making sure you didn't forget."

Jenna bolted upright.

"Oh God! It completely slipped my mind!" She raked fingers through tangled hair. "Text me the address—we'll leave right away."

The location pinged through moments after they hung up.