Two days. I have two days to prepare Jade for a dinner she doesn't know is happening. Two days to decide if I'm going to tell her the truth.
Because the truth is complicated.
The truth is: I've been watching her for years. I know things about her she's never told anyone. I've read her private blog, tracked her movements, learned her patterns.
The truth is: I sent her that money not just to help her, but to trap her. To give her a reason to come to me. To make her dependent on my generosity so she'd feel obligated to stay.
The truth is: I want her here. Permanently. Not just for a week.
And the truth is: if she knew any of this, she'd run.
So I'll keep lying. For two more days. Maybe longer.
I'll show her my world, make her comfortable in it, make her want to stay. And when she's in deep enough, maybe then she'll understand.
Or maybe she'll hate me.
Either way, I'm not letting her go.
My phone buzzes. A text from my assistant.
Ms. Catalano called. She'd like to borrow a car today to explore on her own.
Something cold settles in my chest.
Alone. She wants to be alone. Away from me.
I type back:Tell her Robert will drive her anywhere she wants to go.
The response comes immediately.
She specifically asked for a car. Said she wants to drive herself.
I stare at the message.
She wants independence. Wants space. Wants to prove she's not under my control.
I should let her. Should give her the illusion of freedom she needs.
Instead, I text:Give her the Range Rover. Tell her to have her phone on. And activate the GPS tracker.
I'm not letting her out of my sight. Not when I'm this close to having everything I want.
The assistant sends back a thumbs up, and I set my phone down.
This is who I am. This is what I do. I watch. I track. I control.
And Jade has no idea.
At noon,I get an alert on my phone. The Range Rover is moving. I pull up the GPS tracker and watch the little dot that represents Jade driving north on Pacific Coast Highway.
She's exploring. Probably trying to clear her head. Trying to figure out what she's doing here with me.
I should let her have this. Should focus on work, on the Singapore deal, on the hundred other things demanding my attention.
Instead, I watch that dot on my screen like it's the most important thing in the world.
At 2 PM, she stops at a beach in Zuma. Stays there for an hour.
