Page 150 of Divine Obsession

She’d hate me if she found out.Good thing I didn’t do it for her approval.

And maybe, if I was being honest with myself, it was the only way I could keep her close without crossing the lines I told myself I wouldn’t cross.

23 years old

It started with an offhand comment from Kali, while on FaceTime.

‘Looks like Natalia’s got a date tonight.’

The words lodged in my chest like a blade. I didn’t respond, just kept my face blank as I leaned back in my chair, pretending to focus on my laptop. But my fingers had already stilled over the keyboard, my attention entirely elsewhere.

A date.

Kali’s words replayed in my head, twisting into something darker. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, but the thought of Natalia sitting across from somejerk-off– smiling, laughing, letting him think he had a shot – made my blood boil.

As soon as the call ended, it took less than a minute to find the thread on Natalia’s phone – a casual text exchange confirming dinner at some trendy restaurant downtown.

Adam. Finance major. CrossFit. Fucking boring as hell.

I stared at his contact info, debating for all of two seconds before deciding it wasn’t enough. I needed to make sure he didn’t show up. Hacking into his phone, a few lines of code, and I had access to everything – his location, his messages, his calendar.

Thelimp-dickwas on his way to the restaurant now, cutting it close but still on track to arrive.

Not if I had anything to say about it.

Pulling up NYC’s traffic light system, I rerouted him through the worst gridlock Manhattan had to offer. A few well-placed redlights, and he was practically crawling across town. Then came the final touch – a deliberate overload to his phone’s operating system. One blink, and the screen went dead.

No navigation. No way to call or text her. Nothing.

I leaned back in my chair, a small, satisfied smirk pulling at my lips. By the time Adam realized what was happening, Natalia would have already left the restaurant, tired of waiting for him.

And that would be the end of it. No second chances.

I didn’t tell myself it was right. Didn’t pretend it wasn’t crossing a line. I’d stopped justifying my actions a long time ago.

But as I closed the laptop and stared out the window, Tokyo’s city lights blurring in the distance, one thought settled in my mind like an anchor.

Natalia didn’t belong with someone like Adam.

She didn’t belong with anyone.

Except me.

24 years old

The glow of Tokyo’s skyline spread out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a mosaic of neon signs and glittering high-rises cutting through the night. I leaned against the edge of my desk, my phone pressed to my ear. The line crackled faintly, a reminder of the distance between here and New York, but the voice on the other end was clear enough.

“Please, please, I get it, okay? I’ll stay away from her. I swear…”

The desperation in his voice made my stomach twist – not out of guilt, but disgust. This was the guy who thought he was good enough for Natalia? The guy who thought he could sit across from her, laugh with her, maybe even touch her, and this was how he folded when things got tough?Pathetic.

A muffled shuffling on the line, followed by a professional voice. “We told him to back off. Polite at first, y’know? But he didn’t take the hint. Kept insisting he wasn’t scared.”

“I won’t text her, call her, nothing! I’ll ghost her. You won’t hear from me again!” The screams were so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Let him go,” I said, my voice low and steady. “He’s not gonna try anything else. Probably already pissed his pants.”

“That, he did…” My soldier, on the other end, came back on the line. “Consider it done, Boss.”

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