ROSE’S POV

“Rose. We meet again.”

The words sent a shiver down my spine. I turned fully, clutching my phone tighter.

He still had that easy smile on his face. But something about it felt off now. Too confident. Too practiced.

“I didn’t get to introduce myself properly,” he said, voice smooth. “My name’s Leon.”

He stretched out his hand, palm up, waiting.

I stared at it for a second, my instincts screaming to walk away. But I didn’t want to seem rude—or scared. So I forced a small smile and reached out.

The second our hands touched, he squeezed. Hard. Not a friendly handshake. More like a test.

I...