Chapter 3

THREE

I 'm finally back.

I've been training and touring, but now I'm back, and she won't get away from me this time. Fallon is the love of my life; she just doesn't know it yet. It isn't just desire. It's a need to peel back the layers to the woman underneath. I bet she had no idea when I sat next to her that night a year ago that it changed my life forever. I've fought tooth and nail to get where I am just to be near her. I've been obsessed and in love with her for years.

I've sent her a flower every single day we have been apart—one flower for the number of times we have met—or so she thinks.

She doesn't have a clue how I have built my life to be her equal so I can give her everything she deserves and be her partner.

I have watched everything about her. I've seen the men she has paraded through her life—models, actors, singers, doctors, and a prince—but never more than once. I watched her ex-husband blow up his own life, and I protected her from it, not that she will ever know.

When he tried to sell stories about her to make a quick buck since he's broke, I blocked them. I also… spoke to him, and he disappeared from her world, leaving her without the constant reminder of betrayal .

I don't know if Fallon ever loved him or if she's ever truly loved anyone.

It doesn't matter.

I love her enough for both of us.

"Kage?" Alice, my PR manager, queries. I spare her a look and a polite smile. I am the sweet, kind pop star to most people. They don't have a clue about what hides underneath—what I hid just for her.

"Yes, agree to the events," I respond as I stand. Her eyes sweep down my body, and my smile dips in annoyance. I have made careful choices to build my team so none of them look at me that way so Fallon has nothing to be jealous about.

I know they call me the playboy king, but that was all a carefully crafted image to make me desirable so I could catch her attention, and it worked.

"See Elijah on your way out," I comment as she stands, teetering on too high heels. Her smile warms, her iPad clutched in her grip as she saunters out of the suite I am currently staying in. I'm planning to secure the house right next to Fallon's. The present inhabitants just need a little helping hand in vacating . . . and selling.

I hear Elijah enter, and I command, "Get rid of her," without looking at him, my eyes scanning the city beyond. I wonder where she is and what she's doing right now.

"Alice? Damn it, Kage, she was the best?—"

"Now," I snap.

He knows better than to argue. He might not understand why I'm so strict with my staff, but he doesn't have to. We might be friends, but no one comes before Fallon and the future I'm building for us.

"I'll find another one." He sighs as he starts to leave.

"Elijah." I turn to face him. "Pull the car around, I have somewhere to be."

"We have that interview?—"

I raise my eyebrow, and he groans.

"It's only the most important thing in your career, but what do I know?"

"Good boy." I grin as I turn back to the view .

I'm coming, Fallon. You better be ready.

I knock on the ornate door and wait. The house is nice and big, but it isn't what I care about. My eyes go to the house next door, separated only by a wall. If I'm lucky, I will be able to see into her windows. I might even knock the wall down.

It took me a whole year to earn enough to afford this life, to afford her and give her whatever she needs, and I'm not wasting another second. The door opens, and a butler blinks at me. "Sir?"

"I have a meeting with the Culets." I slip past him with a sweet smile.

"Oh, uh, please follow me. They are in the sitting room right now." He spares me a confused glance but leads the way, and once I'm in the sitting room, I wait for him to leave before turning to face them.

They are an older couple who come from money, but it's drying up. I know since I had a guy look into it. I might have also had their advisor invest in some bad investments and lose their money all to get them right where I want them. They blink at me in unison, looking exactly as I imagined they would.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Culet asks, her pearl necklace almost tucked into her pink blazer. Her legs are encased in a matching pink skirt, and they are crossed perfectly. There isn't a gray hair out of place, even in her own home. I spare her husband, who was reading the paper, a look. He's frowning at me, not wanting to be rude but not remembering a meeting.

He won't because there isn't one.

"You don't need to know my name. All you need to know is why I'm here. I'm here to buy your house." I smile widely. "I have the paperwork here. The price is very fair, and I have added a little extra if you are able to vacate by the end of the day."

Mrs. Culet gapes, her mouth open. "Get out this instant."

"No." I step closer, feeling my eyes go cold and lifeless.

"You need the money. We both know that. You can't afford this house or lifestyle anymore. Take the money, invest it, and say you wanted a change, move out of the city. I don't care. Sign the paperwork, I have somewhere to be."

"Who are you?" Mr. Culet asks, folding his paper.

Opening the briefcase I carry, I set it on the table before the china tea set and spread out the documents and pens, and then I pass the offer to both of them. Elijah could have done this, but I'll use any excuse to be close to Fallon, not to mention I won't take no for an answer. I watch them read it, their eyes widening as they share a look.

"More than fair." I nod. "Sign now or I will knock a few thousand off with each second I wait."

I'm already overpaying for the house, but I don't care.

"You want us out tonight?" Mr. Culet says slowly. Desperate people do desperate things. He's already been turned down by three banks. He's bankrupt and about to lose it all, then here I come like a lifeline, too good to be true.

I shrug. "Tonight. If you manage that, I will throw in an extra million."

Without a second more of hesitation, he scribbles his name and stands. His wife gasps, flying to her feet. "Herald, this is our home. It was my mother's and father's?—"

"And is our saving grace. We are going to lose it either way," he hisses. "Let's take the money and move out of the city like he suggested. This is what we have been hoping for—a miracle."

She stares, looking aghast before gazing up at me. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want this house," I reply.

Nobody knows the depth of my obsession with Fallon, and they never will.

She slumps but signs, and I hand them their copies before closing the briefcase. Lifting my phone, I punch in a number. "It's done, send the money." I wait as he confirms it then hang up. "The money is being wired to you now. I will be back tonight. If you are gone, the extra funds will be wired. Mr. and Mrs. Culet, nice doing business with you. Enjoy retirement." I leave .

Outside, I pull down my shades, my eyes going to the house next door once more as Elijah joins me at my side. "Bring on a construction crew. I want that wall knocked down."

"Sir, that might not be possible."

I spare him a look, silencing him. "Make it happen," I say. "Now let's go, we have an interview to get to."

Leaning back in the chair, I direct a cocky smirk at the camera—one I know drives the fans wild, but it's all for her. Is she watching? Does she soak up every second of screentime about me like I do about her? Does she look for clues in my answers? They are right there for her. She's the reason I do this, and they have no idea.

"Rumors say you have moved here permanently." My interviewer smiles. I know it's good manners to remember her name, but I just don't care.

"The rumors would be true."

The crowd screams, females shouting and waving at me, and I blow a kiss.

"Is it closer to your music?" the interviewer asks when they calm down.

"There's something special here, something important, so that's why." I grin. My PR team tells me never to talk about relationships or mention women. Most of my fans are women, so I'm an untouchable fantasy they don't want tainted. If they only knew the truth. I will never belong to them. I'm already hers and always have been.

"Could there be someone special prompting the move? You've been making waves, and coming back home seems out of the blue. You've risen to number one on most charts, and you are the trending celebrity on every platform?—"

"Now you're just flattering me." I smirk and glance at the camera. "There is someone special." I hear the crowd gasp as their hearts break, so I let my smile widen. "You guys, my fans, I'm here for you. "

Liar, but I know my fans and Fallon aren't ready to hear the truth yet.

"Well, that's good. I think we would have a lot of broken hearts here today if there were someone. I've read that you have the most marriage proposals of any artist of all time." I laugh with her and ignore the question. It's common for fans to hold up signs, messages, and send emails. It's the norm, but none are from her. I check every day.

"So now that you're here, in the center of the music world and at the top, where else is there to go? What else is there for you to do?" she asks when it's clear I'm not going to answer.

Smiling shyly, I roll my lips inward, tasting the metal of my lip ring as I wait for the screams to die down once more. "There's always more to do. Music is my passion." Lie. Fallon is my passion, and music is hers so it's mine too. "I want to create as much as I can and work with some incredible artists to make that happen."

"Do you have any in mind?"

"One or two. Namely Fallon." The crowd goes even wilder then. That's right, cheer for my girl. She's fucking brilliant. "She's the top of my list for sure. Her voice and writing are incredible, and I think it would match my music." I write every song in hopes she will sing it with me.

"Didn't you meet Fallon at an awards show once? I'm sure we saw pictures of you two looking cozy." She's digging. I wait, and the pictures show on the screen. Fallon's eyes are on me, and she's so fucking beautiful, it hurts. All the attention was on me, and I was watching her. How could I not? She's fucking perfection. She's my obsession.

She's my everything.

"Ah, that was a good night." I grin. "I was awestruck when I met her. She was so charming and kind. She applauded every act no matter who it was, even when others didn't, and then congratulated them all at the after-party."

"So there was nothing else?"

"Trust me, if you had a girl like Fallon, you wouldn't be keeping it a secret, am I right?" I call, and the crowd hoots. "No, she's the type you show off and brag to the world about, so sorry, nothing to talk about."

Yet, because when I have my girl, the whole world will know about it.

I'll make sure of it.