Chapter 9

Anderson POV

I stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting my tie, again. It was almost ridiculous how many times I’d done it this morning. Every crease in my suit had to be perfect, every button in place. For a moment, I wasn’t sure whether it was the meeting or my obsession with Kelly, no, Kendra—that was getting to me. I ran a hand over my jaw, forcing myself to breathe evenly.

It had been a week since I saw Kendra Lewis on the news, the politician whose every move seemed to be under a microscope, just like Kelly’s once was. But there was something more this time. Kendra’s demeanor, the power she radiated—it was undeniable. It was her. She had become someone else, someone untouchable.

That night, after scrolling through her social media profiles, obsessively reviewing every image, I felt a gnawing ache in my chest. How had she done it? How had she transformed into this person who could walk into a room and command it? How had Kelly gone from the w