CRYSTAL

My heart pounded so fast I could hear it in my ears,each beat echoing louder than the last. I reread the message,hands shaking as though seeing it the second time would change the words but the words were still glowing menacing on the screen – You look beautiful in person, sweetheart.

‘In person’

That meant that they’d seen me.Up close. Recently. And had followed me.

A chill crawled up my spine as I began to tremble. The room suddenly felt too exposed, like every wall had grown transparent. The blinds,I hadn't closed them earlier. I hurried towards the window and yanked them shut,hands clammy with sweat.

Panic curled in my gut,thick and heavy. ‘Could it be dad?’ a thought dropped in my mind which made me shiver the more as I backed into the corner of the room,the corner room suddenly the only place that felt safe as I sprawled myself in the corner.

My breathing came short and quick. I picked up my phone,hands hovering over the screen. ‘Who do I call? The police? Ella?

I clicked on Ella's number, and she picked the call on the third dial. I told her about the messages and my fears, “I want you to calm down,make sure your door is locked. It's late already, I will come see you very early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I muttered,still stricken with fear. My eyes well wide open all through the night. Every creak in the floorboard,every gust of wind tapping the windows made me flinch.

The night dragged on more than usual as I was now overly conscious of my surroundings. Nature finally took over me in the early hours of the morning.

White light reflected through the curtain indicating that it was morning but I kept sleeping due to fatigue.

A knock on the door interrupted my sleep, “Crystal,are you there?” Ella's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

I stood up and opened the door and was wrapped in Ella's embrace. The fear that plugged in my heart reduced as she assured , “it's alright.”

“Show me the messages,” she asked as we disengaged. I passed the phone to her as I watched her read the messages.

“Do you think it's dad? What if he sent people to monitor me here?” I asked,as the fear of the past rose to my chest again.

Ella sighed, “I don't think so. He is in a different city and doesn't even know about your whereabouts,” she paused,then sat on the sofa.

“This letter couldn't have been written by your dad. It could be a fan who just saw you for the first time and is overwhelmed by seeing you”

The vibration from my phone interrupted us and I picked the call.

“Hello,” I said, waiting for a response.

“Hi Crystal, this is Jack Harrison. We met at the award ceremony yesterday, remember?” The caller said.

“Hey Jack, it's nice hearing from you.” I said as I moved close to the windows,using my free hand to lift the binds to check if there were any suspicious people in sight.

“Same here. What do you think about us having dinner today? Just to get to know each other,” he said, warmly.

“ Who is that?” Ella whispered,gesturing to me to put it on speaker.

“Are you there?”

“Yes,I'm here,” I replied, weakly .“I would love to but–”

“I promise you will have the best time,” he interjected convincingly.

“I will think about it,bye,” I replied, then hung up the call and turned to face Ella again.

“I am scared,Ella. What if the person comes after me? How about we inform the police about this,” I said with worry.

“Take a chill, Crystal. It must have been a die hard fan who wanted to express their excitement about seeing you,” Ella paused, giving me an expression of do you get it.

“Look, I think you are being paranoid about this. You need to embrace the fact that you are now practically a celebrity that has fans,” she stated.

“You are kinda right. Fans can be lovely and scary too, courtesy from what we have seen on the news and TV,” I agreed with Ella.

‘Ella is right.This can only be done by a fan not father–,’ I said in my thoughts.

“To make you feel better or relax, let's report this to the police,” she said, breaking my thoughts.

I got dressed and we drove to the precinct and made our complaint known and dropped the necessary information and we were assured that they would get back to us.

I was still stricken with fear even as we got back to the hotel. Despite being tired due to fear,Ella made me text Jack that I would be looking forward to the dinner and when it was evening Jack was downstairs waiting for me. Ella said,smiling “Have Fun!”

I walked out of the hotel to see Jack resting in his car,his legs crossed stylishly.

A glint crossed his eyes as he saw me approach but then it disappeared quickly.

“I must say,you look beautiful,” Jack complimented as we sat in the car.

My cheeks grew warm at his comment, “You aren't looking bad either,”

“Thanks beauty,” he replied, focusing on the road. “ Are you okay? You look tired.”

“No, I'm fine,” I replied, trying to let go of the worry.

Jack led me to a classic restaurant, its elegant facade and dimly lit interior made it more romantic. We were directed to our seat and perused the menu while the waiter returned with our drinks and took our orders. I opted for grilled steak while Jack chose a pan-seared salmon.

We sipped our wine while we awaited our food, “So Crystal,tell me about yourself,” Jack said,his eyes locking into mine.

I blinked, feeling uneasy yet like the way he looked at me, “There is nothing much to say about myself. I'm an artist,of which you know,” I giggled softly. “I moved here for work. So,what about you?”

“I grew up here in the city,” Jack said. “I own an art exhibition. Talking of art exhibitions,we would be holding an exhibition next weekend and I'd love you to come.”

“Sure,” I smiled.

Our food soon arrived and we dug in. We were in the middle of eating when a delivery guy approached our table,a bouquet of flowers and a letter in hand.

“Miss Crystal?” he asked,his eyes scanning the table.

I nodded,surprised as the delivery guy handed me the bouquet and a letter. “For you,”he said, before turning to Jack and handing him a separate letter, “And for you,sir.”

My eyes widened as I took the beautiful flowers,my mind racing with questions. “Who could have sent this?”

I glanced at Jack but he was just as puzzled,his eyes fixed on the letter in his hands. Jack's expression changed as he read the letter,his brow furrowed.

He excused himself,his face contrasting to the smile he wore before he got the letter.

“I'm sorry, Crystal. I need to step out for a minute.”

My curiosity piqued as I watched him go. ‘What’s going on?’ I took the letter Jack left on the table as I scanned the content of the letter written in capital letters

My heart skipped in fear as I read the letter, “STAY AWAY FROM MY WOMAN OR YOU WON’T LIKE THE CONSEQUENCES.”

Then, I flipped my own letter open, “ THE ROSES ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU ARE TODAY.”

My body shook with fear as I read the letter again as only one question filled my mind, ‘Who could this be?’

CRYSTAL

Silence followed as the question filled my mind. My heart pounded against my chest like it was going to break free and cold sweat broke across my forehead and I could feel my skin go pale.

My hands trembled as I grabbed my bad and brought out my phone to call Ella. Ella said she would join me in the police station after I explained all that happened to her on the phone.

I shoved the letters into my bag and hurried out of the restaurant ignoring the waiter who bade me farewell as I boarded a taxi that drove me to the precinct.

As I stepped down from the taxi,Ella was already waiting for me in front of the precinct. She quickly closed the distance between us and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Hey, it's okay,”she said softly,her voice calm and reassuring. “Where's your date?” Ella asked with a furrowed brow.

I sighed wearily, “He left.”

“What! Why?” She asked in surprise.

Then I showed her the letters and watched her as her jaw dropped as she read.

“Oh no! This is bad. This must have been an obsessed fan and it's very dangerous,” she said. “I'm so sorry,babe.”

I tried to speak but my voice trembled slightly as I replied, “I’m scared. What if my suspicion was right.”

“Don't conclude yet. That's why we are here,right?” She said as we walked into the precinct. “The police will do a good job in tracking the person.”

We approached the police behind the counter and tendered our complaint.

“We came yesterday,to file a complaint,” I said. “We were told to speak with officer Barry.”

The officer nodded curtly,his demeanor uninviting and called out to officer Barry, who came out shortly.

“Hello ladies, concerning the complaint you gave. We have tried tracking the number down but unfortunately,it has been unsuccessful.”

“Are you sure this was the number that called you?” the officer asked, making Ella and I exchange confused glances.

“Yes, it's the number,” I replied. “Apparently,I got another letter from the person some minutes ago,” I said, showing him the letter. He glanced through the letter and gave it back to me.

“ Do you have an idea who it could be? Friends? Family? Neighbors?” He asked as he scribed on his jotter.

“I don't,” I replied.

“Okay. We would need more of your information and also,we are on it and would get back to you soon,” he said as I was provided with materials to write down my information.

“ Thank you, officer,” I said.

I felt relieved getting assurance from the officer,at least I know that their hands are on the desk, looking for this stalker.

It was quite late,Ella refused to go home and insisted on staying with me for the night but I turned her down after assuring her that I felt better and at rest. After much persuasion,she decided to go home and promised to check on me the next day.

I dropped on the bed as I got to my hotel room, tiredly took off my dress and laid on the bed when I saw my phone buzzing and Jack’s name lighting up on my screen. It was the first time he called after leaving me the other day.I rolled my eyes as I took the call,then waited to hear what he had to say.

“Hello Crystal,” he said. “Hey, I'm so sorry about leaving you like that in the restaurant. It's because –”

“Is it because of the letter?” I asked, knowing fully well that, that might be the reason.

Silence followed briefly,then he spoke up.

“Yes,it is. I have always kept a reputable profile because of my status and I don't want something that would tarnish my image. I'm so sorry, I didn't feel at peace since I left that day…I should have done better,” he said, remorsefully.

“It's okay,” I replied, abruptly. “I understand, anyone would have done what you did if they were threatened like that,” I said.

“I'm truly sorry, Crystal. Sincerely, I promise to make it up to you,” he apologized.

“Who sent the letter? Your boyfriend?” He asked.

“Not at all. I haven't met him before,it's just some crazy fan” I said, trying not to dive into the ‘stalker’ discussion.

“That’s dangerous. Does the police know about this?” he asked,his voice laced with worry.

“ Yes,thank you,”

“If you need my help, I'm always available and if you get any messages from the stalker again,let me know I will make sure to track him down,” he said with all seriousness.

“I will,Jack.Thanks for that,” I replied.

“Remember I told you that my company will be holding a party this weekend. I hope you will be there,” he said with enthusiasm.

“Huh,I will think about it.”

“I'm truly sorry, Crystal,” he apologized again. “ If you don't come,I will take it that you haven't forgiven me.”

“Don’t sweat it, Jack. I really understand your point,” I replied.

“Thank you,” A brief silence followed. “So,what do you think of settling in NYC for business?” he asked.

“Stay in New York City for business?” I muttered as it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't really given it a thought.

“ Yeah.”

I stayed quiet as I thought about it, forgetting that we were still on the phone until Jack excused himself, saying he had something urgent to attend to and would call me back.

*****

UNKNOWN POV

I stood in a dim light room filled with Crystal Morgan's pictures. The walls are covered now. Every inch. Her paintings, every one of her social media pictures and I can't seem to get enough of taking her pictures since she arrived in New York City.

Her paintings has given peace to my troubled heart since I encountered her artistic work two years ago. I had not stopped following her since then. It's like she quietly saw my pain,my memories and translated them into color and form without a single word.

I took one out of the many pictures of the wall,the picture of her at the Aether’s award ceremony, “Such a beautiful sweetheart,” I said,as my fingers trailed the surface of the picture. “You broke the walls that had sealed me in a confined space since I was a child. You did what my parents couldn't do for me.”

I muffled a small laugh, “I know you haven't met me yet and you are curious about who I am,” I paused. “I can't wait to meet you physically and have you in my arms forever. That's how badly I want you.”

CRYSTAL

It was the week of the party. Jack had called earlier to remind me of the party and to inform me that his chauffeur would come pick me up when it was time.

Time passed quickly as it was time for the party and I was driven to the party. It was a long drive and we finally stopped in front of a residential suit.

As I entered into the mansion,I was immediately enveloped in a world of luxury and elegance. The high ceilings seemed to gleam in the soft light while the sound of gentle chatter and clinking glass filled the air. I was greeted by the warm smile of a waiter,who offered me a glass of champagne from his tray.

The room was filled with people dressed in formal attire,their faces lit with the soft glow of chandeliers. I let my eyes roam over the crowd, accessing the sophisticated decorations and the sprawling gardens visible through the floor to ceiling windows.

I walked through the crowd,my eyes scanning the crowd for any glimpse of Jack but he was out of sight. I was about to bring out my phone to text him that I was here when I felt a hand slip around my waist.

“You seemed lost,beauty,”A raspy voice said as I wriggled myself from his grip.

I stepped away from him sharply,“ Excuse me?” I said with furrowed brows as his face came into view.

I was about to lash out on him for grabbing my waist when Jack came to meet me.

“You are here. I have been searching all over for you,” he said, warmly as we hugged briefly.

“Yea, I’d just arrived,” I said as we disengaged from the hug.

Jack glanced at me then looked at the strange guy standing close to me.

“Hey Drake,” Jack said, extending his hand for a handshake. “I didn't know you would be here today,”

My brow furrowed in surprise, “Do you know him?” I asked, still surprised that Jack would know someone like him and they seem to be close too.

“Yea,this is–” Jack said,but was interrupted by the strange guy.

“I would like to do the introduction myself,dear friend.” He said, smirking, while Jack let out a soft laugh and gave him a go ahead. “I'm Drake Williams. The manager of RawHaus Art company. It's nice meeting you,Crystal Morgan,” he said with a wide smile that brought out his dimples.

‘He knows me?How come? I'm just meeting him for the first time today,’ I said internally as I blinked my eyes in shock.

“Excuse me for a few minutes,I have to pick this,” Jack said, leaving us.

“I'm quite surprised that you know me,Mr Williams,”I said to him as we walked up the stairs and went to stand on the balcony.

“Let's say, I'm a fan of yours that has followed you for a long time and is also in love with your Art,” he said, taking a sip from his glass. “And also,call me Drake,” he said, as he brushed strands of hair off my face, which I find intrusive but I didn't show it.

I looked at him as my mind was connecting the dots as Drake gave answers to my questions. ‘I need to ask more questions to be sure if my suspicion is right or wrong,’

I turned and rested my back on the balcony slab and faced him, “So,what made you my fan?” I said,as I sipped my drink.

A subtle smile played on his lips as he leaned forward slightly, that only a tiny space was between us.

“The day I came across your art in one of your posts on social media, the canvas caught my attention and seemed to resonate with something I could relate to,” he said as he stared into my eyes.

We were standing too close and the eye connection was so uncomfortably intense that I had to do something to break it so I let out a small cough, “That seems to be deep,” I said as I snapped out of the stare.

‘What the hell is that?’ I said in my thoughts.

His hand went up to my face and cupped it, “Your paintings are like balm to my wounds,” he said.

‘He’s such a sweet talker and flirty.’

My brows rose in question, “ Wounds?” I asked.

“You see,I didn't have the best childhood. My parents weren't the best parents as they weren't there when I needed them most.” He paused,then drew me to himself and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I have always wanted to meet the beautiful painter who painted my plain with colors. I can't stop getting you out of my mind because you have clouded my mind the more since I saw you at the Aether Award ceremony,” he said as he looked at me more intimately.

‘Oh no! He is…the one,’ I stuttered in my mind as fear began to rise in my chest.

His head moved slowly to mine for a kiss but I was quick to push him away as we heard someone calling his name from behind.

“Drake!” The masculine deep voice said, firmly. Our eyes looked at the direction the voice came from.

A man in a tailored navy suit emerged from the shadows,his presence commanding attention without effort. His chiseled features and piercing eyes seemed chiseled from germ stones yet his neutral demeanor started his jawline. As he closed the distance,his fitted clothes accentuated his athletic build that projected an aura of authority and confidence.

“Boss,”Drake said as his face paled. “Are you done with your meeting?”

“I should be asking you why you wander off when I need you to stay put, Drake,” he replied,his hands planted in his pocket.

My brows rose in curiosity as I wonder who this might be. I was still wondering when the unknown man faced me.

“Are you Miss Crystal?” He asked as he stretched his hand for a handshake.

“Yes, I am,” I replied, nodding as I shook his firm hands.

“ My manager has said a lot about you and we can't wait to work with you on our newest project. I'm Jaden Zenor. The CEO of RawHaus,” he said.

“Work?Newest Project?” I asked, surprised that Drake hadn't mentioned that since.

“ Yes. First of all, I apologize on behalf of my manager but I want you to think about it and get back to us as soon as possible and I assure you that you won't regret working with us,” he said, handing out his business card to me.

‘He had seen what transpired between Drake and I,’ I thought as I collected the card and glanced at it.

“Accept my apologies,Miss Crystal. I didn't know what came over me,” he said, remorsefully.

“It's okay,” I said, taking a deep breath as this was a cue for me to run away from this stalker. “I will think about this, Mr Jaden.” I said then walked away.

As I was leaving the building,I quickly pulled out my phone from my purse to dial Ella's number. Ella picked the call after two rings.

“I have a suspect,it's definitely the stalker.”