CRYSTAL

“What!” Ella's voice sounded from the speaker.

“Let's meet in my hotel room. I'm on my way,” I said,as I waved down a taxi,boarded it and was on my way back.

Ella was already seated in the lobby when I got there, “How were you able to get here so fast?” I asked, surprised to see her on time.

“Well, I was on my way here when you called. That aside,who is the stalker?” She asked, tilting her head as we walked to my room.

“I suspect Drake Williams,”

Ella brows furrowed, “Did you just say Drake Williams? The manager of RawHaus Art company?” She asked. I nodded my head in positive.

“Drake? No way,” she said in surprise.

“Do you know him?” I asked, unlocking my door, and taking my shoes off.

“Drake is one of the elite in this industry. But how come he's the stalker? I don’t think he’s the stalker,” Ella said, relaxing on the sofa.

“Oh,I see.But why do you think he isn't the stalker?”

“He is a type of person that goes for whomever he likes. If he was truly the stalker,he wouldn't be hiding but approach you directly,which he did at the party,”She said.

The room fell into silence as I began to reason what Ella said.

Ella rolled her eyes,“You know it's high time you start to associate with other people in the industry and not just sit behind your canvas all day.”

I glanced at her quickly before looking away. “Ella,you of all people know how I love my privacy,”I said, softly.

“Okay,what made you think he was the stalker?” She asked, as we went back to the subject of our discussion.

“At first,he was touchy and flirted with me,”I said. “Then he spoke about how he loved my paintings, how he had been following me on social media and how he saw me in that Award ceremony. He tried to kiss me too.” I explained, thinking Ella would get my reasons for concluding that he was the stalker.

“Crystal, Drake is obviously a fan who likes you,he doesn't look like a stalker. You have to stop being paranoid,thinking everyone you meet is the stalker.”

“What do you want me to do then? I stay calm when I'm aware of someone monitoring my moves? I'm scared,Ella.” I said with a trembling voice.

Ella moved closer and drew me into an embrace. “I'm aware how closed up,and scared you are. How you grew from being the carefree girl to being the uptight lady and I'm sorry you have to go through all this.” She said as she looked me in the eye. “That’s why you have to face this and overcome it.You need to break off the wall limiting you from exploring the world. You can't.”

“You have fans and they can do anything to get your attention.The stalker might be a fan too.Celebrities get this a lot,you shouldn't let it disturb you and be calm. You can't keep allowing some stalker to stop you from having relationships with others, and moreso, the police said they are working on it,right?” She said,

“I'm really scared,Ella. The police haven't even given us feedback on this. I don't feel safe at all, and I can't be calm when I'm aware someone somewhere has been stalking me.” I said,my body shaking with fear.

Ella shook my shoulders gently as if letting what she just said sink into my head.‘She’s right. I have been worked up and scared these past few days because of the stalker and now I am starting to suspect everyone who gets close to me.’

“Moreso,the stalker could be anyone but don't let this affect the new relationships you should have,but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down.” She said as she got ready to leave.

I took a deep breath as my body began to calm and we disengaged. “Seriously,I really don't know what I would do without you.” I said,sheepishly which made Ella laugh.

“That's what friends are for, supporting each other. I'm here for you anytime, Crystal.”

“Thank you,Ella.” I said,hugging her again.We said our goodbyes and then I was all alone again.

I laid on the bed,facing the ceiling, thinking of a way to navigate the problem of being stalked and not letting it get into my way of building good relationships.Then nature took over as I drifted to Dreamland.

The following morning,the ring of my phone woke me up from sleep. I rolled over to my side as I picked up the phone without checking the caller ID, “Hello,”

“I’m I speaking with Miss Crystal?” the person said.

“Yes. That's me” I said, sitting up, then checking the screen.

“It’s Jaden Zenor. CEO of RawHaus Art company. We met at the party yesterday. I called to ask if you can come over to the company to check out the proposal.”he said.

“Oh…Sure. I will drop by later in the day.” I replied, walking to the bathroom.

“We would await your arrival.”he said,then the line went off.

A few minutes later,a message notification got my attention. My mind raced as I thought it was from the stalker but I remembered Ella's words and decided to face it. I checked the message and realized that it was a message from Jack.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Good morning, Jack.”

“So I was thinking if you would be free this evening. What do you think about going for a tour and an evening drive?”

“Huh,I don't think I would be free. I have some work to do.” I said.

“I figured out this is your first time in the city, so I thought I could show you around,if you don't mind.”

“That's so thoughtful of you, Jack. But I don't think I would be free.”

“Don't tell me you wouldn't go on a tour before you travel back to Scotland? I knew you might be busy, that's why I'm suggesting we go in the evening. What do you think?”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the message. “Huh.”

“I will take that as a yes.I will come pick you up by six. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes I think.” I pressed the send button.

I dropped my phone on the ceramic basin. ‘Can't he tell me that I wasn't interested? Or should I send him a message later that I'm indisposed? He might want to check on me. No,that won't work. Ahggg. I guess I have no choice but to go.’ I said, internally.

I showered,got dressed,and went to RawHaus. I was warmly welcomed on getting there and had to wait for a while because Mr Zenor was in a meeting.

After a short while,he arrived and we went to his office. In his office,he went straight to the point and brought out the proposal documents. I went through the documents. It is a proposal of a year's employment,it entails working on their new project,a children foundation that requires warm paintings.I was also satisfied by the pay I would get at intervals but decided to discuss it with my assistant before I sign the proposal.

Mr Zenor urged me to think on the proposal to which I promised to do, then I left there shortly and headed back to the hotel.

It was some minutes to six and Jack was at the reception waiting for me. I made the final touches on my make up and looked in the mirror one last time and walked out of the room.

He was stunned as I walked to where he was,it was so evident on his face that he stared at me longer than normal and had to call him before I could get his attention back.

“You look… stunning.” he said,his eyes hovering over my body.

I smiled, “You aren't looking bad too.” I replied as we walked to the car.

“Thank you.” he replied.

Jack wouldn't say where he was taking me to but when we got there, I felt like I was in another world.

“Welcome to Chinatown.” Jack said, spreading his hands out in the direction.

As we strolled through Chinatown,I felt carefree and happy, taking in the lively atmosphere. I admired the cultural decorations, and sampled the street food and browsed through the shop. Jack was a great company, and caught him gazing at me a few times. Whenever I looked up,he glanced away, pretending he wasn't staring.

We chatted about our favourite parts of the tour. I laughed at Jack's impression of the local gamers, and he admired my enthusiasm. As the night drew to a close,we headed back to the car. We got talking about random things. “What made you choose Art as a profession?” Jack asked as he kicked the vehicle.

My lips curled into a smile. “I love art. It's a way I get to express myself.” I said. “What about you?”

“Interesting! It explains how your paintings won people's hearts and also won the Aether Award,” he said and we both burst into laughter. “I own a company that into the sales of Artistry materials. But I enjoy reading.”

“That's cool.” I commented. Jack smiled widely at my remark then fixated his eyes on the road.

As we drove, Jack turned to me then halted the car,his eyes locked on mine. “Crystal,I really admire your art,talent,and simplicity. Since I set my eyes on you the other day, I can't help but feel this attraction towards you.” he said,his voice low and husky. My breath etched as he leaned in,his face inches from mine and my heart skipped a beat as I felt his warm breath on my skin.

Just as he was about to kiss me, a loud bang interrupted us – A vehicle crashed into ours, making the car jolt from behind as we both lurched forward and I let out a gasp.

CRYSTAL

Jack's eyes widened and he quickly checked on me. “Are you okay?” he asked,concern etched on his face.

I nodded. “Yea, I'm fine. Just startled a little.” I said, rubbing my neck.

Jack was about to get out of the car when the driver approached us. “Jaden?” Jack said,after we saw who the driver was.

“I apologize for the crash.” He said. “I have been unable to reach Drake and somehow got to locate him but before I could pick him up he was drunk driving and the next thing that happened was this.”Jaden said with concern etched in his voice.

‘Mr Zenor?What's he doing here?’ I said, internally.

“It's okay. I hope he is fine.” Jack said, forgetting the dent on his own car and was concerned about Drake.

Shoving his hands in his pocket. “ He would be fine. I apologize again. Send the bills for repair,I will cover it.”Jaden said.

“No, it's okay. Just take care of him.” Jack said,then got back into the car. Mr Zenor also went back to his car. I guess he didn't know I was in the car.

The ride home was quiet and filled with Jack's constant question if I was alright, which I gave a positive response to. As we rode, internally,I was grateful for the interruption,I wasn't ready for whatever was happening between us and I was happy to have the moment ruined. I see Jack as just a friend and nothing more.

“About what I said a few minutes ago –”Jack said but I interjected immediately, not wanting to hear the rest.

“It's okay, Jack. I will pretend not to have heard what you said earlier.” I said as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the hotel.

“Good night.” I said then stepped out of the vehicle.

“Good night.” Jack replied,his expression neutral as he drove into the distance.

*****

I woke up to the soft glow of morning light peeking through my curtains,the warmth gently illuminating my face. The silent peaceful morning was short lived by my phone ringtone. I groggily reached for my phone,my voice hoarse from sleep.

“Hello.”I said, gravelly.

Her urgent voice snapped me awake. “Have you seen the news?” she asked.

“You woke me up from sleep. What's going on?” I said, yawning.

“You are being accused of plagiarism and it's all over the net. The painting you won the Aether Award for…someone is claiming it's theirs.”she said.

My mind foggy,I struggled to process the news. “What? That's impossible.I know my work. I guess there is some sort of mistake somewhere.” I replied, trying to stay composed but my calm demeanor was failing as anxiety set in.

Ella's words were laced with concern. “Crystal,this is a very serious issue. I have been getting calls, people wanting to know if this was true. We need to figure out how to handle this. Meet me at the lounge. Now.”

I shoved the duvet off my body and stood up from the bed. I quickly got dressed and went to meet Ella at the lounge. I was quick to locate her from where I stood because the place was not crowded in the early hours of the day.

I pulled out the chair opposite Ella and sat. “What's really going on? How did this happen? You know me,Ella. I would never do such a thing.” I said, getting overwhelmed with worry.

“ I know you didn't do it but this is getting lots of attention online and negative comments are dropping each second and of course,some of your fans are supporting you so I advise you to stay away from the media till we get this solved.” Ella said.

I removed my shaky hands from the table,trying to calm myself down. My mind swirled with thoughts of the plagiarism accusation and how it could affect my reputation. The warmth of my palm on my lap was a small comfort,but it didn't ease the knot building up in my stomach

Ella's brow furrowed in concern.“I hate to inform you of this but the planners of the Aether Award have decided to remove you from being the best artist of the year. I know this is a huge setback and I want you to brace yourself so that we can focus on clearing your name.”

I exhaled slowly. “Thank you,Ella. So what do we do about this?”

“I already contacted a good lawyer and he had started working on it. The investigation entails some verification process that will determine if it was plagiarized.”she replied.

“Okay. Thank you dear.” I said.

“It would be under control. I need to be on my way now so that I can follow the lawyer up.” Ella said, grabbing her bag and standing up to leave.

“Yea.” I said,my voice barely a whisper.

Ella turned slightly to look at me. “ One more thing,stay away from the media, please. I need you to be sane during this period and assure you that everything will be okay.” She said,her hands covering my unsteady palms on the table. Ella

A series of thoughts evaded my mind as I walked back to my room. ‘ Did I by mistake copy someone else's art details when I needed inspiration to paint. What have I done to myself?”

I was so lost in thought that I almost slammed into a person in the hallway,I apologized and kept walking without listening to the person's response. I dropped on my bed like a pack of wood, thinking about my predicament and I took out my phone, clicking on the media icon. I know Ella warned me of this but I just can't help it.

I scrolled through the posts and saw a series of posts about plagiarization. I clicked on a particular one with the headline: Scotland artist won the best Artist of the year with a plagiarized painting.

My hands hovered on the comment section as I remembered Ella's warning not to check what was going on online but my curiosity piqued. ‘What are people saying about me now?’

I clicked on the comment section and began to scroll through ;

“This is ridiculous! She's clearly stolen someone else's work.

Is the audacity she has in winning the Aether Award with plagiarized work for me?”

“This could be a misunderstanding, let's wait for more information.”

“If she is not even original,why should we care about her art?”

“This is a slap in the face to all the hardworking artists out there.”

My eyes widened in shock as I kept scrolling. “This is ridiculous,I would never plagiarize someone else's work.” I said,my voice trembled. I felt the need to respond to the comments but couldn't because deep down I know the problem won't get solved that way.

My hands trembled as I continued to scroll through the comments,my heart racing with anxiety,my breath catching in my throat as I wondered how this played out.

As I stood frozen in anxiety,a loud crash echoed from the bathroom making my body sending my anxiety flaring into overdrive. My heart raced like a jackrabbit as I strained to process what happened.