Chapter 5

Veronica had a great meeting with Miss. Elizabeth. The deal was finalized as she was willing to pay any amount if the dress matched her expectations. Veronica gleamed with happiness when she walked out of the studio, behind miss Elizabeth.

"I hope my gown will be ready before the deadline" Miss Elizabeth reminded for the last time before her driver opened the car door for and she sat right in, after waving to her.

Veronica asked Stella to call the girls and ask them to come early tomorrow morning as they have a new, big project to work on and a few days to complete it.

Although Veronica used to design every dress herself but for stitching, she hired two girls to help her.

The day was over as evening moon appeared before the sky. She packed her bags and locked her studio. Stella was already out on her way to home. She was closing the door when she spared a last glance at the white roses which still stood fresh and beautiful in the vase. 

She smiled and locked the door. As she walked down the street, she bought herself a coffee from the bar. 

(In Italy bars are referred to casual cafes)

Holding the cup of hot coffee, she was walking towards the bus stand as she didn't bought her car today. Her apartment was not very far. 

She felt as if someone was walking behind her. 

She turned around to see who it was but there was no one.

She kept km walking, but increased her pace. She felt as if someone was watching her from behind, following her every move. When she reached the bus stand, she looked around herself carefully. But there was no one in sight to blame.

The bus came and she got on.

She took the elevator and went up to her apartment. She walked towards the door and found a bouquet of white roses again in the basket, at the front of door. 

She started to tremble from fear as she looked outside the building window and checked stairs in case the stalker was still there.

But there was no one in particular whom she could count as the stalker. She picked up the bouquet and took out the purple envelope again.

"No I didn't mistakenly sent you, it was only for you. My amore

From C"

A bolt of shivers ran down her spine as she felt the cold sweats forming on her forehead. She threw the roses on floor and stomped on them with all her energy. Overwhelmed by her anger, she kept stomping on them until they merely looked like flowers again.

She tore the card in pieces and threw them too. She didn't know whoever he was but it shook her breath and she was determined to report him.

She unlocked her apartment and went inside, walking over the dead roses. She locked her apartment again from inside.

*

He watched on the lit screen in front of him, amused by her reaction to his present. He laughed more as she stomped on the flowers.

"My, my, so much rage inside you. Let's get this rage out of you so you can become my pure queen" he stated in a dark tone, his eyes turning icy cold.

He motioned the man to come inside the room. 

The man obediently stepped inside the large living room and his eyes fixed on floor.

"Prepare a room for my princess, she'll be here in no time." He ordered him, imagining her in front of himself, trembling from fear and horror in her eyes. Such a fabulous sight to behold. He smirked at his own thoughts.

"Yes, sir" the man replied and went off immediately.

*

For the couple of days, she continuously received white roses, and the messages in them made her go crazy. She didn't wanted to discuss the matter with Jon but she went to the police station and reported it immediately, showing them the messages as proof. 

To her dismay the police took her complain and showed no action at all. It was as if they already knew who this "C" was and couldn't do anything about it. 

She could tell it from their reaction when she showed them the purple card.

Until now, she was sure of one thing that this hidden man is very powerful and god knows what grudge he holds. She desperately prayed that it's not a Mafia case, because she already heard about the girls who are kidnapped by the Mafia and smuggled to foreign countries and sold to rich men. Human trafficking was not rare as she knew that the Italian Mafia was the strongest mafia in the world.

She only hoped that its nothing to do with it, because she never did anything wrong to anyone. She asked Jon that she wants to go back to Paris for a month but he denied the idea instantly.

"You can go after we're engaged, in fact we can go there for our honeymoon" he suggested.

She forced a smile on her face, even when her guts were wrenching from the horror. 

The creepy messages made her understand that she was being watched and not just randomly but each step she took was being noticed. And it made her so uncomfortable because she was gradually being paranoid. Even when in bathroom, she would look around for hidden cameras in case he is witnessing her naked too. 

And one day she fell on the bathroom floor while taking bath after being mentally traumatized. 

Her eyes shut down and her brain gave up as she took too much tension from the fear that she'll end up in some human trafficking case. And police was not helping either. It was two days until her engagement, but she wanted to run off from the country quite before.

After fainting, she didn't know what happened around her. It was completely black around her as she sweat profusely, her breathing became heavy and shallow as her heart rate was slowing down. She felt as if she died. 

But slowly her brain started working again and when her senses became aware of her surroundings, she found herself in her own comfy bed. She was covered in her covet and it was her own apartment. There was no cloth on her body and she was completely naked under the sheets.

She sat upright and looked around if Jon was there. But there was no one in sight, as if the apartment was empty. 

Slowly she remembered that she fell on the bathroom floor while taking bath. And after that she didn't know what happened to her.

She picked up her phone and called Jon.

"Hello Jon! Where are you?" She asked him, trying to confirm if he was the one who helped her from the floor. How much she wanted to hear his answer that yes, he came and helped her, there was none other than him.

"baby, you know I'm always in office at this time. Everything good?" His words made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes almost popped out of her sockets as the phone was about to fall from her hand. 

A lump formed in her throat and she couldn't speak or breath.

"I'm fine, call you later" only she knew that how she forced out the words from her throat with such difficulty.

She took the sheets to cover herself and got up from the bed. She slowly took a good look around the apartment but there was no sign of anyone. There were not even footprints that anyone else has stepped into her territory.

She pulled the door and it was locked, just as she did before after entering. She grabbed her hair in frustration, as if she'll have a nervous breakdown from this torment.

"Who the fuck are you! Leave me alone please! Why are you doing this to me?" She shouted on top of her lungs, determined that whoever he was, he was listening and watching her.

Just as she was wiping the tear from her cheek with her hand, she found that white roses bouquet again on the dining table. 

She could swear at the moment, that the life was sucked out of her body and blood flushed from her face.

She moved to the table, with a face white as sheet. 

She took out the purple card, which was stuck between the flowers.

"Amore, don't be surprised please and taking so much stress will lead you nowhere. Please restrain your energy because after meeting me, you'll need so much strength.

From C"

She put the card again on the table.

So he was here after all, she thought in dismay. 

She knew she can't run now, if he was watching her so close, knew her whereabouts then he must not let her leave this country so easily. She'll have to surpass him at any cost. Her life was doomed, more tears fell from her eyes.