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Chapter Two- The Note

Author: Aleeberry
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-26 00:28:26

Elena barely slept that night. Every creak in the building, every car horn from the street below, sounded like footsteps outside her door. She lay awake staring at the ceiling, replaying the image of the gray-coated man waiting outside the bookstore.

By morning, she was exhausted but determined. If he wanted to watch, let him watch. She refused to live in fear.

At work, the glass towers of Victoria Island gleamed in the sunlight. Elena buried herself in spreadsheets and presentations, her mind struggling to focus. She was halfway through drafting a financial report when the receptionist walked in, holding a small white envelope.

“This just came for you,” the woman said.

Elena frowned. “From who?”

The receptionist shrugged. “A man dropped it at the front desk. Didn’t give his name.”

Her breath caught. Slowly, she took the envelope. It was plain, unmarked—except for her name written in neat black letters.

Hands shaking, she tore it open.

Inside was a single sheet of paper. The handwriting was elegant, deliberate:

> “They are watching you too. Trust no one in that office.”

Elena’s blood turned cold. She glanced around the open workspace where her colleagues chatted and typed away. Could it be true? Was she really surrounded by danger?

She stuffed the note into her handbag and excused herself to the restroom. Locking the door, she pressed her back against the tiled wall, reading the message again and again.

They are watching you too.

Who were “they”? And why did this stranger care enough to warn her?

---

That evening, as the sun dipped low over the lagoon, she left the office with her nerves frayed. She didn’t take her usual bus. Instead, she walked down a quieter street, clutching her bag tightly.

She felt it before she saw him.

The man in the gray coat stood under a streetlight, the glow casting his figure into sharp shadow. This time, he didn’t stay at a distance. As she passed, he stepped forward, blocking her path.

Her heart pounded. She opened her mouth to scream, but he raised a hand—not threatening, almost gentle.

“Elena,” he said, his voice low, steady.

She froze. “How do you know my name?”

“I’ve been watching to keep you safe. You’re in danger.”

The words made her dizzy. “Safe? You’ve been stalking me!”.

His jaw tightened. “If I meant to hurt you, I would have. But I need you to listen—your firm isn’t what it seems. The people you trust most are not who they claim to be.”

Elena’s pulse thudded in her ears. “And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

Something flickered in his eyes—pain, maybe even regret. “I can prove it. Meet me tomorrow. Same place, same time. Please.”

For a brief second, their eyes locked. There was no menace in his gaze, only urgency. And something else—something that unsettled her in a different way.

Before she could reply, he stepped back into the shadows and disappeared into the night.

Elena stood frozen and not sure of what to do, her breath clouding in the cool evening air, the note still burning in her handbag.

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