Chapter 4 I Think I'm Losing My Mind

♥ ISABEL'S POV

When the morning came the next day, I had barely slept. I knew I had dark circles now.

I dragged myself into the bathroom, my mind fuzzy on the strange events that happened in the last 24 hours. To me.

I put on my corporate clothes and went to the editing company I managed for my parents looking like I had spent the last night fighting demons.

Which, considering the circumstances, wasn't entirely impossible.

I was halfway through reviewing a manuscript when my assistant called.

“Ms. Miller?”

“Yes?” I answered.

“There's someone here asking for you.”

I sighed. “Send them in.”

After some minutes passed, The door opened.

I looked up and my stomach dropped low.

No one other than the strange lunatic, Edward J. Eros, stood in my office.

Right in front of me.

Smiling.

“Good morning.” He greeted.

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You.” I grimace.

“Yes. Me.” He was still smiling.

“How did you get in here? How did you even find me? Are you seriously stalking me?”

“I simply walked in. The people, they were all very helpful to me. Very nice people you have here. Do they all work for you?”

“I asked how you found me! Psycho.”

“Oh.” He smiled. “Right. It's all destined to be. For me to find you. So no matter where you are or where you go, I'm always going to find you till I complete my assignment.” He said like he was talking about the weather.

“Really?” I squinted my eyes at him. Nodded then I reached for the phone. “Security?”

“Isabel—Wait, what are you doing?”

“Security? Someone let a mad man into my office. I need you to get him out of here. Now!”

“Isabel, let's just talk about this.”

The security officer appeared moments later. “Ma'am?”

I pointed at Edward. “Get him out of my office.”

Edward sighed. “Can you please give me just 30 minutes or even 10 minutes of your time?”

“No.” I said abruptly.

“You need to hear me out.”

“I heard enough yesterday. And I'm not in the right frame of mind to hear more.”

“What happened last night wasn't my fault.”

I froze. Wait... What?

Did he know about the chaos in my home or was he only talking about the bookstore drama?

“How do you know something happened last night?”

His expression changed.

“You're not imagining those things,” he said quietly. “They're all happening for a reason. Which is also the more reason to listen to me.”

I stared at him.

Then pointed toward the door. “Get out.”

The security guard stepped forward and grabbed his arms.

Edward didn't resist this time.

He simply looked at me. “You'll come looking for me.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“We'll see.”

The door closed behind him.

I sank back into my chair. And held up my head.

“If anything stranger even dares happen, I swear I'm going to lose my mind.” I mumbled to myself.

For a moment, everything was quiet.

Then I heard it.

A tiny scratching sound.

I looked around my office suspiciously.

But there was nothing.

Then I heard the sound again.

I slowly stood from my chair. My wide eyes moving across the room. Searching for anything at all.

Still Nothing.

Then—

My coffee cup on my desk tipped over.

The Coffee spilled across my desk and I jumped back.

“What the hell?”

I grabbed a rag and started wiping the mess.

That's when I saw them.

Two tiny figures.

They were standing beside my computer.

They looked almost human.

Except they were the size of ants.

I wasn't sure if I was imagining this or If I was seriously hallucinating right now so I stopped what I was doing and gawked.

They stared back at me.

One of them suddenly waved at me.

I screamed and scrambled back to the wall clutching my chest.

Someone immediately opened my office door. “Ms. Miller? Are you okay?”

I pointed at my desk. “There! There are things on my desk!”

My worker came closer and looked at the desk.

Then at me. “The only things on your desk are paperwork.”

“What? No. They were right there!”

He looked concerned. “They? You mean the paperwork?”

I looked closely at my desk again and of course the tiny creatures were gone now.

And if I told anyone about it, they'd label me crazy.

“Yeah. I see the paperwork now. I must have been mistaken.” I say as I stared at the empty space.

Then I swallowed.

“Right.” He hesitated. “Are you sure you're okay though?”

“I'm great! Just great.”

He nodded quietly and left. But not before giving me a weird look first.

I sat down slowly on my chair.

Maybe I was exhausted from stress. And boy I have had one stressful week.

Maybe I was imagining things now.

Maybe I desperately needed sleep.

I rubbed my eyes. “I think I'm losing my mind.” I mutter and laughed breathlessly before packing up my stuffs.

By the time I left work, I had decided I needed fresh air and to relax.

And the only place I'm truly ever able to relax properly, is my grandmother's bookstore.

I headed straight toward the bookstore.

I unlocked the door from the back and stepped onto the street.

Then I stopped when I noticed someone.

Someone was standing right outside my store.

Tall. Dark-haired. Still wearing that ridiculous coat.

Edward J. Eros.

I shook my head unbelievably.

He was standing in front of my bookstore as though he'd been purposely waiting there.

His eyes met mine then his face lit up in a smile.

And somehow, after everything that had happened since yesterday, I knew exactly who he was waiting for.

Me.

“You really want to go to jail full time. Don't ya?” I asked him.

"I'd rather not." He looked amused.

"Why are you pestering my life? Why won't you leave me alone?" I questioned him.

“Please give me a chance to explain myself to you.”

"I already did that. And you cooked up the most ridiculous story for me then went ahead to shoot me with an arrow and blantly denied it right in front of my friend, making me look completely stupid."

“I apologize for that, if it made you... angry. It wasn't my intention.” He said calmly. No longer smiling.

I eyed him.

Did he think a flimsy apology will somehow make everything okay?

"I don't have the time nor energy for this." I unlocked the bookstore's front door and went inside. He wanted to follow me in but I raised a warning hand up to him. "Don't even think about it."

I closed the door behind me. Leaving him standing outside, looking through the glass door at me like a lost puppy.

~