The Billionaire's Brother

The stalker

Perspective: Nila K.

“What was that? Who is that? We should call the police!”

Cindy would not rest until Nila explained the meaning behind the rose and the threat in the note. 

“No! Don’t call the police!” she stopped her friend from dialling the police on her phone. She is still shaking from seeing the note. The nightmare that she has been avoiding and running away from for over two years. 

“Why not? This is obviously a threat against your life! Who knows what he will do when you are alone here? Aah dammit, I can’t even stay on any longer here with you,” Cindy was worried and pissed off.

“Who is that arsehole threatening you? Who does he think he is? How dare he threatened you? Is it your ex?” she asked continuously.

Nila tried to calm her own nerves. She never know who was behind the rose and the note. She tried to get Cindy, who was pacing angrily, to calm down.

“Just sit down and listen to me,” she told the slight girl. Cindy may be a chef but she surely doesn’t look it. She is petite, painfully thin and has a small frame with a severely cut bob that enhances her small elfin-like face. 

Cindy pulled out a chair and sat.

“Okay, talk, tell me,” 

Nila took a deep breath. Then she told Cindy about the first time she received the rose and the black envelope with a note inside. The first one was two years ago. It started out innocently enough. 

“I still remember the first note. It said ‘I miss seeing you smile’ and I had assumed it was William in the beginning,” she said.

“That’s right! It could be William, you no-good ex isn’t it???” Cindy chipped in. She frowned. “You started getting it after you broke up right? So maybe it’s him and it still is him!” 

Nila shrugged. She has her suspicions that it could be her ex. He did not take their breakup very well. He had called her and went to her house several times to try to see her. Her brother, Devan, had acted like her bodyguard to get rid of William. It was a good thing that her brother is tall and built like a bull. He easily towered over William even though he was only 16 at that time. Her parents were not so helpful. They had wanted her to continue seeing William. They thought William was a good match for her and had even pressured her to get married with him. It took her several months to convince them that she will never get back together with William. 

“It’s been two years…William can be stubborn but I don’t think he is a stalker kind…” she said. Then a line from the note came into her mind. “You look especially gorgeous today with your hair down.” This means her mysterious stalker is here in Penang and he was watching her at the cafe. 

“It can’t be William…if he was here, I would have noticed him, it’s not like I can’t recognise him even after all these years!” she said.

“Well, he could be hiding in some corner while stalking you!” Cindy pointed out. 

“I don’t know…it just doesn’t sound like him…you’ve met William…he’s not as refined as the person who wrote the note...”

“So, you’ve been receiving these kind of notes for years and you did nothing?? Just go to the police already!” Cindy said.

“I can’t! One of the notes he sent told me that if I so much as walk into a police station, my family will be in danger and I can’t risk that,” she said.

“What?? That’s a threat…I mean I am sure the police can find the person behind this before he did anything!” Cindy said. 

She asked Cindy if she remembered their pet dog, Sarge, a mongrel they had adopted. Cindy nodded.

“Of course! I love Sarge…he was such a big softie, such a good boy, why did you suddenly bring him  up? We are talking about your stalker,”

“Sarge didn’t die from a disease like I told you…he was poisoned,” she said.

“What? Who? You mean….” Cindy’s eyes are now so large and rounded, it looks like huge glossy marbles.

She nodded.

“He sent a note to remind me not to tell anyone and if he found out that I was planning to report to the police, someone will die,” 

“I was keeping all the notes and the roses. I planned to bring it to the police the next day but that was when I found Sarge foaming at his mouth…by the time we got him to the vet, it was too late,” she said, tears sliding down her cheeks at the memory of finding their beloved family dog, lying there so helpless.

Cindy gasped. She continued with her story.

“The next day I received another note with just one sentence ’It could be your family’ and I knew then, I couldn’t do anything to jeopardise my family’s wellbeing,” she said.

The notes stopped after that for almost a year and she thought he had moved on to another victim. Then he came back about six months ago. She knew she has to run away. She can’t stay on and let him be a threat to her family. 

“So now what are we going to do? You can’t stay here alone! It’s dangerous!” Cindy cried.

Nila doesn’t know what to do either. Does she run again? Go to another state? How sure is she that he will not follow? How did he even find her? Maybe she shouldn’t be running away. Maybe she should just confront him and get it over with. 

“I don’t know…maybe I will figure something out,” she told her friend. She looked at the time. It was almost time to meet Mr Shih and check out the place he said is available for rent. 

“Come, let’s go meet Mr Shih…we will think of something about this stalker somehow,” she said. She rather liked the vibes in Penang and she refused to run away yet again. Even if she was to run to another state, he might follow her. Maybe she should take up self defence classes like Krav Maga. Maybe it is time she stop being afraid of someone she’s never seen. She is independent and living alone now. It is time she deals with this like a strong adult woman that she is. She lifted her chin. Yes, she will survive and find a way to confront her stalker. If he had wanted to harm her, he would have done so already. She just had to be careful not to be in secluded places alone. 

Cindy was muttering under her breath as she followed Nila along to meet Mr Shih. Mr Shih was waiting outside his gallery when they reached there. 

“Come Nila, it’s nearby so it’s easy for you to get to work, you don’t even need a car,” he told her.

The place he showed her was a quaint little place that is clean. It was located in a row of refurbished heritage buildings that were converted into modern accommodations for students and single working adults. It looked very new too. 

It was perfect and the rental was reasonable too. It has an ensuite, a tiny little balcony that looks out to the back alley and the ample grounds of a clan temple behind the alley and a little kitchenette. Perfect for her. It was just a short walk to the art gallery so she doesn’t even have to worry about transportation. Cindy was also suitably impressed. 

“This is actually new, we had just completed the refurbishment and conversion of the rooms into living quarters for single working adults or college students,” Mr Shih told them. After checking out the modern bathroom, the little kitchenette and spacious room, Cindy nodded her head vehemently.

“We will take it! It’s perfect for two single ladies, I am sure I can fit another single bed here,” she gestured to a space next to the double bed already there. 

Nila turned to her in surprise. 

“Oh, I didn’t know it’s for two persons…I thought you will be alone,” Mr Shih said.

“Is that a problem? We can look for a larger unit, if you have one,” Cindy said, ignoring Nila’s discreet pinch on her arm. 

“It’s alright, not a problem, I know you girls must be on a budget, you can share this room for now, maybe when you feel that you are better able to cope, there’s another room across that one of you can take and you can live across from each other,” he said.

Cindy was interested. She pushed Nila’s hand aside and whispered to her that they will talk about this later. Then she followed Mr Shih to check out the other room. It was much larger with space for two beds and even a small sitting area. The rent was only about $200 more. 

“We will take it! This is so much more spacious, perfect for two of us!” she declared. 

“Are you sure? The rent is a little bit higher,” Mr Shih said. Cindy reassured him that they are serious and told him to have the rental contract drawn up. 

“Mr Shih, can you give us some time? We would like to talk it over,” Cindy told the man. He smiled.

“Sure, go ahead, I will be downstairs,” the old man left them and closed the door behind him. 

“What are you doing Cindy?? My meagre art gallery assistant salary couldn’t afford this place!” Nila told her friend. 

“Look, I can’t let you live her alone, not with some crazy stalker out there, I have made up my mind, if you can run away, so can I! I am sure I can find a job here too…I mean, people need chefs in restaurants and hotels…last I checked, there are plenty of hotels here too,” her friend said.

“Cindy! Are you sure?” Nila was both happy and yet worried. She didn’t want to uproot her friend from her family and other friends and a career too. 

“Yes I am sure! Let’s call this an adventure and don’t worry…I don’t mind leaving home for you, you are the love of my life!” Cindy said, making kissy faces at her.

She laughed. 

“Yes, and you are the love of my life…maybe we should just marry each other!” she replied.

“Sadly…I would prefer some equipment, you know…down there,” Cindy gestured at her groin.”You don’t have any …alas…maybe we should be a platonic married couple then…” 

They laughed and it felt so right. Maybe with Cindy here with her, things might not be as scary and maybe they can face the stalker together. Even take self defence classes together. 

“Okay then, roomie, let’s go see Mr Shih and book this room right now,” she told Cindy. 

Cindy whooped and they left the room together, in search of Mr Shih, their arms linked.