chapter 4 | stalking

"souls don't meet by accident"

-unknown



POV Mister Cover of Vogue

"Were you spying on me?" says Aria, still very scared.

I guess I shouldn't have said so much about her parents but we really don't have that much time and I have to tell her so much.

And of course we have been spying on her, I am surprised she didn't realize I mean that was my job, to watch people without being caught but for the past 6 months I watched Aria in her little flat in Amsterdam and I thought she actually knew I was there. I knew more about her routine than her, I knew everything about her, from the people she met to what she ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This kidnapping, that is what she calls it but it is more a- what's the word- uh never mind kidnapping has been planned for weeks. One would say I knew so much about her I couldn't be surprised anymore.

But that punch... I was completely caught off guard. Yeah I have been watching her practice for the past 6 months once a week and she was pretty good but it still took me by surprise.

Now I am starting to look like a stalker but gathering information was really important. We needed the kidnapping to go as smoothly as possible and it did. Until she started to not cooperate on the plane.

I had everything scripted that I was supposed to tell her. From the mission itself to her role in it, I got distracted and now I will have to hurry because the boss won't be pleased when we get there and the girl doesn't know everything she is supposed to.

I look at her again. It is really hard not to laugh from how she is dressed and to the way she is trying to look scary. I imagined speaking with Aria many times over the course of the 6 months I watched her.

One time I just wanted to go to the same cafe and just bump into her and have the opportunity to apologize.

But the orders were clear.

No interacting with the person I'm watching.

But now that I have the opportunity I don't know what to say.

POV Aria

Mister Perfect is staring at me, he seems deep in thought.

"Maybe. How would you react if it would be a yes?" that asshole with his british accent. Watching me? I was still scared for my family but he was annoying me again. It's not the fact that he has been watching me, well that is a huge problem too but the fact that he says it like it's a common thing, like we're talking about the weather.

"Not good. So let's pretend it is a no" I say this time with real confidence. Seeing that he didn't want to hurt me right now, I don't know what will happen in 20 minutes but he seems pretty relaxed, which gives me a little confidence. And I was still really shaken by what just happened a few minutes ago.

His hands. On my waist. So close.

"OK let's pretend it is a no if that means that you are going to cooperate" he said already starting to get bored

I snap out of my thoughts.

"Whoa hold on there I didn't say I would cooperate but I give you 30 seconds to explain yourself before I attack you again" ok that was a little over the top even for me but I am desperate.

"Uh, I'm so scared" he said with a fake scared voice, while waving his hands in the air.

"Fuck you" I said angry "25 seconds left" any trace of fear was gone. I didn't know what I was going to do once I hit 0 but I still had 25 seconds to figure it out.

"We need your help" said Mister Perfect

That put a stop to my thoughts

"YOU need MY help? I don't think you have been spying on me well enough because new flash I don't own a private jet or a butler or any kind of money." I said sarcastically, how would they want me to help them? The most valuable thing I owned was my phone and some jewelry I got for my birthday.

"We need information"

Oh and I thought they wanted my inexistent money.

But that still doesn't help since I don't know anything, well I know stuff but not stuff that could help a model cut out of Vogue magazine that has a jet, a butler and a knife.

"What kind of information?" I ask skeptical.

"You might want to sit down for this" he said in a grave voice like he was preparing me for someone's death.

"In your dreams" I said short. I didn't want to sit down again. Even though I was still dizzy and my legs were a bit shaking. I would lose my advantage. What advantage you may ask. Well I don't know myself but I felt a little safer standing.

A ghost of a smile passes his face before he continues to tell me some pretty scary things.

"Aria I don't know how to tell you this but your parents are spies"

"Yeah and I'm the president of America '' I ask well would you look at that I was dragged here for no reason. If he thought my parents were spies we might as well turn the plane around because it's a waste of gas.

"Please you have to believe me," he says, not losing his patience.

"Oh now I understand," I say, visibly relaxing. "It is all some sort of game, are there hidden cameras" I say loudly looking around "Come on. I have to say you got me in the first part" I take a few steps towards him "With the kidnapping and the sedative. Bravo! I was terrified." I say patting his shoulder. Mister Perfect doesn't say anything. This encourages me to talk. "Come on Charlotte, you can come out now!" I say still looking around "Very good prank!" Charlotte was my roommate. She and I have a prank once a month.

"I got to give it to you Charlotte you have outdone yourself, the plane, the zip ties. The model. Good job!"

I still look around. Accepting that this was just a prank was way better than the alternative where I actually got kidnapped, but right now I wasn't thinking straight I was frantically looking for the cameras, the people coming out yelling surprise even the butler to come with some sort of confetti thingy and yell "Happy Prank Day!" But none of that was happening. I started to panic.

I looked at Mister Perfect, he was now looking at me with amusement.

"This isn't a prank, Aria" he said in a low voice, and this time for some reason I actually believed him.

And that was terrifying.