Chapter 13

-Jianna-

"This was great Ashley. Thank you so much for lunch!" I said rubbing my belly.

"Don't thank me, thank Mr. Cross. He paid for it." she was leaning over the table falling asleep. "Mr. Cross needs to go out of town more." she chuckled.

"You girls need a ride back to the office? I'm about to head out," said Rebecca, Ashley's wife.

"Yes, please. I can barely walk I'm so full" Ashley said.

"Just roll me back into the building," I said closing my eyes.

**"I'M COMING BACK FOR YOU, J! I'M COMING BACK FOR YOU I PROMISE!"**

I sat up straight with a jolt and opened my eyes. Not again!

"Hey. You alright?" asked Ashley, looking at me with a puzzled look on her face. I looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, just got lightheaded a little bit," I replied, still feeling a little discombobulated.

"Are you sure? We don't have to go back to the office. I can tell Morgan you fell ill during lunch." Ashley asked, her eyes full of concern.

"It's nothing," I said quickly, not wanting to explain. "Just probably ate too fast. Besides, can you imagine what Morgan would say if I left early on my first day? I'm sure I wouldn't have a second." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Ashley gave me a glass of water. "Well if you're sure. Just take it easy." she gave my arm a light squeeze.

As we were walking out of the restaurant, I felt a sudden movement behind me. I turned around to find a man staring at me, his eyes piercing mine. He seemed to know me by the way he looked at me.

"Jianna, are you sure you're okay?" Ashley asked again, noticing my sudden change in demeanor.

"I...I don't know," I stammered, my eyes still glued to the stranger's.

"Let's get out of here," Rebecca said, grabbing both of our arms and pulling us towards the car.

As soon as we started walking, I noticed the man get up. I was observing if he was going to start following us. It didn't look like it at first, but after a while, I noticed that he was there whenever I glanced behind me. I started to quicken my pace and Ashley started sprinting beside me.

"Hey! Hey! Slow down," she said, starting to get breathless. "I can't run in these heels. Hell! How are you running in those heels? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just want to get back to the office. I don't want to get in trouble. I didn't realize how long we've been away." I said trying to sound convincing.

But my heart was racing, and my mind was in overdrive. Who was that man? Why was he following us? Was it just a coincidence, or was he really after me? These thoughts raced through my mind as we finally made it back to our office building.

As we entered the lobby, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. The man was nowhere in sight, and I was starting to convince myself that maybe it was all in my head. I tried to keep my cool, but my hands were shaking.

"Jianna, are you sure you're okay?" Ashley asked again, noticing my unease.

"Yup. Yes. Yes. I'm fine." I said, trying to catch my breath.

She looked at me doubtfully but didn't press the matter further. We made our way to the elevators and I couldn't help but glance back one last time, just to make sure the man wasn't following us.

As the elevator doors closed, I let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding. "I think I'm just a little paranoid. But that guy at the restaurant, he was, I don't know, giving me weird vibes," I admitted to Ashley and Rebecca.

"Well, we're here now. And we're safe," Rebecca said, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat.

But I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease throughout the rest of the day. Every sound, every shadow, made me jump. I tried to focus on my work, but my mind kept drifting back to the man at the restaurant.

As the workday came to an end, I started feeling anxious again.

"I'm heading out," Ashley said, stretching her arms. "Are you coming, Jianna?"

I hesitated. I wanted to leave, to get out of this building and away from whoever was watching me. But I also couldn't avoid being paranoid or thinking that I was overreacting. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

"I think I'll stay a little longer, and catch up on some work," I said, forcing a smile.

"You sure?" Ashley asked, looking at me skeptically.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow," I said, shooing her out the door.

"Ok. If you're sure. I'll see you tomorrow. Let me know when you get home." she said as she walked out the door.

"I will. Good night." I waved.

I tried to do some more work but I just couldn't think straight. I checked my phone. 10 messages and 5 missed calls from Sebastian. Oh no. I can't think about Sebastian right now. Should I go meet up with this mystery texter? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus and figure out what was going on.

When I got out of the elevator and passed by the security desk, I was flagged down by the man sitting behind the desk.

"Ma'am? Ma'am? Are you Ms. Jianna Spencer?" he flagged me down to come to his desk. I approached him and he gave me an envelope.

"The courier left this for you," he said.

"How long ago was this dropped off?" I asked hoping that there wasn't any tremble in my voice.

"Oh. I don't know ma'am. I just got here. I've been asking everyone that came by if they were you. I've never seen you here before. Are you new?" he said, looking at me with a puzzled look.

"Umm. Yes. It's my first day." I tried getting out of the conversation.

"Well welcome miss. My name is Cesar. Hopefully we'll bump into each other again soon. Let me know if you need anything." he said cheerily. It actually made me feel a little better.

"Thank you Cesar. I'll see you around." I smiled at him the best I can.

When I was far enough from the security desk, I opened the envelope and read the note inside. My stomach dropped and my face drained of color.

**"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE."**