Chapter Twenty Two

Gabriel's Pov

I was dragging myself out of the agency, completely drained and desperate to sleep away the memory of today’s disastrous shoot. Every step felt like a mile as I made my way to the exit, eager to collapse into bed and let unconsciousness take over.

Just as I was about to push through the doors, one of the security guards approached me. He greeted me with a polite nod, and I stared at him in confusion.

“Is there a problem?” I asked, trying to keep the weariness out of my voice.

“No problem, Miss Antonia,” he replied. “I just wanted to confirm if you received a package that was delivered in your name a while ago.”

A package? I hadn’t received anything. “No, I didn’t get any packages,” I said, my mind immediately jumping to the worst possible scenario. “By any chance, was it a bouquet of flowers?”

The thought of receiving another bouquet made my stomach churn. Since I had been getting these anonymous flowers for weeks, the idea that my potential stalker had started sending them to my workplace instead of my house, now that he likely knows I am no longer there, terrified me.

The guard shook his head. “As far as I know, it wasn’t flowers. It was just a box, and I asked someone else to deliver it to you a while back.”

Relief washed over me, but only for a moment. I still hadn’t received the box, and that was troubling. “I didn’t get anything yet,” I said, “but I’ll check with my assistant.”

The guard nodded. “Alright, Miss. I apologize if I bothered you; I just wanted to make sure it got to you. Have a nice day.”

I watched as he walked away, then pulled out my phone to call Kyle. He picked up on the second ring.

“Kyle, did you receive any package for me today?” I asked, trying to keep the urgency out of my voice.

“Hey, Antonia. Yeah, actually, I did. I was going to give it to you earlier, but you didn't seem to be in a good mood, and I forgot,” he replied. “Would you like me to bring it now? Are you still around?”

“I was already on my way out, but I'd like to see what it is first,” I said, feeling a strange mixture of relief and apprehension. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

I headed back inside and waited for Kyle. He arrived a few minutes later, holding a small, neatly wrapped box. As soon as he handed it to me, I felt a sense of dread.

What if it was something malicious from my stalker? I thought to myself, wondering if opening it would be a good idea.

“Thanks, Kyle,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Did you notice anything unusual about it? Anything weird?”

Kyle shook his head. “No, it seemed pretty normal to me. But if you’re worried, maybe we should open it together. Do you think it's from the same person sending the flowers?” he asked.

“I don't know about that, but I'm hoping there’s nothing weird in the box, Kyle,” I said, my voice trembling. “I really don’t think I can handle my day getting any worse, and I want to hope that this whole thing about having a stalker ends up being a misunderstanding of some sort.”

Kyle gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “You know what, Tonia? I think you should get home first and then get some rest. Check the content of the box after you’ve had a chance to relax and feel better.”

I hesitated, contemplating his advice. Finally, I nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Kyle. I should do that instead of worrying myself even more. Thank you.”

I took the box from him, thanked him again, and told him I’d see him tomorrow before making my way home.

When I pulled into the driveway, I hoped I wouldn’t run into Gabriel. The last thing I wanted was to have a conversation with him, especially after everything that had happened. I needed solitude, not more interrogations, and even though he might want to apologize to me, I didn't care, nor did I want his apology.

I quietly entered the house, trying to make my way to my room without drawing attention. The house was pretty huge, so I thought the chances of running into Gabriel were slim, but as luck would have it, I ran into him in the hallway just as I was only a few feet away from my bedroom.

I pretended not to see him, keeping my eyes straight ahead and my pace brisk.

“Antonia, wait,” he called out, stepping in front of me to stop me from walking away. “Can we talk?”

I stopped, staring at him with a frustrated look. “I’m not in the mood to talk, Gabriel. Just leave me alone. I need to get some rest, and talking to you is not on my to-do list.”

His face fell, but I didn’t have the energy to care. I brushed past him, entered my room, and shut the door loudly behind me. I then leaned against the door, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

I tossed the box onto my bed, and while sitting on the edge of the bed, I stared at the box, feeling a mix of curiosity and dread. Kyle was right—I needed to relax before dealing with whatever was inside.

I decided to take a long, hot shower, hoping it would wash away some of the tiredness as well as the frustrations I felt.

After a long, hot shower, I felt slightly better, though the tiredness from earlier was still a little evident. I dressed quickly in comfortable clothes and sat on the edge of my bed, eyeing the box.

I picked it up, examining it from all angles. It looked ordinary enough, and I reached for the nearest sharp object, a small pair of scissors from my desk, but paused for a moment before taking a deep breath to steady myself. Then, with a decisive motion, I cut through the tape sealing the box.

As the flaps came loose, I hesitated again. Finally, I pulled the flaps apart and peered inside, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

A stack of photographs were lying inside the box, and I lifted them out with trembling hands and began to go through them.

The first few were of me, taken from a distance over the past several weeks. They captured me in various moments—walking to my car, entering the modeling agency, even leaving my favorite coffee shop.

As I flipped through the photos, my horror grew. There were more recent pictures, including ones from just this morning when I entered the agency. And then, to my utter shock, there were pictures of Gabriel and me together from yesterday when he had brought me to his house.

My heart pounded in my chest as I realized the box had come from my stalker. The sense of violation and fear was overwhelming, but I continued to sort through the photos until I noticed something else in the box.

Carefully, I overturned the contents on my bed. My heart stopped when I saw what fell out, and I jumped away from the bed almost immediately.

Among the pictures, there was a severed ring finger, bloodied with a ring still on it, and next to it was a small piece of paper.

My hands trembled as I picked up the piece of paper that had fallen out with the finger. It was a small, crumpled note, smeared with what looked like blood. I unfolded it, my eyes darting over the shaky handwriting.

"Antonia, you belong to me. If you ever forget that, remember this: I will always be watching."

Without realizing it, I started to scream at the top of my lungs, a sound of pure terror that echoed through the room.

The world around me started to spin, and my vision blurred as I tried to comprehend what the hell was going on. Before I knew it, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the floor as everything went black.