Page 90 of The Art of Being a Psychopath

So, I thought maybe I should start writing a new resume, something that’d showcase my talents for the future career Alex said I was destined for. I typed out my name, stared at the screen, then started to tap the delete button to make it disappear. A resume would need to look professional, in a format that’d stand out, and part of me couldn’t be bothered to search for a template. Everything felt like a step too far today.

My head was all over the place. I couldn’t focus and it seemed useless to try and do anything, because whatever I did would probably be rubbish. I guess the girl boss vibes I was feeling were just that, vibes. It’d take a little more time to put them into practise. But I’d get there. I wouldn’t let this beat me.

I sat back in the chair, throwing my head back with a sigh. Then, because I was nosey, I opened the top drawer of his desk, and what I saw nestled in there made me sit up. On top of the stationary, inside the drawer, was a photograph of me, taken at the gallery. I was standing in the corner of the courtyard, focusing on the performance from that night, and the photo had been taken from the side.

I looked mesmerised by what I was watching. I’d had no idea this had been taken, but it made me realise that he’d been right in what he’d said. He had seen me that night, and something had drawn him to me. He’d been watching me. So much so that he’d felt compelled to take this photo on his phone and print it out, to keep in his office.

I was shocked and flattered.

He wanted a reminder of me.

And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling of why me. Why did he think I was so special?

I placed the photo back where I’d found it and closed the drawer. The ways in which this man was burrowing under my skin was unexpected, unique, and so powerful it was starting to become an obsession for me too. I wanted to watch him. Take photos of him when he wasn’t aware and study everything.

But was that healthy?

Probably not, but I felt like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole with no way to stop this. It was exciting and I wanted to live in the moment, savour every minute, because when it ended, and it would end, I’d probably be lying on the cold, hard ground, not a soft bed of dry leaves and sticks like Alice. I had no idea what lay in wait for me at the bottom of my rabbit hole. And my gut kept telling me, I didn’t want to know.

Later that night, Alex came home to find me in the drawing room, reading one of the classics from his library.

“I love a girl that reads,” he said, then he came to sit next to me and reached for the book, looked at the cover to see what I was reading and placed it face down, open on the table so I wouldn’t lose my page. “I bet you hate me for interrupting you.”

“I can’t lie, if it was anyone else, I would punch them for disturbing my reading,” I joked. “But seeing as it’s you, I’ll make an exception.”

His brows shot up. “I get preferential treatment? Damn. I must be doing something right.”

“You must be.” I tried to hide my smirk.

“How have you been today?” Alex asked with genuine concern. “I hope the news this morning didn’t upset you too much.”

“It wasn’t the best news,” I replied. “But I’m okay. I’ve had a quiet day.”

“I spoke to my lawyers today,” he informed me, and the fire that was sparking inside me turned to barbed wire, twisting my stomach. “They’ve been in contact with the Merivale Echo’s legal team. With everything going on, they want to avoid as much bad press as they can, so they’ve offered you a deal.”

“Go on.”

“They want to offer you twelve months pay; on the understanding that we don’t go public or press charges.”

“Twelve months?” I almost choked on my words. That was a lot of money to receive all in one go.

“If that isn’t enough, we can go for more.”

I shook my head in a daze.

“No. That’s more than enough. It’s more than I ever thought I’d get. I expected a fight, to be honest. But I guess they have a lot on, to put it mildly.”

“If you’re satisfied with twelve months pay, I’ll instruct my team to go ahead and accept the settlement.” He didn’t look entirely happy though. “I wanted to take them to the cleaners, but that’s not my call to make.”

“Twelve months pay is a lot of money for me. It’ll buy me time to think and plan my future, so thank you. I’m just glad it’s all sorted. Another problem solved.”

“I do love solving problems.” He smiled a genuine smile now, which made the barbed wire pinching my insides unravel, and the delicious fire began to rekindle and spark once again. “I’m glad you’re okay. So does that mean I can tell you where I want to take you for our second date?” he asked, looking a little apprehensive. “Or is that too much for one day?”

I leaned forward to show I was interested, and asked, “Where do you want to take me?”

He laughed to himself. “Down the hall to my cinema room, because I’m not ready to share you with the rest of the world yet. I’d like to keep you for myself for a little while longer.”

“You have a cinema room? How did I miss that?”