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Xariya's Point of View

"Oh! Xariya, you came home late again, do you already have a boyfriend? Who? Do we know him?" My Dad immediately asked me too many questions when I entered the house and I heard of all them laughing, especially my cousin.

"No, dad! I'm not in the mood for that yet." I answered while taking off my shoes.

"Really? Well we can just say that no one really likes you." My ugly cousin said while laughing so I threw my shoes at him and went up to my room and change.

After I change to my house attire, I can't suddenly tore off my eyes at the countless roses on top of my cabinet. I also remembered what happened just recently.

The guy who ran over us. Is he the one who always gives me roses? And what does he need?

"Xari, dinner's ready, let's eat."

"Rose! I mean yes, I'll go down now!" I shouted in shock when my mom suddenly appeared in front of me.

"You received a lot of roses." She commented when she saw what I was looking at.

"Yep! And you know what, mom? I feel like I'm so pretty because I keep on receiving roses!" I said but she did not answer me, she just kept looking at the roses so I covered them using my back.

"But why is it black?" She asked and I did not answer because I was suddenly nervous but I did not show it to my mom. I don't want her to worry and it's not that I'm really in danger, I just don't really want to worry her, especially my father who's really so protective of me.

"I don't know Mommy, maybe the one giving that is crazy and loves black? Let's just eat, I suddenly feel hungry." I said and partnered it with a laugh and Mama laughed too.

I'll just throw those roses away later, they are messing up my brain too much.

___

It was really late at night and I am still outside our house throwing away the flowers just like what I said earlier. There are no one around because it's too late at night and all of them are probably sleeping so I felt a little scared.

When I put all the roses in the trash bin, I immediately closed it and run towards the gate and started closing it, while I was closing it, it was as if someone had passed by suddenly so I checked who it was but no one was there.

That was weird.

I just shrugged and ignored what I saw and quickly entered the house, Nate was still in the living room and he's watching a horror movie.

"You're still not sleeping?" I asked him and went to the kitchen to drink some water. I felt him follow me too.

"I'm waiting for you to come in so we can talk." He answered so I looked at him in surprise.

"What do you think of me, a kid? I'm just short but I'm not a kid and what are we gonna talk about?" I asked but suddenly his face became serious so pursed my lips and kept quiet.

"Xari, I know something is bothering you and didn't I told you a few days ago that we will talk about this?" He said so I averted my eyes. I can't really lie to him!

"What are you saying, Nate? Nothing's bothering me." and I drank water again.

"You even got to joke, maybe you forgot that know you since we were a child?" He said sarcastically and I could not speak. This guy really knows me too well!

"Tell me whatever is bothering you, I will listen." He added so I took a deep breath before speaking. I guess I should not keep it to him, he's my cousin after all and I trust him.

"It all started because of the roses that were sent to me, at first I just ignored it because I thought our neighbors were just putting prank on me."

"Have you been receiving that for a long time?" He asked so I nodded.

"Yes, and as time goes by, things are starting to get weird for me. I sometimes receive black roses and that's so weird, right? And I am not a fool to not know what black means."

"Have you tried to find out who is giving that?" He asked and I nodded again.

"Many times, Nate but I earned nothing, I want to meet him but I can't find a good timing because I feel like he knows when I will leave the house and when will I come back home, he's like a stalker and that's creepy! Then after that, we almost had an accident and I was so scared. I was even more frustrated because I do not know what they need but I have a hunch that it is not good."

"Why didn't you tell your parents about this?"

"I don't want them to worry about me, I am also doing my best to know who is behind this." And then I was surprised when he suddenly hit me.

"You are knowing it alone?!" He shouted so I silenced him. Someone might hear him and I don't want that.

"No, Pauline is with me. Stop overacting." I said and rolled my eyes.

"You're really crazy, aren't you? Why didn't you take me with you? What if a motorbike will appear in front of you again? Who do you think will save you?" He scolded me and I can't help but smile. My cousin is worried about me, yey!

"Because I thought that you don't want to come because you are always tired?" When I said that, he slapped me on the forehead and got serious again. Ouch! That slightly hurts!

"Just take me with you next time, so I can take care of you." I just nodded at him and he left me here in the kitchen.

Maybe it's just right for him to be with us so I'll calm down for a while.

***

Vincent's Point of View

I am here now in a restaurant and I was even forced to order a food because here I am following, Xariya Andraste, the woman who went to the hospital even if she's not that close to Mr. Kendrix. Actually, I'm tired of following this woman because she always go somewhere.

So as soon as I find out that she's one of our opponent, I will immediately shoot her secretly, right now, right here.

"Ah! My head hurts." I can clearly hear her ranting about her headache. Our tables are facing with each other. I also do not make it obvious that I am listening to the conversation between the three of them.

I just casually eat my food here like I'm not in a mission.

"But for you, who do you think is giving those?" Nate, her cousin, asked, I also did a background check on her so I already know all her family members as well as her friends. Engineer Adrian Mivaez is one of them. She got close to Dainty too because of Adrian.

"I really do not know." Xariya replied.

The three of them fell silent and I wondered what they were talking about, if Xariya is looking for the one who gives the rose, does that mean she is not an opponent?

If not, what does she got to do with this mess too? She is not even a family member of Mr. Kendrix. She's just the woman in the hospital, that's it.

My head hurts too.

"How about this Xari, who were the ones you fought with when we were still studying? For sure there is, you're a witch after all!" Pauline Andrada, manager of this mall and Xariya's best friend, suddenly spoke.

"I can't remember! There were so many of them!" Xariya answered and I secretly smirked when she spoke.

Xariya looks innocent and to know that she fought with many people back then is a bit shocking.

I composed myself and sit up straight when her friend suddenly glanced at me. Do not tell me that she notices me here? I hope not, I can't fail this mission, Mr. Kendrix will curse the hell of out me.

"You don't remember even one?" Her cousin asked annoyed. I'm starting to get annoyed too because her friend keeps on looking at me.

I saw Xariya frowning and later on she spoke so I secretly smirked again.

"Uhm! I have a classmate who was my group mates in our thesis paper back then. I argued with her because she didn't helped. Then I suddenly heard a news that she failed that subject."

What kind of reason is that? It does not even count as a reason! They're wasting my time here!

I even saw her friend looking at me again like I'm some creep when I looked back at them and I got really annoyed now. Can she just pretend that she's not seeing me now? I don't want to fail this mission.

Then after Xariya said 'that so called reason' I immediately went out of the restaurant, I think I already know enough today. I immediately got on my motorbike and decided to go back to Mr. Kendrix office, he needs to know immediately the information I got. Even though this information of mine will not really help us.

Before I could leave, I looked back at them and saw Pauline Andrada furrowing her eyebrows at me, it's obvious that she's wondering why I left after they finish talking, and for the sake of my mission I did something that I will surely regret.

I winked at her.

_____

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