Chapter 5: The Stalker

It was already four in the afternoon, and I found myself still at the mall, aimlessly walking around. I had been window shopping and dining at a restaurant, deliberately avoiding going back to my condo. This diversion was effective in keeping my mind off her.

As I entered the National Book Store, I still held the paper bag containing my uniforms and nameplate. I wandered around the store, scanning the shelves. Eventually, I found myself standing in front of the mystery/thriller section, where a particular book caught my attention.

The book was "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle, which narrated the adventures of the renowned detective, Sherlock Holmes.

I started looking for other books written by Arthur Conan Doyle to add to my collection. I wanted to complete the Sherlock Holmes series before exploring more detective stories or novels. Additionally, I grabbed a few books on manipulation. After that, I headed to the fantasy section to pick up the Harry Potter series and complete it as well.

"Tsk. I have too many books," I sighed as I struggled to carry the stack of books I had gathered. "But I just can't resist these kinds of books."

I thought to myself that maybe next time I would buy some mythology books.

As I made my way to the cashier, I noticed a familiar figure on the shelf to my right. I pretended not to notice and continued walking towards the cashier, joining the queue.

"Is this everything, sir?" the cashier asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"The total is ten thousand five hundred and seventy-five pesos (₱10,575), sir."

As I reached for my wallet to get the cash, I caught sight of that figure again in my peripheral vision.

"Here," I handed her ten thousand seven hundred pesos.

"Here's your change, sir."

I took the change and nodded to the cashier before diverting my attention to the man putting books into boxes.

"Can I make a request? Can you also put this paper bag in the box?" I asked the man.

"Yes, sir," he replied. I handed him the paper bag, and he placed it in the box.

Once he finished packing everything, he handed the box back to me. "Here, sir. Thank you, and please come again."

I nodded in acknowledgment.

Leaving the store, I headed straight to the food court. I found an empty chair, sat down, and placed the box beside me. I took out my phone and dialed a familiar number—the usual number.

["Greeting—"] I cut off the greeting. "He's now close to me."

["Where's your location right now, Moriarty?"] he asked.

"I'm in the food court. I'll text you for a signal."

["Yes, Moriarty."]

I hung up and made sure not to display any suspicious behavior that might give me away.

I decided to buy some fries, a burger, and a soft drink from a nearby stall.

In my peripheral vision, I noticed him sitting at the table next to mine, behind my back.

After finishing my soft drink, I proceeded to eat the burger and fries before standing up. I subtly sent signals to them through messages.

I grabbed the box and began walking towards the parking lot.

He probably thought I didn't know he was following me. Well, I had the upper hand. I smirked as I continued walking.

I composed a message informing them that I was heading to the parking lot and sent it to them.

How did I know? Well, I'm Moriarty, after all.

~Flashback~

I leaned against the window of the cab, having texted them to provide me with updates about Maria Clara. To distract myself from thinking about her, I needed to stay focused. I consciously glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed a car following closely behind another vehicle.

It appeared to be the same car I had seen near the Imperium Condo building earlier.

I had a feeling it had been tailing me since morning. I noticed it while searching for a cab and even when I went to the university.

Initially, I didn't pay much attention to it and instead focused on the surroundings, trying to distract myself.

After getting out of the cab and paying the fare, I made my way directly into the mall and began walking around, keeping myself occupied by browsing through the stores.

Suddenly, my cellphone vibrated, indicating an incoming call. I picked it up and saw the familiar number displayed as the caller name.

"Hello?" I answered.

["Greetings, Moriarty, the villain. We wanted to inform you that someone is currently stalking you."]

"Oh, so that's why I've been sensing someone following me, huh?" I smirked, relishing the thought.

"Who could it be?" I wondered aloud.

["We will send you a picture of the guy,"] came the response.

"Okay," I replied, and then the call was ended.

I checked the message and found the picture of the guy. Compelled by curiosity, I composed a message in response.

To: UNKNOWN

Capture this guy. I want to know who sent him, whether it's related to the organization or something else.

Sent.

After sending the message, I put my phone back into my pocket and resumed walking, continuing to browse the stores.

~End of the flashback~

I was now in the parking lot, inside the car brought by my allies.

We could see him searching among the cars, looking for me.

Fortunately, they were skilled at this.

He headed towards the darker part of the parking lot, where my trusted contact was waiting.

He injected something into the guy—something that could exert control over someone. Then, he got into the car the guy had been using.

I exited the car, knowing that he was already under control.

No one will ever find out.

"Good job for now. Proceed with what needs to be done," I commanded.

They nodded in acknowledgement.

I walked out of the parking lot, carrying the box. They followed suit, tailing the car of the controlled individual.

Upon leaving the mall, I hailed a cab to return to my condominium unit.

"To the Imperium Condominium," I instructed the driver and paid the fare.

Silently, I browsed through the organization's page. There were still no updates regarding Maria Clara's task, nor were there any posts about new assignments.

Tsk.

I logged out of the page, feeling frustrated. Leaning my head against the window, I watched the pink and orange hues of the clouds.

After several minutes, the driver's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"We have arrived, sir."

I nodded and stepped out of the cab, making my way directly into the building.

After arriving in my room, I decided to freshen up with a half bath and changed into my pajamas.

I proceeded to organize the books on my shelves, sorting them by genre.

Next, I tried on my uniform to see if it fit properly.

Luckily, the uniforms fit me well—not too tight nor too loose. The uniform consisted of a blue necktie, blue pants, a blue coat, and a white polo shirt. My nameplate, engraved with my full name, had a gold color.

I removed the uniform and placed it in the laundry basket, while storing the nameplate in a drawer.

Then, it occurred to me that there were cleaners available in the building. I decided to call for a cleaner since I was too lazy to do the laundry myself.

Grabbing my laptop, I headed to the living room and placed it on the center table. I then went to the kitchen and realized that I had forgotten to go to the grocery store. I settled for some junk food from the cabinet, grabbing a bowl to hold it, before returning to the living room.

Sitting on the floor, I balanced the bowl of junk food on my lap. I picked up the remote to turn on the TV and opened my laptop.

I logged into the organization's page while indulging in my junk food.

To my surprise, there was a new announcement.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

A PERSONAL TASK WILL BE ASSIGNED TO SELECTED INDIVIDUALS. YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO ACCEPT OR REJECT IT.

STARTING IMMEDIATELY AT TWELVE NOON.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR MESSAGES REGULARLY. THANK YOU.

LEGEND

I looked through my messages, hoping to find a personal task assigned to me, but there were none.

Quietly, I continued scrolling and came across a flash news update:

"FLASH NEWS: DEAD BODY FOUND BEHIND A POPULAR BAR IN QUEZON CITY."

I almost changed the channel, but something stopped me, a sign not to do so.

"THE VICTIM IS A PROMINENT VARSITY PLAYER FROM A UNIVERSITY IN QUEZON CITY."

"The murder is heinous, suspected to be a result of a love triangle."

"NO SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED YET."

I turned off the TV. I knew who was responsible. It was...

(*ding ding ding*)

A notification popped up on my screen, indicating an email. I opened it.

To: AzeMoriarty07@gmail.com

Greeting, Moriarty, the villain.

We apologize for the delay in our report.

Maria Clara was in Quezon City, assigned to eliminate a varsity player. The news just confirmed it.

Regards,

Raven

Yes, it was her—Maria Clara. The top-ranked individual in the organization. The girl I sought attention from.

I scrolled up within the organization's page, and there it was—the post about her. I clicked on it and read the caption.

Still ruthless and savage in her killings. She never changes.

I couldn't fathom why she chose Maria Clara as her codename.

After all, Maria Clara's name represented an innocent, shy, and delicate woman.

But her personality was the complete opposite—she was a villainess, an evil woman. Brutal, too.

She never fails to satisfy any VIP clients.

I replied, inquiring about the progress regarding the person who was stalking me at the mall.

After that, I logged out and shut down my laptop. I decided to change the TV channel.

While watching, it dawned on me that I needed to call for a cleaner.

I picked up my phone and dialed the front desk.

"Hello, good evening," the voice at the front desk answered. "This is Jessa from the front desk. How may I assist you?"

"This is Hadeon Manson from condominium number 354," I replied. "Can you check if there is an available cleaner to come and clean my place tonight?"

"Please hold for a moment, sir."

"We have an available cleaner, sir. If it's alright with you, I will provide your condo number to the assigned cleaner?"

"Yes, that's fine. Please arrange for them to come at 7 PM."

"Understood, sir." I hung up and placed the phone on the table.

I turned on Netflix to watch some movies while waiting for the cleaner. I continued munching on my junk food while watching.

As I ate, a small piece of chip dropped onto the floor.

"It's fine, the cleaner will take care of it later," I said to myself, ignoring the mess. I resumed watching.