Finally, he says, “I have enough contacts to investigate all of this quietly. First up, I need to look at the security footage as to how these flowers came in. The note itself is useless as there are several people who have touched it. But I can try and track who sent the flowers.”

I agree. “That’s a good place to start.”

He continues, “We’ll need to go to your country estate. I assume that, like you, your father and brother too were traveling from there to London when their car crashed. I’ll need to check the camera feeds from the estate itself. I also need a copy of the reports on their accident and yours to understand better.”

“My brother kept an apartment in Chelsea. It was his private pad. You can search that too.”

“Yes. Also, I need permission to go through your father’s and brother’s laptops, if they kept one.”

I accept whatever he says. After he leaves, Gabe and I stare at each other in silence. The threat to my life suddenly seems more real and we both know it. I think in the last two months I had gotten complacent; life was simply moving by at a fast pace! But now that I’ve received a death threat, I know I’m still in danger. Someone truly is out to destroy me and the worse thing is that I’ve forgotten why. The situation is seriously fucked up.

I rub the back of my neck. “I need to get a drink. Care to join me?”

Gabe contemplates me for a moment before replying. “I’m meeting a friend tonight for dinner. Aaliya! You met her earlier.”

My brows rise. “Oh! Okay then. Some other time maybe?”

I watch him for a moment, hesitating to ask him about his relationship with the girl, worried about what his response will be because she’s the first woman I’m curious about too.

“Why don’t you join us?” he asks.

“Are you sure?”

He laughs. “Of course. She’s just a friend.”

Instant relief filters through me. “Then in that case, I’d love to join.”

Aaliya

MY HANDS WON’T STOP shaking, knowing that I will be with Damien in a few minutes. After Gabe informed me that Damien was joining us for dinner, I ran to my limited closet, hunting for the perfect outfit. I changed three times before settling on the dark brown, boat-neck sweater with a broad, wide neck. It makes my breasts look fuller and my waist slimmer. Worn over black jeans, my hair flowing down my back and my thigh-high brown boots, I look stylish and smart. Huge gold loops adorn my ears, swaying against my cheeks as I walk.