Chapter 1
Scarlet POV
Jackpot!!!
I dashed out of the bustling streets, my heart pounding with exhilaration. The crisp evening air brushed against my cheeks as I hurriedly made my way towards the towering building. Dark clouds were assembling in the sky so I was more than happy that I finished my job before the weather got bad. The polished marble floors sparkled under my feet as I ran through the corridors to enter the area my company was renting.
"Hey!" One of the workers there noticed me, "Our pretty boy's back!" Almost everyone was leaving the office at that time but they waved at me when they saw me.
"Hi!" I waved back at them and went over to the Boss's office. Everyone knows me as a pretty boy but no one actually knows that I'm not a 'boy'. I'm a girl.
I have my reason for pretending to be a guy and I really hope I survive doing this.
I've been working for NL News for quite some time now and the sole reason for that is because of the Boss. I rapped my knuckles against the door of his office and waited for his response.
He always tells me to knock, but he's the boss, so, of course, I should knock before I enter the room even though we're not just boss and employee.
"Come in," A deep voice answered after a short gap and I opened the door.
"Mason!" I ran up to my boss's desk, "I did it!" I took off the DSLR camera around my neck and opened the screen, "I caught the shot!" I was so excited to show it to him that I didn't notice Cherelle, his dark-haired, blue-eyed secretary, in the room.
"Cherelle," It was only when Mason spoke to her did I pause and turned my head to her, "You can leave," I saw her standing near the wall, not far from us.
"Yes," She cleared her throat and adjusted her clothes, "I'll get back to work."
She began to walk towards the door to leave and I think I saw something odd.
Why were her knees red?
"Scar," I looked at Mason when he called my name, ignoring everything else.
"Yes?" I answered.
He patted his thigh, "Come on," He smiled at me making my heart skip a beat, "What were you going to show me?"
"Ah!" I walked around the desk, "Yes," Slowly and softly I took my place and sat down on his left thigh shyly, "I got the shot." I spoke in a lower tone as I got the picture of the celebrity couple.
They were having an affair even though the woman is married, "Here," I staked out on the roof of a building to get this and it took me three days but as long as Mason was happy, I didn't care how far I had to go.
A sly smile spread across Mason’s face and he wrapped his arms around my waist, "Well done," He rested his chin on my shoulder, right next to my neck, "Good job," I felt his breath on my skin which made me excited.
"Thank you," I let out a soft giggle.
"This is going to be an exclusive scoop." Mason let out a soft chuckle and I couldn't help but feel happy. I always do when he praises me like that.
"I did good, right?"
"Very good," He patted my head and I felt proud of myself. Then he took the camera from me to look at the pictures and I kept staring at him. Mason is good-looking, his wavy brown hair and dark brown eyes have always been appealing to me but for a while now, he's got me wondering about something.
"Mason," I stared at his face which was only a few inches away from mine,
"Hmm?" He kept his eyes on the screen.
"Will you really tell everyone we're dating when I graduate college?" It's been a year since Mason and I started dating. We have an age gap of ten years but Mason has been so nice to me and my mother for as long as I can remember that I couldn't help but fall for him.
He looked at me, "Hmm?" Then softly touched the locks of my light blonde hair as he placed the camera on the table, "You're so pretty," He smiled at me, making me blush, "If only you weren't..." H whispered the next sentence halfway, making me pause. My heart skipped a beat in dread.
"Mason?" I looked at him and he immediately smiled at me.
"Of course," He kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around my waist, "Of course, I will.
You've only got a semester left right? When do your classes start again?"
I nodded, "Right after the summer vacation, in September,"
"How old are you again?" He asked and I paused.
Shouldn't he know that? He asked me once before too.
"Twenty-one," I answered anyway.
The sky got completely dark and I heard rumbling.
I guess it was going to rain soon.
"Okay!" He smiled at me and placed his hand on my face, "You can leave for today," He caressed my cheek with his thumb and we locked our gazes.
"Your skin is as soft as always," He was staring at me, making me feel giddy. I stared into his brown eyes while I found him staring into my blue ones.
He moved closer, making my heart skip a beat.
Is he going to kiss me?! Finally!!?
I got excited and closed my eyes but he stopped right before he reached me, "Come on,"
He spoke and I shot my eyes open, "Get going now." He turned his face away, making my heart drop.
"Oh," I got off of his lap, "Okay," And started leaving his office. Was I mistaken? But he was so close to me. I reached the door and looked back at him. A year... We've been dating for a year but he still hasn't kissed me...
"Have a safe trip back." Mason waved at me, "And be careful not to run into the Head Hunter."
Just then a bolt of lightning struck in the sky, and the sound of thunder reverberated in the air.
My skin stood up at that and I shook my head,
"Come on Mason," I laughed nervously, "Why would I run into that murderer? Aren't his victims from City A?"
He nodded, "But all his victims, so far, have been pretty young adults. And he kills regardless of gender." He pointed at me, "Wouldn't that make you the perfect target." I felt a shiver go down my spine, "Hmm? My dear Scar?"
I shook my head, "Mason!" I frowned, "This isn't funny."
He laughed, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He winked at me, "Get going, you should get back to your dorm before it gets late."
