REWRITTEN AS A VILLAIN.

FOR SECURITY REASONS

We entered the departmental store, I stared at his back. The way he strides like a predator, I just know he couldn't trust me enough not to check me. Lucian is always on to something.

The departmental store is bigger than the other ones I've seen. Amazing security products too. "How much is that camera?" I asked a staff member.

"It's our 2022 premium surveillance model. It has ultra-high resolution and can clearly identify subjects from up to 150 meters away with optical zoom. You can get it for seven hundred and fifty dollars."

"Seven hundred and fifty dollars? What about a shocker? Something that can be easily disguised?" I asked.

"Do you have a stalker?" Lucian Blackwood asked.

I didn't know he had been standing that close at all. "No. Not really, just for security reasons," I explained.

He picked up the camera, turning it lightly as if that would reveal all its components. He placed it back on the shelf. "Go to the police if you have security concerns. I don't want you getting hurt."

He accidentally brushed his shoulders against me as he went back to his seat. I watched him as he sat down, waiting for the manager to sort some records out.

He'll probably get me killed before the security concerns get me with the way he's currently acting. "You can get a discount sale. Every employee has a number of discounted purchases per year. What's your name?"

"Gianne Morgan."

"Gianne Morgan..." she typed into the computer. "Okay," she said, smiling. "You haven't used any of your coupons, so you can get a sixty-dollar discount on each purchase."

"Get me both then."

She signaled to a junior staff member and they started packing them up for me.

The CCTV camera in our alley was covered in black paint today. My neighbor complained about hearing noises at night too. Either someone is there or we're both getting paranoid. I'll keep watch and find out what kind of threat it is.

The manager and Lucian began discussing the records, and I sat down and started typing the minutes. Sales. Delivery. Income. Zero losses. I started comparing it with the ideal outcome we use in evaluation.

"They meet up to ninety percent. The only thing holding them back was the duration of the sales period," I reported.

"Good." Lucian Blackwood stood up.

Normally, he shouldn't be doing this himself, but honestly, I can't figure anything out this time around. My head can't even think much. It feels like it's going to burst.

He walked out after signing the report, and I followed. The bodyguards were waiting, making sure not to block the entrance or scare customers away.

The air outside rushed against my face, the wind blowing through my wavy hair. I always kept it straight, but I haven't felt like doing that lately.

The weather has changed, we'll most likely get a downpour.

A bodyguard held the door for me and I got in. Lucian was focused on his tablet the whole time. He even got into the car before me. I watched as the rain started pouring outside, watching it trickle down the glass.

Watching nature always makes me feel comfortable. I could dance in the rain. The cold and fever afterward would be too much, I'm fragile these days.

I placed my hand against the glass and focused my gaze outside, i heard a camera shutter and turned to him.

Lucian was taking a picture of the rain from my side of the the car. "The scenery is good," he muttered, loud enough for me not to misunderstand him.

He sent it to someone on w******p, i didn't mean to peek at his business, but what can I do to curb my curiosity?

He's probably got a girlfriend, i almost side-eyed him. He shouldn't act all nice if he's got a girlfriend. I pushed the thought away and shut my eyes, his personal life shouldn't be my business.