CRUEL INTENTIONS

Chapter 2

Her breathing got heavier. She was claustrophobic and being stuck in an elevator with the lights off was not the best. She instinctively closed her eyes and tried to take slow deep breaths but it did not work. Fuck it did not! All she saw when she closed her eyes was her younger self being locked in the basement with no lights on. Her parents did that to her every time they were drunk. They took comfort in her pleading screams and cries.

Her eyes got teary at the memory and her breathing quicken even more just when her phone rang. She quickly looked at her phone screen, it was a private number. Without wasting another second, she picked up the call and put it on speaker.

"Little flower, calm down okay... There's no reason to panic" L's voice was instantly heard on the other line. It was the first time he called her.... Fuck his voice was so deep, husky and it sounded... dangerously seductive.

"Little flower?" L's concerned voice was heard again making her snap back to reality.

"Y-Yeah I'm here..." She replied sliding down to the floor and taking deep breaths.

"Alright, Good. Now... Listen to me baby, listen to my voice. Don't think about anything else alright, they will get you out of the elevator soon" L said and as strange as it seemed, his voice calmed her down a bit.

"Okay.." She replied inhaling and exhaling softly trying to push away the memories of her past trauma.

"Good girl. You will be fine alright. You are Carvida Gray. You are strong" L said making warmth spread to her heart.

"Okay.. I'll be fine.." She repeated to herself, breathing in and out slowly.

"Good, I'm proud of you. Don't panic okay" L said encouragingly. She nodded in reply even if he coud not see her and exhaled heavily.

"I like your eyes... Your beautiful amber eyes" L said after a few seconds catching her off guard.

"My e-eyes, oh.. umm thanks" She replied inhaling and exhaling softly while her heart was still hammering in her chest.

"Welcome baby.. Do you know how even more beautiful you look when you smile? Your eyes sparkle with so much happiness. It's ethereal... And It's my favourite sight" L said making a smile tug at the corners of her lips, her breathing slowly returning back to normal.

"And the way you squeal in happiness when you get something you wanted for so long. The way you hug your pillow when you sleep and the way a smile appears on your lips everytime you see a dog on the road. You are breathingtakingly beautiful and adorable my little flower" L continued to talk seemingly trying to distract her. And it worked, her breathing slowly returned back to normal and her heartbeat slowed down as well. His words somehow making all the pain and trauma in her mind fade away.

"And... The way you pout when you can't go out because it's raining heavily. The way you frown when you are concentrating really hard, the way you tug your hair behind your ear when you are nervous, all of you is purely adorable" L said making her smile softly, her mind and soul now at peace.

"My little flower... My love for you is beyond just love, it is a need, a desire, an obsession" L said making her heart skip a beat. His voice was laced with dominance, need and possessiveness.

"W-Why do you love me? I'm not that extraordinary" She said leaning her head against the elevator wall, the phone now on her lap.

"That's where you are wrong. I was always there, Watching you, protecting you, adoring you. You are everything to me. You are my little flower, all that i want. I can never stop loving you for what you are, for who you are. You are perfect and damn extraordinary. You just don't see it but you are"L replied leaving her speechless. Damn did he have to be so good with words.

"You.. You have been stalking me since when?" She asked after a few seconds just when the light came back on and the elevator doors opened. She immediately grabbed her phone and stood up. She then looked at her phone screen to find he cut the call. Of course he would do that.

"Are you okay ma'am? We apologise for the inconvenience. We don't know how it happened. Our apologies for taking time to get you out of the elevator" A man said making her look up. She simply nodded and stepped out of the elevator pushing past the staffs.

She then walked down the hall, heading to her editor's office while her mind was still going on and on about every single words 'L' said. Once she was there, She absentmindedly knocked on the door and soon enough Mr Roger opened the door with a smile.

"Ah Miss Gray, I was waiting for you. My apologies for what happened with the elevators, take a seat" Mr Roger said before settling down on his chair behind his desk.

"Good morning Mr Roger, it's okay. I'm fine" She replied pushing the words of her stalker in the darkest corners of her mind.

"Very well then let's discuss about your book now, I have checked everything and corrected all grammar and misspelling. I have also verified all facts in the book and now all we need is a book cover that's intriguing and captivating to the audience" Mr Roger said with a formal tone of voice.

"Alright.. To be honest I would like a cover that is discreet. Many of the readers prefer that especially considering that it's an erotic romance...But.. I also want something that gives off a dark vibe and screams danger but I don't want pictures of the main male character as cover. At least not his face" Carvida replied calmly.

She wanted to let her readers imagine the character the way they want. And.. Maybe it was also because she had no idea how her own stalker looked like. She did write a very gorgeous and interesting man as the stalker with blue hypnotising eyes. Why blue? Well.. It just felt right to her. She did not know why but she liked it blue. Maybe it was because of the rose... Still the description in her book could certainly not be like her real stalker. Maybe it was close but nothing more. Or so she thought.

"Very well... You included a blue rose in the book, That could be a potential cover but we need something else... A knife with blood and blue rose petals around it? Or a man with his hood on with a trail of roses. The stalker is dangerous and a killer as well. We need to give off an image that offers readers at least a glimpse of what awaits them in the story "Mr Roger said to which she nodded. She liked the ideas he presented and it seemed she finally knew what cover she wanted.

"I think I know now what I want for the cover" She replied smiling softly, her amber eyes sparkling with joy.