Paid to stalk by Tyler Wood

"Oh, Mr O'Connor, it's you. So sorry for having to break your conversation, but I need to speak with my girlfriend."

"Oh, sure." He said absentmindedly, seemingly disappointed that he hadn't heard what Ashley had said.

And suddenly, all he could think of was making Ashley suffer. She had to be punished for what she did to him. Even if he was going to forgive her, he couldn't just do that without making her taste the kind of pain she inflicted on him.

"Boss, this way." He turned as he heard Jackson's voice.

They took an elevator and stopped on the 9th floor. "Whew!" He exhaled sharply as they made a turn to the left.

When he stepped into the office, he was immediately struck by the light and airy feeling of the space. The walls were made of floor-to-ceiling glass, and the natural light poured in from every direction.

"Wow!" He mouthed, walking around. "I bet you're familiar with this kind of building." He turned to face Jackson and the latter smiled.

That was a first! He noted, taking in his smiling face. At least, he looked less frightening when he smiled.

 Again, his eyes were drawn to the large open-concept desk in the middle of the room, complete with a sleek computer and monitors. It was like stepping into the future, or perhaps onto the set of a sci-fi movie. The only thing missing was the sound of spaceships whizzing by.

Wow! He couldn't believe things like that existed. So he was going to be operating all this and even creating tech stuffs like that. He doesn't even know where to start from. He thought, tension shooting through his veins.

Then out of his hindsight, he saw a single green leafy plant, sitting in a sleek, clear vase. The plant stood out against the ultra-modern wall. It didn't look natural and as he touched the leaves, he felt the tension in his body begin to relax. 

The office suddenly became cool and quiet, and he felt his mind begin to slow down, absorbing the quiet stillness of the space. Wow! Was that a new technology? Someone made something like this? By chance, was this like something he used to make before? He wondered.

"You can go." He told Jackson as he sat by the desk. Jackson raised questioning eyebrows and stayed still in his position.

"I need to collect my thoughts and I wouldn't be able to do that with you around." Jackson left as he heard him say that.

John placed the briefcase that Isaac had given him a day before on the desk. He brought out the first thing his hand touched. A note? He flipped through the book and realized it was a diary. Some of the pages were torn and he could hardly make words out of it.

He went to the first page again and read out the first words. "Nov 12th, 2018. The suffering keeps getting too much-----" he trailed off, gasping in fear.

Suffering? Did he suffer in the past? Who made him suffer? He never knew that there was more to this person that wanted him dead that meets the eye. He quietly read along few lines and the pain embedded in each line crept onto his face.

He tried to remember but nothing came to his mind. His breath itched in his throat as he flipped from one page to the other. He stopped to wonder the kind of life he had lived in the past. So he had been suffering in silence. He didn't tell anyone this? Who exactly did this to him.

"And today I was poisoned and Tyler had to take me to the hospital before I could pass out." He stopped reading. Tyler? Who was was Tyler? Could he be Tyler Wood? Were they close in the past? Or was it another Tyler? Different thoughts crossed his mind, and he discarded the thought of it being Tyler Wood. If he was, why would he pretend not to know him?

He could hear the fast beating of his heart and the question that liked around the corners of his mind. What if they had a history in the past that had made them to stop talking? He brushed it off.

Almost immediately, an image appeared in his head. He could see himself smiling at another man, in front of a large screen. The man was---- what? He realized with a jolt. He was surprisingly Tyler Wood. His head reeled and them the memory faded.

What? Does that mean they really had a history in the past. Not just an history, but they were friends? Why then did he pretend not to recognize him? He couldn't help but wonder. What could've really happened. Was it that bad that they became strangers?

That was enough for the day, he decided, checking his watch and seeing that it was way pas noon. He had to rest.

He checked around for Jackson and didn't see him. When the guy had seen a lot today. He probably needed rest too. The car that Isaac had given to him had been completely destroyed in the accident, so he had no choice that to go on his foot.

He would just take a walk to the highway and board a cab back home. As he walked on the street, he suddenly could sense the presence of someone watching him. He strained his ears to listen to any form if movements behind him and he could hear it. Faintly.

He turned to look back but saw no one. We're they trying to kill him again? He kept his guard up and began walking in fast strides.

He suddenly cut sharply to the right and quickly hid. The man came out of hiding, walking stealthily and looking around.

"Identify yourself!" He said coldly as he jumped out of hiding and grabbed the man but his collar. His grip tightened in the man's collar and the man scratched on his hand. What!? No assassin would do that, right? If he was not an assassin, the who was he?

He smacked the man across the face and repeated, "who are you? Identify yourself now before I lose my cool!"

The man trembled beneath his hands. "I'm Nicholas. I have no ulterior motive, I swear. I just saw you walk out of that company, so I wanted to know where you were headed."

John wouldn't take that for an answer. He looked at the man's clothes and shook his head. He was dressed in a neatly ironed white shirt with a black pair of trouser. He was giving off an air of professionalism, as nit a jobless nut head that would just stalk a stranger for fun.

"Why were you stalking me!?" He yelled and tightened his grip the more. The man struggled to wriggle out of his hold but he was stronger. "If you don't speak now, then I have no choice than to kill you!" John dipped his hand into his pocket, pretending to bring out gun.

"Please, don't kill me! I was paid to stalk you by Tyler."

John paused momentarily. Tyler? "Do you mean Tyler Wood?"