Crazy Stalker Lady

‘I’m not his girlfriend! I swear! I just want to get out of the car!’ Kira shouted. Behind the BMW, cars honked loudly. The officer grew impatient. ‘Open the door and let her out.’ Gideon gripped the steering wheel. ‘Office, this is really none of your—’ ‘I don’t care. Just let her out of the car, now!’ The officer reached for the baton on his belt. Gideon sucked in a deep breath. Then he tapped a button on the electronic dashboard. Kira heard the thunk and pushed the door open. She could finally breathe. ‘Kira, get back here!’ ‘Hey, lady! Don’t run into traffic!’ Kira didn’t hear either of them. She spotted an idling taxi by the side of the road and sprinted to it. She yanked the passenger side door open and said to the driver breathlessly, ‘The M Group headquarters, please!’ The driver raised an eyebrow, but in the end, he said nothing and started the car. Only then did Kira relax. She slumped in the seat and searched all her pockets. Her phone was gone. All she had on her were two ten-dollar notes. Luckily, it was enough to pay the taxi fare. She jumped out of the taxi before it stopped completely. But she was held up at the front desk. ‘I’m sorry, miss, you can’t go in without an appointment.’ The receptionist didn’t recognise the former intern. She was professional, courteous but firm. No one got to see the president without an appointment. ‘There’s a secretary on the forty-eighth floor. Her name’s A…Andrea something. Call her. She knows me!’ Kira’s mind was a mess. Gideon’s words kept ringing in her ears. She knew she shouldn’t believe him, but she couldn’t help the feeling of dread rising in her chest. Her heart was still pounding from that terrifying encounter. The receptionist looked sceptical, but she called Andrea anyway. The secretary came down five minutes later. She recognised Kira as the woman who kept showing up at the office a week ago and demanding to see the president. ‘Miss, Mr McCarthy’s engaged at the moment. If you don’t have an appointment, you can leave a message. I’ll be sure to pass it along.’ Andrea just got called on the carpet twenty minutes ago, after she failed to gatekeep earlier in the afternoon. She took pity on the woman visitor, a Miss Connelly, who looked fragile and unwell and had a little boy with her. Then she got her pay docked by two weeks as a result. Andrea wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice in one day. ‘But I’m his wife!’ Kira blurted. ‘Just tell him his wife is here.’ Andrea resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She pegged the woman as another one of the president’s delusional admirers. She gestured for the receptionist to call security while she remained perfectly poised. ‘Miss, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave now.’ ‘I’m telling you the truth!’ Kira was acting all jittery and twitchy, which only put the secretary more on guard. Two burly security guards materialised behind Andrea. They looked threateningly big. Kira shrank back. ‘Well, can I…can I just wait for him here? I don’t feel so well.’ ‘There are plenty of benches outside.’ Andrea was not going to fall for the same trick again. Kira had to admit defeat. She wasn’t going to get past the front desk. She turned around and plodded out of the lobby, with three pairs of watchful eyes on her back. Kira found a stone bench on the square outside and plonked herself down. She buried her head in her knees. She had no phone, no wallet, and two dollars left in her pocket. What was she supposed to do? *** Kai caught the dour look on Andrea’s face as she stepped out of the lift. ‘What’s wrong?’ Andrea forced a smile. ‘Nothing. Just got rid of another one of the president’s crazy stalkers.’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve seen plenty of their type before, but this one really takes the cake.’ ‘Oh? What did she do?’ Kai’s curiosity was piqued. ‘She claims to be the president’s wife and demands to be let in without an appointment.’ Kai was laughing before an idea suddenly struck him. The laughter died in his throat. ‘This woman, did she leave a name?’ ‘No. I didn’t need to ask. She’s the same crazy lady who kept showing up at the office during the past week. I told her repeatedly that you and Mr McCarthy were away on a business trip, but she just refused to listen.’ Kai had a sinking feeling in his stomach. ‘This crazy lazy, she wouldn’t happen to be a woman in her early twenties, would she? Petite, long black hair, big eyes? Probably wears a t-shirt and jeans?’ Andrea nodded. ‘That’s right. You know her?’ ‘Shit. Where is she?’ ‘I showed her the door two minutes ago. She may—’ Kai dashed into the lift before the door slid shut. He found Kira on the stone bench outside. It was easy; she was the only one there. ‘Young Madam!’ Kai stopped in front of her, panting. ‘What are you doing here?’ Kira looked up in a daze. She had planned to wait here for Austyn to get off work. ‘I came here to see Austyn, but the secretary wouldn’t let me in.’ ‘They don’t know who you are. Don’t worry, I’ll put your name on the list of pre-approved visitors. You can go straight up to the forty-eighth floor next time.’ Kira nodded mechanically. ‘Come with me, please. Boss will be thrilled to see you.’ The assistant led her back into the office building, catching curious glances from everyone he passed. ‘Is there something urgent?’ he asked as he stepped into the lift. ‘Uh, no, not really.’ ‘You could have given Boss a call before you came. Or you could’ve called me.’ ‘I lost my phone.’