7| The Stalker

Blair was sick of hearing the whispers and tone of the stranger's voice. She was also disgusted by his condescending and belittling gaze. Blair was sick of all the boys who just wanted her body.

Unknowingly, Blair had pushed the man, almost tumbling down the stairs. The underground station is deserted. Blair panicked. She almost screamed when she realized what she had done could result in the man being injured if he did fall down the stairs.

Fortunately, the man soon controlled himself. He didn't roll to the bottom of the stairs where he might break his bones. Only the man's violin fell, and he was furious. The man immediately got up to take his violin and headed towards Blair, still frozen with a pale face.

"Damn little bitch!" cursed the man. "You have ruined my only violin. You have to take responsibility. No matter what happens, you have to pay for it with your body tonight."

Holding his broken violin tightly, the man glanced around at the empty state of the station. Blair became frightened. She started to back away and tried to run to save herself.

At that moment, the man managed to get hold of Blair's hair and grabbed her, so the girl bounced with a shriek of pain.

"Let me go! Please forgive me. It was unintentional."

"Unintentional, you say?" the man hissed angrily as he grabbed Blair's hair and brought his face close to Blair's cheek. "You have to pay for it, bitch! You broke my violin, and now you're trying to escape? You want to run away?"

Blair felt excruciating heat and pain on her scalp. She tried to keep her hair from being pulled harder by the violinist.

Blair was about to give up. She truly regretted her actions but didn't want to become a victim of the sneaky predators currently trying to harm her. However, Blair doesn't know how to save herself. Coming to the police station was something she couldn't do right now.

"Let go of the girl!" rebuked a man who came from nowhere.

Blair's head, being pulled back, couldn't reach the man's position. Blair could only hear his voice and the black part of his shirt.

"Don't meddle in our business! She is my daughter," said the violinist. "This girl has done bad things, and I must discipline her!" he grins.

Blair groaned in pain. "Not! He is lying!" Blair's voice pleaded, and she was on the verge of tears. "Please save me, Sir! This man is trying to hurt me!"

The violinist who grabbed Blair's hair grew even more irritated. "And now you're calling your father a criminal? Do you dare lie to other people that I'm a stranger who hurt you? What an ungrateful girl!" the man said confidently.

"Get your hands off that girl, right now!" shouted the man who had just arrived. "This time, I'm not kidding and won't give you a chance. I know she's not your daughter. If you don't want to end up in jail or a grave tonight, you better let the girl go!" hissed the man. It was as if a wild beast's growl sounded from his throat.

It all happened so fast. In the next second, Blair's head suddenly felt very light. The male violinist had let go of his pluck, and suddenly he ran away carrying his broken violin.

"Are you all right, Miss?" A man reached out to Blair.

Blair looked at the man's hand, which seemed very muscular with long fingers. An expensive black watch adorned his wrist. Blair's gaze continued to rise until it landed on the man's broad shoulders and face, which looked as clean as if he had just shaved. A sweet scent wafted from his body. The man's reassuring smile and dark blue eyes lit up as soon as he looked at Blair.

"You?" Blair was surprised when she recognized the man's blue eyes.

"Are you going to leave my hand unreachable like this?" teased the man. "Come on; I'll help you get up. Are you hurt?"

Inevitably Blair had to grab the man's right hand. It felt so warm, strong, and at the same time protective. The stranger helped Blair to her feet and retrieved her dropped backpack.

Blair immediately snatched the backpack from the blue-eyed man's hand. She was afraid and embarrassed if her dirty things were found out by the man who looked very rich in front of her.

"Yes, I am doing okay. And thank you. This is the second time we've collided like this, isn't it?"

"Wow, apparently, you still remember me? We've met at the rest area before. My name is Axel Barney, and you? We haven't gotten to know each other yet."

"Well, I still remember you, Mr. Barney. I even still have your business card. You're a doctor on a business trip and attending a conference here. But I didn't think this town was so small that we met twice in different places," Blair said.

"How are you, Miss...? Why are you here? I see some parts of your body still have wounds."

Axel reached out to touch Blair's chin. But the girl immediately inched away and covered her bruised chin with her head down. Blair also pulled her long hair to cover other scars on her shoulders and neck from the accident. The fault still hadn't completely disappeared, even though she felt no pain.

"What do you mean?" shocked Blair. "Where am I supposed to be?" Blair was a little scared and tried her best not to look the man in front of her in the eye. Blair's heart was beating fast. She was afraid that she would fall in love with the blue-eyed man.

Axel looks very worried and so restless. "I mean, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

Blair looked up, and this time she looked into Axel Barney's blue eyes. Blair didn't understand the situation at hand.

"How do you know I'm in the hospital, Mr. Barney?"

Axel tried to keep his distance because he saw Blair being defensive toward him. "Sorry, Miss. It's not what you think. I didn't mean to stalk you or anything. But, that night at the rest area, when I was about to leave, I saw you passed out on the side of the road. Some people say you had a hit and run and so on. That's why I took you to the nearest hospital. How are you now? Are you okay? Should we come to the police station or go back to the hospital?"

"Not!" Blair answered Axel's question too quickly. "I'm fine. Really."

Blair tried to look tough and strong in front of Axel. Even in her interior, Blair was so scared and relieved that the man who helped her was Axel.

"I thank you for helping me so much that it even went to pay the hospital bills for me. For now, I can't afford to pay it back. But I still have your business card. I'll pay you back someday."

"No, you don't need to feel indebted or guilty. Let's say that my debt to you is even because previously, I also bumped into you at the convenience store."

Blair looked down and looked nervous. She gripped her backpack tightly and wanted to get out of there quickly.

"It seems I now owe you again because you just saved me from that jerk. Trust me, Sir. I will remember all your kindness and will surely repay you someday."

Axel just sighed. "Are you going somewhere? I can give you a ride."

Blair didn't want to answer and didn't want to have any further dealings with the stranger in front of her. "Sorry, I have to leave soon because I have a lot of things to do."

Blair left the underground station in a different direction and headed for the slightly crowded highway. She was so scared. She doesn't trust strangers, whether it's who looks fine or is like a bum in general.

Blair feels someone has followed her. Now and then, she looked back even though no one was there. As she walked again, Blair felt footsteps and tremors echoing behind her footsteps.

"There are no coincidences in this world," thought Blair. "There's no way we've met by chance three times in a row. And strangely enough, he always came when I was having trouble. He must have been stalking me for a long time!"

Blair walked faster toward a darker spot and slipped into an alley.

Blair's breath hitched. She hadn't run since she realized she was pregnant. Her energy was quickly drained, and she couldn't control the adrenaline inside her. Blair was so scared. She huddled in a dark alley and hoped whoever followed her would leave soon.

As Blair tried to breathe more regularly, something suddenly grabbed her from behind. Blair screamed wildly.