Chapter 22. THE ATTACK
(Sienna)
As Maggie and I made our way out of the Biochemistry he knows everyone on the board, the company pipeline, and the work culture. He has continued to work in the business since he left the company and has contacts with many investors who could put money into our R please consider it before you make any rash decision.”
Peter was asking too much of me. He’d already decided since he strongly advocated for William Scott to take the role. However, a nagging feeling in my gut urged me to resist his proposal and seek an alternative.
My father exiled William for a reason, and accepting him as the new CEO felt like betraying my father and throwing away all the work and progress he’d made since William left Cos Pharma. If I at least knew what had happened between them, I could make an informed decision in the best interest of the company.
Maybe if I had a word with him…If he were to tell me why he and my dad broke their friendship, which not only affected their relationship but mine with Ander, maybe I could consider him for the position.
“I don’t know, Peter. I won’t give you an answer today. Could you give me at least a few days to think about it?” I asked.
“Of course, Sienna. You’re the major shareholder, so we need your vote in order to move forward and put an offer in front of him—if that is what you end up deciding.”
“Who’s voting in favor?” I questioned.
“Everyone wants William back. But the final decision is only up to you. I’m sure you will make the right choice by Cos Pharmaceuticals. Call me when you have reached a decision.”
“I will, Peter. Thanks for calling me.” I hung up the phone and put it in my back pocket.
A million thoughts clouded my mind. I just knew I needed more information because the unknown was too big, and I worried that I would fuck up just two months after inheriting the company.
Approaching the door, I reached for the handle, only to realize it was locked. Did someone lock me in without realizing I was inside? I mean, I was on the phone, definitely not whispering, and sitting in the front row…so it wasn’t as if no one would have spotted me if they happened to glance through the door window.
A sharp scratching noise behind me caught my attention, and a shiver ran through my body. I twisted around only to find a figure dressed in all-black, wearing a Purge mask, standing ominously at the far end of the classroom. They wielded a knife that methodically cut through the wooden panels on the wall as they walked down the steps. My lungs released a piercing scream as I swiftly turned around and tried to open the door. Despite my repeated attempts, the door wouldn’t give in. My desperate cries for help echoed through the empty corridors, but no one came to my aid. I was utterly alone and at the mercy of a twisted psycho. I bolted through the rows of seats, trying to get as far as I could from the masked freak, but they continued to chase me across the classroom. I could taste my fear in my mouth, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
I was fucked.
As I frantically checked my surroundings, I saw a small door that seemed to connect with another part of the building, maybe another classroom. It dawned on me that the psycho might have entered through there. Despite a part of me worrying that this door could be closed as well, I realized I didn’t have many options. The psycho was steadily closing the space between us, and the thought of falling into their clutches terrified me. Observing the figure, it didn’t seem like a grown man, but rather someone slightly taller than me, possibly a skinny college-age boy. The adrenaline pumping through my veins urged me to take the chance with the smaller door, hoping it could be my escape route. I lunged for the handle, my heart pounding with fear and uncertainty.
To my immense relief, the door budged, and I managed to slip into the adjoining amphitheater classroom just in the nick of time. My trembling hands hurriedly closed the door behind me, hoping it would buy me a few moments of safety. I glanced around the new room, searching for another way out or anything to help me defend myself. My thoughts raced as I considered my next move, knowing that every decision I made in this situation could be the difference between life and death. I ran down the stairs toward the main door. The door behind me cracked open.
“HELP!!!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
With a knot in my stomach, I turned the handle and, with a triumphant “YES!” I yanked the door open. As I stepped into the corridor, my body collided with someone. My lungs released a blood-curdling scream as two strong hands tightly gripped my shoulders, holding me in place.
To my surprise and relief, I recognized Professor Reed’s face, though my panic was still palpable. It took a few seconds for my mind to process that he had grabbed me.
“Miss Moore, what’s wrong?” he inquired, clearly alarmed by my distress.
Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to find the words. “We need to run. They’re gonna kill me!” I managed to cry out, my voice trembling with fear.
Confusion etched across Professor Reed’s face as he tried to make sense of my frantic plea. “Kill you? Who? What are you talking about?” he questioned urgently.
Desperate to break free from his grip and continue running, I tugged at his hands, but he held firm. I knew that if I couldn’t escape, both of us might face grave danger. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to protect myself and get Professor Reed to safety as well.
“Calm down. No one is trying to kill you.”
“Please, listen to me, James. Someone is back in that room with a knife, and they’re trying to kill me again!”
His eyebrows rose in surprise as I mentioned his first name, but with death lurking around the corner, literally, there was no room for formalities.
“Again? Miss Moore, stay here. Let me check the room.”
“No, please. Don’t go in there. They’ll kill you too!” I tried stopping Reed, but he strode resolutely toward the classroom I had just fled, leaving my warning lingering in the air.
He stepped into the room, glancing in all directions, only to find it empty. Closing the door behind him, he purposely walked down the hall to check the adjacent class. Also empty.
What the fuck? Where did the psycho go?
“Miss Moore, it seems you’re running from a ghost.”
I knew he wouldn’t believe me. Why would he? I just hoped that he didn’t mistake my behavior for drug use. Perhaps the psycho had made a discreet exit through a window—quite a reasonable assumption, considering we were on the ground floor.
“Let’s go to my office, and I’ll call campus security.”
We walked in silence, my skin feeling cold since the adrenaline rush had left my body. It was the second time they’d tried to kill me, or at least it seemed like that was their plan, and I had felt utterly powerless both times. A little girl cornered without a single ounce of fight in her.
“Here, sit. I’ll make some tea.”
I sat on the leather couch against the office wall to the left and grabbed a blanket to cover my legs. Professor Reed quickly prepared two chamomile teas, handing one of the mugs over to me while wisps of steam playfully danced in the air.
I told him everything, from the notes to the black dahlias to the Devil’s Night Fair incident. I felt like a broken record, repeating myself over and over again, asking anyone to listen and do something about it. The cops wouldn’t open an investigation, and campus security was a joke. I even suggested hiring a bodyguard, but Professor Reed insisted on speaking with the security team first to request any available camera recordings that might at least lend weight to my concerns when taken to the police station. When I started calming down, I took my phone out of my back pocket and dialed the one person I needed to see to feel safe again. After two rings, he picked up.
“What’s up?” Ander responded.
“Hey, could you come to Professor Reed’s office? I’m with him. It’s about the psycho… they’ve tried to…” My throat tightened, making it hard to finish the sentence, but it didn’t matter.
Ander read between the lines and replied swiftly, “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t move,” before ending the call.
True to his word, Ander burst through the door after precisely eight minutes, his accelerated breathing revealing he’d rushed from wherever he was when I called him. Leaping from the couch, I clung to Ander, wrapping my arms around his neck. He circled his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, his entire body pressed against mine. A sob broke free from my lips, and Ander held me even tighter, whispering soothing words in my ear.
“I’m here, love. I’m here. You’re safe now.”
His voice soothed me in a way I couldn’t describe.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Professor Reed cleared his throat a couple of times, interrupting our hug in a not-very-subtle way. He was visibly uncomfortable.
“So shall I assume this means no more conflicts in my lab?”
I gave him a timid smile before I locked eyes with Ander.
“Yes, Professor. We talked over the break, and there won’t be any more issues in the lab from now on,” Ander said.
I was relieved to hear those words from him because they gave me hope—hope that we were on the path to healing our friendship.
“Thank you for your help. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t stumbled into you.”
* * *
Ander and I left Professor Reed’s office and headed toward the cafeteria, where Maggie should have been waiting for me. She probably wondered where the fuck I was.
She was checking her phone, completely oblivious to everything that had happened. Maggie lifted her head when she noticed someone approaching the table.
“Finally! It took you ages. I guess that’s why you were so late,” Maggie exclaimed, pointing her finger toward Ander. She frowned when she noticed that I was still shaking. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We just came from Reed’s office. The psycho showed up when I finished my call with Peter and almost killed me. They had a knife. I nearly escaped before running into Professor Reed, but the freak disappeared without a trace.”
Maggie seemed pretty shocked. “I never should’ve left you alone,” she admitted, extending her hand and grasping mine.
“There was a reason we agreed never to leave Sienna’s side. This was the fucking reason. She could have been killed,” he ranted. “Could you have lived with yourself if something had happened to her?”
Maggie’s lips quivered slightly, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she struggled to keep them at bay. “I’m sorry, Sienna. I don’t know what else to say.”
“It’s not your fault, Maggie. Who says they wouldn’t have tried attacking me with you there?” I turned to face Ander and placed my hand on his thigh. “Don’t be so hard on Maggie. She only left because I told her to. You know how much I hate this ‘bodyguard situation.’”
Ander gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, offering some comfort.
“I’m gonna go back to Ander’s apartment. Rain check?”
“Of course. I’ll call you later.”
As Ander and I walked back to his apartment, I couldn’t stop thinking about my stalker. I didn’t understand why someone would want to kill me simply for being friends with Noah, Zayn, and Ander. It didn’t seem like a valid reason to trigger such a violent response, but I guessed that if they were obsessed with me or them, in addition to being mentally unstable, anything I did to piss them off could be reason enough. I just hoped the police would hear me out this time. Maybe next time, I wouldn’t be so lucky.