Chapter 88 - Stalker (1/2)

Things were starting to become strange back in the Wilde's penthouse. While Scarlet and Claire had started acting more normally around each other, a certain CEO was becoming more on the edge. The children noticed it but nobody commented about it. Alex brushed it off as age catching up with her handsome father but neither Scarlet not Jasper chose to comment.

The businessman was sometimes caught talking to himself in front of a mirror and smiling in a creepy manner. He also had a lot of random outburst of anger at flowers and paintings around the house. Tina and Sue often distracted the children whenever Wilmer slipped into one of his 'moods' however none of the children was fooled. There was clearly something big going on.

”Do you think we're going to be able to resume our internship soon?” Alex asked one day at lunch after class.

Not just Wilmer, but Danny also seemed out of it too. They'd noticed it a few days after Danny got that strange notification with a special tune. The homeroom teacher had excused himself to check the message, something he rarely ever did. Lessons with Danny became more monotonous as the teacher would often enter a monologue about nothing that was relevant to the lessons instead of adding value to it. Scarlet couldn't help but worry. Her book was progressing smoothly and was currently in the final stages of editing. Alex was also doing very well, showing huge improvements in her sketching techniques.

Jasper was gloomy. Why was he the only one not making any progress? Ever since the miraculous result of the topical test, the gardener's son tried very hard to keep up with the momentum to no avail. The ones who could study did well on their own. The ones who usually skipped lessons disappeared one by one. The ones who didn't do well before went back to their original scores of single digits. Was it because Jasper wasn't a good enough teacher? The boy blamed himself for it and stopped chewing, too deep in his thoughts.

”A penny for your thoughts?” Alex asked when her childhood friend didn't answer.

Jasper sighed and even Scarlet looked up. Of the three of them, Jasper was usually the easy-going one. For him to sigh this heavily, something must be bothering him greatly. Alex had been observing her childhood friend for quite a while but the boy didn't seem to take notice about anything around him anymore. It worried the artist and she wished that she could help. Now that they didn't have their internship, she had some free time in the afternoons. Perhaps there was something she could do to ease Jasper's worries.

”No, sorry. Just something on my mind. I'll find a way, don't worry.”

Alex was sceptical but a look from Scarlet made her hold back her words. Her mother used to tell her that when men were troubled, the best way to help them is not to talk to them or try and understand them. Instead, a small kiss or a silent hug is all they need to feel better.

The writer wasn't mentally prepared for it when Alex walked over to cradle Jasper's head into her chest. While Scarlet had experienced her fair share of hugs, seeing one as intimate as this was a first for her. The young author turned bright red and tried to look elsewhere while her friends shared a moment. For the childhood friends, they didn't think anything was wrong about it and Jasper even wrapped his arms around Alex, closing his eyes and seeking comfort in her embrace.

”I don't know what I'm doing wrong,” the boy admitted quietly and Scarlet took a few seconds to know what Jasper was referring to.