Impress Me Not: The Architect

Chapter 16

"Well, that didn't go as planned," Benny said.

This whole project of all of theirs didn't really seem to be going anywhere, and it was frustrating him to no end. It was stagnant, like the humidity of Florida in the summer. It wasn't the hot kind of love that left you burning for more. It was just an uncomfortable sweat that no shower seemed to be able to clean. That was what these two seemed to be at the moment.

"He's obviously interested in Valentino at least," Justin said. "That's for sure."

It was interesting to see Casimir like this. The whole point of doing this was to see whether or not the man would fall in love with someone else. He needed to see just how deep this obsession with his ex went. Now that he knew that the Cupid's arrow had worked for his client, there was a second test for this man that he had such mixed feelings about.

"This is great," Sarah shook her head. "You know we've just given him a new target, right?"

"I know," Justin put a hand on his chin. They were just watching Casimir, as he followed Valentino around like a sick puppy. At the moment, they were in the grocery store, but they were moving fast. Fast enough for them to want to wait outside for them rather than follow. It was the only time that Justin had seen him give a genuine smile since he was put on this case. The man had always looked so troubled lately.

He had stopped walking around as much, and it seemed like he was getting a little better of sleep. Justin had followed him around to see that he had made a friend. An old man of the city seemed to be able to get him to talk a little more, or perhaps just help him not feel so alone during the late hours of the night. Justin didn't know too much about the old man, but he was glad that someone was there for him. It was another good sign that this man could potentially change his ways.

"I don't think anything bad is gonna happen," Benny assured Sarah. "Valentino isn't that innocent, especially not with relationships. And he doesn't let people push him around."

"You guys just don't get it," Sarah put her hand on her forehead. "It doesn't matter how experienced you are with relationships, or how strong you are physically or mentally. Stalkers always find a way to get what they want. Whether it be hacking into your phones or laptops to track your everyday life, or following you around by foot or car and kidnapping you when you least expect it. No matter what, it's not good to give them new targets."

She had personal experience with this when she was still mortal. It was stressful, and absolutely terrifying when you were the target of stalking. Back when it was happening to her, though, they didn't have the internet or support groups for it. The anticupid on her stalker's case had failed her. And an anticupid failing was much more dangerous than a cupid failing. Because an anticupid failing easily led to the death of someone.

Just like it did with her.

That was why she agreed to become an anticupid: so that she could help people like her have a normal, happy life while getting revenge on the ones who had caused so much terror. She had witnessed a lot throughout her career from both men and women. It didn't matter the gender or race when it came to this stuff. She had learned early on to stay calm in her job and keep a level head at least. But these guys were about to drive her mad.

"I'll make sure it doesn't get far, Sarah," Justin gave her a determined look. "You have my word that if he shows any signs of stalking Valentino, he'll be punished before he causes any harm."

Justin might believe that Casimir had a fighting chance, and could easily change things around, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to have a back-up plan. He might still be considered new to this career, but he wasn't dumb. This was a dangerous maneuver, based on a hunch of his and Will's. He might be doing something really stupid, or he might not. But he had a plan for if things went South.