Chapter 474: Stalked

"Here!" Slater happily put down the packed lunch in front of Penny, raising his brows as she looked up at him. He furrowed his brows, seeing that curious look on his face. "What’s that look, Penny?"

Her lips parted before she pressed it closed and smiled. "Nothing," she said.

"Okay." He nodded. "Now, you eat!"

Having said that, Slater walked over to his seat and immediately grew comfortable in it. He picked up his phone, but before getting into it, he cast her a smile again.

Penny simply returned it with a short smile, looking away from him. Slater already opened the packed lunch for her, and all she had to do was eat. To stop him from nagging her, Penny took a bite. However, her focus remained on her phone.

Slater would usually send her messages about anything. Pictures of himself and anything else were always in the mix. There was nothing wrong with the messages Slater sent her, but the photos...

Penny went to the media files just to see all the photos Slater sent him. She chose the latest photo her third brother sent. It was a picture of the coffee he was having that morning. He was holding it with the van’s window a part of the background.

What caught Penny’s attention wasn’t the entire picture, but rather the silhouette of a person that was reflecting in the window. Penny swiped to the next picture: it was Slater’s selfie. And then, on the next one. She quietly checked each photo, and her expression darkened.

’This person...’her thoughts trailed off, going back to the photos she had already checked. ’... he’s getting closer with every photo.’

As a celebrity, having stalkers and paparazzi following them around was normal. With Slater’s popularity, it shouldn’t be a surprise many people wanted to get close to him. He might be gullible, but this person Slater was accidentally taking in his photos was getting closer to him.

"Third Brother, that guy in the front is your bodyguard?" she asked out of pure curiosity, watching him peel his eyes off his phone.

"Mhm."

"Just one?"

Slater nodded. "If I need more, James would’ve sent more. But my schedule for today is mostly photoshoots. So, I asked him to send the security to the mall since that’s where I would need them."

"He only sends you security when you’re going to public?"

"Of course!" Slater nodded. "I don’t want to be watched 24/7. That would be too annoying. I’m a free spirit, and as much as possible, I want to keep it that way. It’s impossible with my popularity, so I’m proud of it. Haha!"

Penny squinted, studying the beaming look on his face. ’This guy.’ She mentally clicked her tongue, forcing herself to take a bite as she snapped her eyes at the phone again.

A glint flickered across her eyes, and her grip on the phone started trembling. Everything happened for a reason, and today, she realized that was true. If Penny hadn’t been dragged by Slater, she wouldn’t have found out that her third brother was being stalked by such a persistent person.

Penny wouldn’t even give much attention to his photo if not for her guilt.

’I should’ve considered his security as well,’ she thought, sighing to herself.

There was a reason Penny didn’t offer security services to Slater because he was his agency’s cash cow. She believed James would protect her brother. Moreover, the only people that would follow him were crazy fans and paparazzi. Penny’s security firm handled more complicated security just like Zoren’s case.

’I didn’t think of the level of popularity Slater has,’ she thought, eyes on the photos again. ’This person could be just a crazy fan who wants to get closed, but he’s getting too closed.’

From the height and physique of the stalker, Penny could tell this person was a man. The person was always wearing face marks and a huge hat to cover his face. But after handling many people’s security, Penny could tell his gender.

"Third Brother, our next stop is the mall show, isn’t it?" she asked, and he nodded without looking at her. She pressed her lips and asked another question. "Third Brother, have you been receiving any strange messages or something like that?"

"Huh?" Slater faced her, brows knitted. "Like death threats?"

"Yes?" she perked up. "Are you?"

"Penny, why would you think the Nation’s Prince would receive a death threat?" Slater scrunched up his nose in dismay. "I am loved. Why would I get death threats?"

"Just asking." She shrugged, studying his demeanor. "If you’re not, then that’s good!"

Slater clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Penny, let me tell you one thing. I know my popularity might be overwhelming for you, but it’s not that much. My fans loved me and they knew that I liked my privacy. They respect that. I have the best fans, you know? They’re the best~!"

"Hehe. Good for you." Penny chuckled awkwardly, realizing Slater had no idea that his stalker was getting close. "However, you should have one or two more bodyguards with you. Even if you’re not in a public space, who knows? The majority of your fans might be good, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have those crazy fans who will stalk you."

"Oh." Slater rocked his head and shrugged. "Well, James usually deals with stalkers."

Penny furrowed her brows. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hmm?"

"You said James deals with your stalkers. Have you been stalked before?"

"Penny, my fans are the best, but a very few of them sometimes cross the line. It’s normal. I’m popular. They want to get close to me... in a creepy way." Slater smiled at her reassuringly. "Don’t worry. James might be pathetic most of the time, but he takes care of me."

Despite hearing all of that, Penny wasn’t reassured. Perhaps it was because she owned a security firm and thus, she was skeptical about other firms’ work. It took her about an hour to realize why Slater was so relaxed. When they reached the private parking space of the mall — where the show would be — a huge group of bodyguards were waiting for Slater to arrive.