The Secret Santa Mystery

Lila hated the idea of Secret Santa. She thought it was a silly and stressful tradition that forced people to buy gifts for coworkers they barely knew or liked. But she didn't want to be the Grinch who ruined the office spirit, so she reluctantly signed up for it.

She drew the name of Tom, a friendly guy from accounting who always smiled at her in the elevator. She decided to get him a nice mug with a witty slogan and some gourmet coffee beans. She hoped he would appreciate it.

She didn't expect to receive anything special from her Secret Santa. Maybe a generic gift card or a cheap bottle of wine. She was surprised when she found a small wrapped box on her desk on the first day of December.

She opened it and saw a pair of earrings. They were silver hoops with tiny stars dangling from them. They were pretty, but not really her style. She wondered who had given them to her. There was no card or note inside.

She looked around the office, trying to guess who her Secret Santa was. She didn't see anyone acting suspiciously or looking at her. She shrugged and put the earrings in her purse.

The next day, she found another gift on her desk. It was a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson. She opened it and saw a handwritten note on the first page.

*To Lila,*

*You are my star in the dark night.*

*Your Secret Santa*

Lila felt a chill run down her spine. The note was creepy and romantic at the same time. Who wrote it? And how did he know she liked poetry?

She scanned the office again, looking for clues. She noticed that Tom was staring at her from across the room. He quickly looked away when she caught his eye. Could he be her Secret Santa? He seemed nice enough, but maybe he had a crush on her and didn't know how to express it.

She decided to confront him later and ask him politely to stop sending her gifts. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she also didn't want to encourage him.

The next day, she found another gift on her desk. It was a teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. It had a tag that said:

*To Lila,*

*I want to hug you and never let you go.*

*Your Secret Santa*

Lila felt a surge of anger and fear. This was getting out of hand. This was not a cute or funny joke anymore. This was stalking.

She grabbed the teddy bear and stormed over to Tom's desk. He looked up at her with a surprised expression.

"Tom, we need to talk," she said through clenched teeth.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me," she snapped. "You know what this is about."

She threw the teddy bear at him and watched his face turn pale.

"What? What are you talking about?" he stammered.

"You're my Secret Santa, aren't you?" she accused him.

"Me? No, I'm not," he denied.

"Don't lie to me," she said. "You've been sending me these creepy gifts and notes for the past three days."

"I swear, I haven't," he said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then who did?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe someone else has a crush on you."

She looked at him skeptically. He seemed sincere, but maybe he was just a good actor.

"Look, Lila, I'm sorry if someone is bothering you," he said. "But it's not me."

He reached into his drawer and pulled out a small wrapped box.

"This is your real gift from me," he said. "I hope you like it."

He handed it to her and smiled nervously.

She took it from him and opened it cautiously. Inside was another pair