NALEDI’S POV
“Are you in or out?” I asked them, deciding it was better to end it here, to know where we stand. “Are you willing to help me save Flora?”
Saying her name aloud made her feel a lot more real. Gave her an identity.
I could tell it was a struggle for them to keep this from Caellum, being loyal to a fault. But a part of me hoped, prayed that they’d see things from my own perspective and not let a poor girl remain in the crossfires.
“I am all for having Arturo brought to book,” Marcel said and I felt a twinge of disappointment. “But if he does have someone in his hands, then we should rescue her before showing him the pit of hell.”
I didn’t know when a smile drew on my lips. I turned to Korah, expectant.
She shrugged, “Let’s save Flora. Then fuck him up.”
I agreed. Right at that moment, the waiter came and took our orders. Soon enough, we were served and while eating, we were assigned duty roles on Operation Save Flora.
Soon enough, we were back to the headquarters, each promising to give feedback when they found anything out of the ordinary.
The show went on as usual, Caellum was tight on schedule, travelling all around for what I perceived to be his Alpha duties. I also noticed he didn’t take his little precious with him on his endless journeys.
Were they fighting? I couldn’t tell. I was too busy trying to keep up with my deal with Nicolai while following up on how to locate Flora. Each time I saw Donna and she gave me an attitude I didn’t fancy, I swallowed it and told myself she was probably having it worse than all of us put together.
It was shocking and fascinating to watch how put together she appeared when her sister was allegedly taken hostage by Arturo and her real mother under close supervision.
I also wondered what went up in her head. If she was planning on killing my mate and how she planned to execute it. News went round that Caellum was returning to base after executing three up-and-coming mafia packs that thought it wise to defy his order against human trafficking.
He had gone with some men to expel the breed of idiots and the news of his cleansing somehow reached the headquarters. Now, there was going to be an honorary ritual dinner to celebrate.
Yay, Not.
The last thing I needed was a party. We were yet to make any breakthrough on the case with Arturo and our mission to find Flora. I’d suggested we monitor Arturo and his movements, figure out the places he frequents and find if we can get an overall idea of where she might be, but all to no avail.
I had called for an emergency meeting with Korah and Marcus later at night, where we were going to discuss the situation and find a solution forward. Dressed in a black wrap-up dress, I pulled my hair in a ponytail and made my way downstairs.
Caellum was yet to return and from the news, this party was both a welcome party for him and dinner. On getting downstairs, I caught Donna standing right by the door, looking lavish in a champagne short dress that showed off her legs beautifully.
She turned around and a smirk laced her face. “Naledi Rogers.” She accentuated my name and it just felt wrong coming from her. “You actually look good.”
Her tone held a hint of surprise. Like she didn’t believe I could clean up nicely. A backhanded compliment. The kind I hated the most.
“I think you should place your hair down.” She added, “Makes your face a lot more prettier.”
I walked right down with a smirk on my face, strutting like the badass I knew I was until I was in her face. “You do a terrible job of being mean, Darla.”
“Donna.” She gritted, still managing a fake smile. “It’s Donna.”
“Same thing,” I said, taking a lot of her hair and playing with it. “Now why would you care if I had my hair up?” I let go of her hair and cleaned my hands with a handkerchief before making a thinking pose. “Oh, I got it! Could it be you can’t bear to see my mark?”
She chuckled, and it was darn hilarious seeing her trying to act unaffected. “Do you think I care about that? A mark that would soon fade?” She scoffed, “You should be ashamed to even show it off.” She lowered her tone, “I’d be if my mate was getting it with another right before my eyes.”
Her words stung but I took it like a champ. There will be a lot of time to lick my wounds afterwards. Right now, I just needed to show her if she thought she was mean, then I was the devil.
“You must think you’re it. The chosen one, Caellum’s pick-me-bride.” I bared my fangs. “But guess what? I could easily get him in my bed, fucking me into the morning, while you stay right in your room, listening to us, and wishing you were me.”
She swallowed. And it was pure entertainment.
“And all it takes is one call. One word and snap. You’ve got nothing.” I whispered into her ears. “Never forget that.”
I pushed the door open and cold wind greeted my skin. I looked up and there he was, standing tall, and looking hella fine. When did he come?
We stood like that for the longest time, tongue-tied until he finally broke the silence. “You look beautiful.” He started, “Donna.”
My heart broke at his words. His eyes remained on me. Assessing me, watching me, reading me. I couldn’t take any more of his assault so I did what I knew best.
I walked right out without a shame in the world, refusing to let him get to me because that would only mean he won. If I let his words affect me, then I’d be letting him win.
The party was at full blast when I got there, and I was sure grateful for that. I headed right for the bar, ready to get drunk out of my mind.