Chapter 24 Eric

Chapter 24 Eric

It had been a month since the perfume store incident. Cathy had spent all that time focused on fighting the man who had not only stolen her customers but also her products and business design. She was slow to answer my messages or calls, and of course, that situation had delayed the ongoing plan. However, she kept insisting that I should not interfere in her matters, but I could no longer bear to see her wear herself out like that without getting results.

"Hey, Eric." Andrew came into my office yawning and with a puffy face. "I thought you’d be on your way to town by now."

"I got lost in my thoughts, and time flew by," I shared. "Any updates regarding the investigation?"

Andrew has been relentlessly investigating John Smith, the owner of the company that plagiarized Cathy’s work.

"Not really," he replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down in the chair across from my desk. "That man is no beginner, he covered his tracks well on the net, and I believe he’s not working alone. There must be something bigger behind all this."

"That gives me all the more reason not to let Cathy confront him alone," I commented.

"She still refuses to accept your help?" he asked me.

"Yes, she’s used to figuring everything out on her own and still doesn’t get the idea that she has me on her side to stand by her."

Andrew took a long sip of his coffee and put the cup on the table. "You don’t think she’ll be upset when she finds out we’ve been investigating Smith?"

"Probably, yes." I leaned back in my chair and let all the air out of my lungs. "I can’t believe that man has nothing. It’s impossible for a varmint like him to leave no traces.

My Beta’s face lit up, and he looked at me with eyes sparking like flames.

"That’s right, he has nothing on the net because he must keep everything on a private computer with no internet connection or printed on paper," he said.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"You’re going to Cathy’s today, right?" He finished his cup of coffee and got up from his chair, shaking his head to awaken his senses.

"Yes," I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my desk. "Why the question?"

"Because I plan to infiltrate the store in the middle of the night," he replied.

"Do you think someone as careful as that man would leave the evidence in the office?" I asked.

"Yes, he would never have it at home with him because he might lose it, and his house may be the first place someone like me would look," he said, outlining his short beard with his fingers. "I’d bet my car I’m right."

Andrew has always been one of the smartest in the pack, as well as being the chief strategist and possessing incredible perception skills, so if he said so, it must be like that. Besides, it was our last chance to put an end to Cathy’s troubles.

"You can’t come with me to Cathy’s house because she’ll suspect something," I said with my arms crossed, looking him in the eyes. "We need to book a hotel near the store and coordinate everything."

"Leave it to me," he replied. "Besides, you should be on your way to Cathy’s by now."

I looked at my watch, and it was almost 7:00 P.M., and I had promised to go to dinner with Cathy at a Chinese restaurant.

"Okay, I’ll leave everything in your hands," I said. "Go get some rest and keep me posted on what happens."

I patted Andrew on the back, and grabbed the keys to my new luxury car that I had bought just for the fact that my sports cars had only two seats, and since I was already a father, I needed an extra seat for my son.

As I was on my way into town to see Cathy, I tried to call her several times, but she didn’t answer. If this had happened a month ago, I would have been quite worried, but since she has taken her treatment, our connection has become stronger, and no matter the distance, I can feel her.

She had spent all day at the store, and Nani had taken care of our boy, so I had Cathy all to myself.

"Hello, love," I greeted her as I entered the store.

Cathy was alone, leaning back from a counter full of perfume, wearing a black dress, and her blonde hair was down.

"Eric?" she looked at me in surprise. "Oh, goodness. I’ve forgotten about dinner."

She had a bundle of leaves in her hands and huge dark circles under her eyes, and slightly sunken eyelids, but she still looked beautiful, just tired.

"Cathy, how many hours did you sleep?" I asked her.

"Very little, love," she said in an exhausted voice. "This month, sales were down 75%, and my team recommended I lower my prices, but I can’t accept it. If I do, my products will lose prestige, and I’m so tired of this."

I walked over to her, took the papers out of her hands and placed them on the counter, and put my arms around her. "It’s going to be okay," I whispered in her ear. "I’ve got you."

She collapsed into my arms, leaning back against my chest.

"I want to get this over with," she said. "I can’t stand to see that man’s face." She pointed to the store across from hers, packed with customers.

"If you would just let me..."

"No!" she interrupted me. "You already have too many responsibilities, plus it’s my duty to get this done."

"Okay, I get it," I said. "But I want you to know I’m here for you."

She sighed and went to grab her purse. Then I helped her close the store, and before we left for the restaurant, I caught a glimpse through my window of John and felt my stomach go up in flames. But even though I couldn’t stand that man, it wasn’t my anger I was experiencing but Cathy’s. To try and distract her, I focused on us and our time together at the restaurant.

I took Cathy to a very nicely decorated place. It had bamboo tables and red tablecloths. The columns were round and painted gold, and one of the things I liked the most was the dragon with dark green scales with realistic details. And as Nani had said, it was attended by the owners.

"What would you like to order?" asked the owner as soon as we sat down at the table closest to the entrance.

"I’d like the rice with chicken and pork and an extra portion of spring rolls," she ordered.

"For me, bring me sweet and sour pork ribs," I added.

He took his notes and retreated to the kitchen.

"Will you stay more days this time?" Cathy asked.

"That’s my intention, but there’s some business I left unfinished regarding the pack," I commented. "You should come to the mansion; my parents are dying to meet Elliot."

She looked down and started playing with her fingers.

"You know I can’t leave now," she replied.

"I know," I said, pressing my lips together and forming a line.

There was silence between us, and we just stared into each other’s eyes until my cell phone rang, and I pulled it out to check.

I’m already at the hotel, and I have everything ready to infiltrate. I read Andrew’s message and deleted it immediately.

"Everything okay?" she asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, it was a telemarketing message. You know how annoying they are," I replied.

Cathy could sense my emotions more clearly, so she sensed there was something else going on, but before she could probe further, the owner of the restaurant arrived along with his son in his early twenties and brought us our order.

"Enjoy your meal," they said in unison after placing it on the table and leaving.

"It smells delicious," she said, inspecting the dishes. "My sense of smell has improved tremendously, and I can now distinguish which spice they used in the food." Her eyes lit up as she said it smiling widely.

"You’re almost done with the treatment," I said, bringing my plate of ribs closer to me.

"Yeah, I can’t believe the time is going by so fast."

I took her hand and looked her straight in the eye. "Time flies by when you spend it with the one you love."

She blushed like a tomato. "I love you," she said, taking the chopsticks to start eating.

The sweet and sour ribs were a delight, the meat was soft, falling off the bone, and when I popped it in my mouth, it fell apart, leaving me to taste the soy, honey, and strawberry on it.

"Come a little closer," I whispered to her.

She moved her face closer, and I ran my thumb delicately over her lips to wipe up some sweet and sour sauce she had inadvertently spilled.

"Thank you," she said, taking a napkin for herself.

Cathy had glossy lips from the lumpy oil and somehow looked tender and was so focused on her food that she didn’t notice that I had stopped eating just to admire her beauty.

We enjoyed the meal, and I tried to help her focus on the present and not on the hard time she was going through. As time went by, Cathy and I drank two glasses of wine after dinner and then spent a few more minutes admiring each other and enjoying our company.

"Can I get you anything else?" the young boy who helped bring the food asked me as he cleared away the plates.

"Just the bill," I answered, pleased.

"I’ll bring it right away," he replied.

By now, the sun had completely set and the night was cold, and the restaurant was starting to fill up. After the young man brought the bill, I paid and left him a nice tip.

"Time to go home," Cathy told me, clinging to my arm and letting her head rest on my shoulder.

We got in my car, and I drove slowly to her house, enjoying the lights of the buildings and the beauty I had found in the city after often coming to be with my destined mate and son.

We arrived home, and it was completely silent; we went to Elliot’s room, and Nani was sitting on the edge of his bed, finishing reading him a story.

"Hello, Mrs. North and Mr. Night," she whispered.

She carefully got out of bed and walked over to us.

"How was dinner?" asked the redhead.

" Delicious, especially the rice," Cathy shared.

"It was an excellent restaurant, the one you recommended," I thanked her because I had asked her for some recommendations since I didn’t know much about the city. "Thank you for taking care of Elliot."

She smiled complacently and went to get her belongings to go home.

"Have a good night," she said, waving her hand through the window’s car.

Cathy and I waited for her to leave to go back inside.

"Do you want to watch a movie or a series?" I asked.

Cathy shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. "I’ll fall asleep in the first minute."

"Then we’ll save it for tomorrow," I said, taking her by the hand and leading her toward our room.

While she bathed and I finished getting ready, I had my phone in my hand, waiting for Andrew to text me. And since I hadn’t heard from him, I was beginning to fear the worst, that he might have been caught or that he was still inside the store. Whatever the situation was, it had my nerves on edge.

"You’re too tense," Cathy said, coming out of the bathroom with her pastel pink pajamas on. "Is something going on?"

She asked, and I knew I wasn’t going to tell her the truth yet, but I couldn’t lie to her either because she would know.

"Andrew is on an important mission, and I haven’t heard from him," I lied to her, knowing that when it comes to the pack, she tries not to inquire too much because, for some reason, she doesn’t feel entitled even when I had told her a thousand times that she was already considered part of my pack since the day I marked her.

"He’s probably fine. He’s a very smart man," she tried to calm me down.

"I hope you’re right," I said, putting the cell phone away and pulling her to me.

We went to bed, and I gave her a slow kiss. Her lips felt soft and full. "Goodnight, love," I said, giving her one last kiss.

She lay on my chest, curled up next to me, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t sleep. My head was with Andrew at that moment, I tried to communicate with him by telepathy, but it was in vain since being so far away. I was about to lose my mind when my cell phone rang. I took it out of my pocket, being careful not to wake Cathy.

The man is sunk in deep with human, arms, and drug trafficking. It’s all a front, and I have all the proof we need. Said the message from Andrew.