The Were CEO’s Secret

Chapter Thirty-Six – Let’s eat.

It was already break time at Pure Silver Company.

Stephanie ran to the coffee dispenser but it was finished. She sighed. She was hungry, anything but water would calm her hungry pangs.

“Hey!”

“Argghh!!” she flung her hands in fright and her new mug, she wanted to get coffee with, flew from her hands and landed on the ground.

She slowly turned to Nathan, frowning. Should she start with how that mug was her favorite given to her by her dad?

“You know I can easily buy you a mug.”

“Says a man who didn’t replace my last phone he broke.” She sassed, marching into her office.

Nathan followed. “Yeah cos you didn’t remind me. I have lots of things to think about than going to the mall to get you a phone.”

Stephanie glazed at him with lidded eyes. “So?”

“Let’s go to the mall and get the phone.”

She waved her phone. “I repaired it. It was just the screen. Leave me alone. I’m hungry.” She slumped into her chair.

“Okay then, let’s go eat.”

She sat up. “I’d very much like to but with you? I don’t know. Can I?”

Nathan tilted his head. “What do you mean by can you? I literally just asked you. I’m hungry too.”

“Well, you’re my boss and rumors could start that we’re dating or something so…. I have an idea.” She collected lots of files and books.

“We can make it look like we’re eating while talking on important matters.” She handed a file to him, grinning.

He pursed his lips. “Yeah, very smart.” He rolled his eyes. Stephanie hurried, grabbing her bag but Nathan held unto it. “I’d pay for the food.”

She shoved his hands away. “Fine. But every woman needs her purse. It completes the look.” She cat walked off.

Nathan grinned. So she was being a ‘woman’ around him? That was new.

They went to the closest restaurant. She ordered a mildly expensive dish. “Won’t hurt your bank account, would it?” she smirked.

Nathan ordered the most expensive. “Nope, it won’t.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She couldn’t wait till got paid. She’d come to this restaurant with her family and order that exact dish.

“Keep looking at the file. I don’t want any dating rumors, Nathan.” She pointed at the file in front of him. He held unto it, obediently.

“In case you didn’t know but when I date, I tell the media. Till I tell them, they won’t start rumors.” He flipped through the file.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Stephanie nodded. “So you are a shameless play boy?”

“Yup, with no regrets.”

She laughed. Just as she expected.

The waiter returned with their order, and an extra side dish.

Stephanie stopped herself from salivating. She wanted to thank Nathan for the meal but when she looked up at him, his eyes were blue.

She panicked. Was something happening? From her studies, he only did that when he’s subduing a threat. He shook hands with the waiter then his eyes flashed back to normal.

The waiter hadn’t notice. “Welcome, sir. Enjoy your meal.” He left them after Nathan paid for the meal, and have him a good tip.

Nathan smiled in response. He found Stephanie’s eyes on him, staring worriedly. “What is it?”

“Your eyes. Didn’t you know? It turned blue and went back to normal. And I didn’t do anything”

Nathan sighed. “You didn’t do anything, I did. Don’t get scared when it’s blue. Excitement, anger and other emotions could make it blue.”

Stephanie tilted her head. “So you were excited to see food then. Okay, same. But you had a skin allergy where you can’t touch people, right?”

“I inject myself a dosage of medication to have normal life and keep up with my play boy habit.” Nathan answered in one breath.

“Alright. But do you need to be a play boy while having skin allergy or you must be a play boy for reasons related to what you actually are?”

It was beginning to feel like an interview. Nathan exhaled. She was a human being, a curious human being. And with a good conscience.

Accepting to keep his identity a secret didn’t mean accepting what he does or why he does it. And that was why he never told her what he actually was.

Werewolves didn’t need to draw energy or life force from other creatures, but Werefoxes do. It’d have been easier if he had a family.

To stay, basically, alive, he needed to steal life forces in small quantities from random people, in his case humans, or he’d be drained of energy.

Hence the playboy attitude. But Stephanie wouldn’t understand all that.

She’d only get ‘steal’ people’s ‘life force’ and then conclude he sucked life from people when in actuality, what he takes doesn’t affect the ‘victims’.

Nathan bit his lips. “Stephanie don’t be too curious. I can’t tell you everything so you’d be of good conscience and peace. Hmm? Just eat.”

Stephanie nodded. It was worth the shot to ask him more. But maybe she should stop. He was feeling uncomfortable and she needed him to know she wasn’t going to spill his secret.

“This is actually my first time eating this soup.” She whispered to him.

He looked up and smiled. “Cos it’s expensive?”

She rolled her eyes but agreed. “Yeah.”

Suddenly someone dipped hands into Nathan’s side dish, fries, and scooped a handful. Nathan glared at the offender, Cole.

“Damn, aren’t you the Alpha’s boy!” Stephanie pointed at him. “Who was also my vendor?”

Cole glared at Nathan. “Don’t you teach your girlfriend anything? It’s Beta not ‘Alpha’s boy’.” He stood back.

“Girlfriend?” Stephanie wrinkled her nose. “I’m not…”

Her words remained in her throat as her eyes caught Alpha Luciana walking into the restaurant, hot, spicy, deadly.

“She killed someone, didn’t she?” Nathan enquired from Cole as his sister came closer.

“Yes, I did.” She heard his question with his wolf hearing.

When she came closer, Stephanie noticed her eyes flaming red. She calculated it could be from anger. She saw some blood streaks on her nails too.

“I was supposed to meet a big shark today but it turned sour, he ambushed me. What a fool. I’m angry, get me something to eat before I kill her.” She glanced at Stephanie irritated.

Nathan hurried and called the waiter again. Cole got her a chair from an empty table.

“Why are you at this cheap restaurant anyway? It’s ugly.” She looked around, not hiding her irritation for a moment.

When the waiter came close, she growled at him. Nathan pushed the boy back. “Just get her what you got me, okay? She’s not in a good mood.”

The boy sped off while Stephanie adjusted herself uncomfortably on her seat.

Luciana noticed. “I’m sorry to destroy your appetite, dear. It’s just today had been a total waste of time for me. From the orphanage to an unprecedented battle, I’m annoyed.”.

Stephanie nodded, understandably.

“Why were you at an orphanage? What orphanage?” Nathan returned to his seat.

“Yours. Blooming Heights. The owner died. She had called to say hello to you.” She replied.

Stephanie placed her spoon down, staring at Nathan. “You… you were at Blooming Heights?”

Nathan ignored her question. “That’s all she wanted to say? Just “hello”?”

His sister nodded. “She apologized for being mean to you. I didn’t even know she gave you that scar. She was a bitch.”

Nathan nodded. He felt Stephanie’s hot glare at him. “Yes, Stephanie. I was there. But I didn’t get good memories from there.”

Luciana looked at them. “What? Why are you so curious about the place? Was I not supposed to say he’s an orphan or what?”

“No, no, I know he was an orphan. He has a home now so it doesn’t matter, just I was at Bloom Heights too. I was an orphan there and I don’t remember seeing Nathan.”

Luciana glanced at Nathan. He didn’t have a surprised expression. “You knew? Is that where you first met her?”

“Nope. I may have been adopted by then.” He replied, quickly.

Stephanie exhaled. “Unless so. Cos I can’t remember seeing you.”.

Cole smirked, as did Lucania. Stephanie couldn’t hear it but as Wolves who knew Nathan, they both could sense when he’s lying.

“Maybe that’s when he met her and liked her.” Cole said to his Alpha in her mind link.

“Yeah, puppy love stuff. It’s cute. She’s probably on her way to be my sister in-law. Get her a gift when you’re free.” She smiled.

Cole nodded. “Sure thing, Alpha.”