“Of course not,” I moved closer. He bent down to give me a soft kiss that made my wolf hum with happiness.
“Mommy, Uncle Ryan gave me this, look!” Liam showed me a package full of candies, lollipops, and chocolates.
“Oh really? And did you say thank you to Uncle Ryan?” I asked my little one, giving Ryan a firm look.
“Yes, Mommy,” Liam nodded hard.
“Very good!” I kissed his forehead. “Thank you, Ryan.”
“Don’t mention it, Carrie. This kid is amazing!” Ryan messed up Liam’s hair lovingly.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” Mr. Reeves came over smiling and held out his hand. “Hello, young man.”
“Hi,” Liam smiled sweetly and took Mr. Reeves’s hand. “Want some candy?” he offered, making everyone laugh.
“No thank you, young man.” Mr. Reeves chuckled before turning to me. “Caroline, is this your handsome son?”
I nodded proudly as Mr. Reeves said, “What a handsome little guy! He looks just like his father,” he looked between Liam and Draven, who smiled confidently.
“My son is beautiful indeed, thank you, Mr. Reeves,” Draven replied smoothly.
“You two visit my floor quite often lately,” Mr. Reeves said playfully to Draven and Ryan. “I hope you’re not planning to steal my two favorite employees.”
“For now, Mr. Reeves, just one of them,” Draven smiled confidently, “but you never know.”
“I’ll have to ask you for a job too if you take both,” Mr. Reeves joked.
“I think Joseph would be upset if we took his whole team,” Ryan laughed.
We gathered my things and said goodbye. Eleanor and Nate were waiting outside, and we all decided to go for dinner. Kyle and Luke would join us later.
The evening was full of laughter and talk. Eleanor kept giving me knowing looks when Draven held my hand under the table or whispered to me. By dinner’s end, I felt happy, surrounded by our friends and family.
After dinner, Eleanor went to Nate’s while Draven came to my place.
Once Liam was asleep, we went to my room. He sat at the bed’s end, giving me an amazing foot massage.
“So, sweetheart,” Draven started, his strong fingers working my feet, “when are you coming back to Thorne Enterprises?”
I sighed, knowing this talk was coming. “Draven, I haven’t made that decision yet.”
His hands stopped briefly. “What do you mean? You’ve forgiven me, we’re together again. Come back to be near me every day, Caroline.” He spoke like it was obvious.
“My love, I still don’t know if I want to come back. I love working at Puma Global. I really like my colleagues, and I’m doing great there.” I tried explaining.
“But you’ll be better with me.” His voice had that Alpha tone showing his frustration.
Rory stirred inside me. He needs to understand this isn’t just about him.
“But we’re fine like this. Why do we need to work together?” I asked, wanting to understand.
“Caroline,” Draven continued massaging but harder, “I want people I trust around me. Ryan’s there. Clara can retire now. I need you by my side.”
His intense gaze caught mine. “Also, the audit is showing evidence. Rose found things about my personal life and parents that are being investigated.”
My curiosity grew. “What else did you discover?”
Draven’s face darkened. “The Rouge attack on my parents wasn’t random. Their car was forced off the road in a dangerous spot.” Pain showed on his face. “Rose heard Howard telling an investigator I wanted it closed. Then she heard him tell Linda he paid to bury the investigation.”
“Draven, that’s extremely serious!” I sat up shocked.
“Yes, it is,” he nodded seriously. “She heard my father fighting with Howard before the attack, saying he’d remove him from the Elder council.” He went on, “Rose also said Linda tells Ella where I go, that’s why she appeared everywhere, including that day at the company. Linda planned it, knowing Clara told you not to let anyone in without permission. She wanted you fired.”
“But why? I had just started.” I was confused.
“Linda wanted the executive assistant position after Clara turned her down. Being my assistant would have given her access to information. She’s been Howard’s mistress for ten years.” Draven spoke with disgust.
“So Linda gives Howard information. He must be part of the fraud.” I said, understanding now.
“He might be the mastermind behind the entire operation,” Draven speculated, but I sensed there was more.”What else did Rose tell you?” I asked, feeling more worried.
“Rose knows everything in that company. She told me a lot.” He paused, looking worried. “But there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?” I encouraged.
“Caroline,” he started carefully, “when my parents died, I had met someone who changed my life very quickly.” He sounded uncomfortable. “Too quickly. But this woman disappeared. I tried everything to find her, hired three investigators, but they all said it was hopeless. The last try was about a year ago.”
“Clara mentioned her briefly. Said you lost hope after that.” I tried to sound calm, but my chest hurt.
“Until you came along,” he said softly, looking into my eyes. “But Howard manipulated those investigations too, paid them to make me give up, telling me finding her was impossible.”
My stomach turned cold. What if she was his true mate? Clara only mentioned a woman who had captured his heart, not that she was his mate. Would he leave me if he found her? Rory whimpered anxiously.
“I think she might have been my…” Draven stopped suddenly.
My heart stopped. Was he going to say “mate”? Was she his true, destined mate?
Draven saw my fear and quickly moved to hold my hands.
“Caroline, look at me. Listen carefully.” His voice was firm but gentle. “I love you! That woman became my past the moment I heard your voice that first day at Thorne. Don’t worry about this. I won’t look for her again, but you needed to know. I don’t want anyone using this to hurt you.”
But I was already feeling insecure. Draven noticed and cupped my face, kissing me deeply, like he was proving I was his future. Then he kissed my neck.
“Let me show you who I belong to,” he whispered.
He made love to me so tenderly that night, treating my body like something precious. Every touch and kiss promised he was mine completely.We fell asleep wrapped together, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
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