Chapter 455: The red scarf.
Leilani.
For a moment, after she left, I simply sat there, staring at the contents of the envelope like it was something straight out of a horror movie or like it would suddenly grow teeth and bite me.
My fingers shook in fright, but if you asked me why I was so scared, then trust me when I say that I do not know.
I just knew that I was scared... uncomfortable perhaps, as it was beginning to feel like this was not something I was supposed to see.
My hands shook as I searched for Darius’ number on my phone but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to press the word: ’call.’
I couldn’t send a quick text either. Not because I ’could’ not, but because I didn’t want to.
I frowned. "Who the hell sent this?"
But there was no sender, no number to reach either and I was sure as hell that this didn’t come from Darius.
My frown deepened when I looked one more time at the letter or the sorry excuse of a letter as the case may be, my nose scrunching up in confusion as I read and reread the words written on it over and over again until it began to echo in my head, filling me with an ominous kind of feeling.
It read: ’Do you not think that you’ve been trusting the wrong person?’
But who the hell was the wrong person I have been trusting?
And why was I sent a picture of young Darius and two strange men?
I picked up the picture one more time to twirl it between my fingers; but the more I searched for clues, the more clueless I became. So I slammed it onto my desk and hissed, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I sneered;
"This is a complete waste of my time!"
I was however just about to push it to the side when I noticed the tiny words written on one of the edges of the photograph and skeptically, I turned it over, bright it close to my face and read it.
It read: ’Did you ever try to find out what happened four years ago?’
What happened four years ago?
I frowned.
Now, that has successfully confused me. My grip on the paper tightened as I wracked through the very ends of my brain, struggling to remember whatever that ’thing’ was that happened four years ago.
’You left NYC.’ My wolf supplied and I immediately shook my head.
"No. Not that."
’Your grandmother died and you were framed for it.’
"Not that either. Moreover, we all now know that that was Chalice’s doing." I snapped, and after a moment of silence, asked; "How do you even know about that?"
’I have my ways.’
And usually, I’d want to ask her what those ways were. I’d want to understand how she somehow knows everything that has ever happened to me even way before she came into my life. But right now, I was too confused to care. Too worried.
I rasped; "I heard that my biological father died four years ago."
’And that is Darius...’ she added.
"Yes, that is Darius." I echoed back, my voice trailing away in a mixture of confusion and worry. "So apparently, one of these two men in this photo is my biological father."
’Could be... could be the thing that happened four years ago that you never asked about.’ She drawled.
At the sound of her voice, my mind snapped into sharp focus. I nodded. "Yes, it could. And since this was not sent to me by Darius, it was sent by someone who knows both of us. Someone who wants to remain anonymous."
’Like your father...’
"My father is dead. My mates, Zevran, Kael and Caelum, killed him."
’And maybe that’s the thing you need to know. The truth you have to find out.’
The thought made my heart race. I had my suspicions but something about those words were making my suspicions come to light. I slammed the photograph on the table one more time and quickly rose to my feet with my heart pounding frantically in my chest like I had just run a marathon.
My hands didn’t shake as much when I picked up my phone this time and shot a quick text to Darius. It read:
’Let’s meet up, tonight.’
His response was swift. He said: ’Where? What time?’
I rolled my eyes at the desperation oozing off of him in waves and quickly texted him the time and place. I also strutted out of the office just then with one thought in mind, which is to see my mates.
But just as I was about to step into my car, I heard someone call out to me.
"Madam!"
I turned around quickly, my eyebrows cocked as I watched Amanda approach me.
"Is there a proble—" I began to say but stopped when I saw the carton held between her hands. In it was some papers, a notebook, some sticker notes and a red scarf.
The red scarf.
"I thought you said Alpha Frostclaw forcefully collected the scarf from her after he caught her wearing it that one time to the meeting?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yes."
"So where did you find it now?"
"On her table. I guess she stole it just again like she did before." She answered lightly, and I swear to the goddess, something about those words made me frown.
I seethed; "Thank you."
And yes, I was grateful but I was frightened all at the same time. My mind was running at a speed of about a thousand miles in one second, and for some reason, once again, that feeling of being watched suddenly enveloped me. Chills crept up my spine, causing goosebumps to sprout across my skin.
In semi- fright, I let my eyes dart back to the building but when I found nothing suspicious, I got into the waiting car and drove off.
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