CHAPTER NINE: DESPISE ME, MATE.

BEATRICE’S POV

My eyes darted around the restaurant as I awaited the arrival of whoever the owner of the message was. Something about wanting to partner with the company: yes, maybe doing this without the knowledge of the boss was absurd, but if it turned out to be a potential client, then I  wouldn’t have to put up with the annoying attitude of Xander. All we needed was someone willing to invest in ‘Dreamland’, our company’s new project. I glanced at my watch again. Thirty minutes had passed, yet nothing. I let out a frustrated sigh the second the voice in my head reminded me that it could have been a prank.

“HI, Beatrice. We meet again.” The overly familiar voice vibrated in my ears, and I felt my heart flip multiple times. My breathing got stuck the second our eyes met. “Did you miss me?” He laughed dryly. 

“Kai. What are you doing here?” I was in shock. How was he five hours away from his pack? Why?

“Oh, baby. Is that the ‘I miss you’  I get after so long?” He was dressed in a white shirt and blue pants, and I watched as he settled into the empty seat in front of me. Memories of everything flashed in front of me, but words eluded me. “I’m here for the offer. My Beta must have spoken to you.” 

He had a smile on. The maniac had a smile on after everything he did to me.

This had to be a joke. With one last glance at him, I stormed out. Yes, I had a million things to say, but he just wasn’t worth it. The pain wasn’t worth revisiting. That hopeless girl died in the grave seven years ago. I could see him standing outside with his hands in his pocket and his eyes trailed as I drove off. Every suppressed rage in me caused my body to shake. 

My phone dinged with the screen coming on.

“We will meet again, love.” The message read, and a scream erupted from my throat. One that spoke the depth of my pain and agony. That conveyed how badly I wanted to make him pay.

My ringtone came on for the third time after ignoring it, and I picked it out of rage.

“What?” I yelled. My throat was aching, and my eyes were stinging.

“You don’t sound like you got the deal.” Alpha Lee sounded irritated, and I felt speechless. How was I supposed to tell him that I wanted nothing to do with Xander when this would guarantee my promotion?

Maybe if I could just let him believe that Xander was the one with the problem.

“I’m afraid Mr. Evans has another company in mind and…”

“Silly you. I don’t know what you said, but he wants another meeting with us. This time with a better proposal, so the meeting is in three days, get working.” He said and hung up before I could respond.

I let out a dry laugh. He was playing a game with me. He was trying to get to me. My fingers trembled, and my breathing became uneven as I dialled his number. I was staring at the caption, ‘Monster’ with the red emoji with horns, as I awaited a response.

“I see you can’t…”

“Call off the meeting.”

“Huh.”

“I said call off the damn meeting, Xander. I would rather sit in the midst of scorpions than at the table with you.” 

“You remember my name. I never forgot yours, Beatrice. Had it ta….” He paused midway and added. “Is that what you want?”

The words sounded unreal because he was the type to never care about anyone. Maybe luck was on my side. “Yes.”

There was silence.

“Then no. See you in three days, Mate.” There was a click sound, then nothing. 

I scoffed out of frustration and squeezed my eyes shut for a while. I basically couldn’t avoid him at this point—the best way to make him despise me. I let the engine go off before stepping out of the car and heading into my little yet warm apartment. 

“Mummy…” Their sweet, tiny voices echoed through the room, drowning my thoughts, and I watched them run forward, arms spread with smiles on their faces. They were replicas of him, yet nothing like him.

“Pumpkins.” I let out, pulling them in an embrace before ruffling their hair while they giggled. 

“You look good today, Mummy. So pretty.” Cooper complimented, showing his dimple as he smiled, and it made my heart flutter. “Caleb, don’t you think Mummy looks good in black?” 

“You little teaser. You mean I don’t look good in other colours.” I joked and pulled him by the cheeks, and he laughed heartily. I loved them so much. They were the reason I was being so strong.

“We mean you look good every day. You are just exceptionally pretty today, right, Cooper?” He was smiling, too, showing off his dimple. That was the only physical difference between them. Cooper had him on the left whilst Caleb had on the right cheek, just like Aunt Silvia advised. Cooper nodded as he played with my fingers. Charlotte was the only one who always looked like she was always bored or in a hurry.

“Just tell her already, we have a tea party to return to.” She let out and pulled her teddy bear, Cinderella’s ear. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by telling her that Cinderella looked nothing like her brown plumpy teddy. 

“Tell me what? Did something happen in school again? Who did you beat this time, Cooper?”

“Mummy…I didn’t…” He stopped and sighed. “That aside, we found you a great match.” They all smiled at the same time, and it seemed very suspicious.

“For?” I questioned, and Cooper closed the space between us and began to take my watch off.

“You know how lonely and sad you are, I and the others, but mostly, I decided to find you a man.” He announced, a gleam in his eyes as though I was supposed to be grateful.

“I don’t remember telling you that.” I defended and heard Caleb sigh before he stepped forward, too.

“Sit, Mom.” He said, and weirdly, I did. He bent and began to take off my heels. “You don’t have to say the words, Mom, it’s glaring. You sleep early. You never go on dates. You barely change your hairstyles from that. “ He made a face of disgust, and he noticed that I caught on. “What we mean is life is more interesting when you are not by yourself.” My heels were lying inches away from me now—a sense of relief washed over me. I had to wear them all day, and my feet were sore from that.

“But I go on dates.” I reminded them.

“We mean the ones that involve no business talks.” Cooper chirped in, and they nodded in approval. Their eyes changed into soft puppy ones. Ones that would capture your heart and soul and manipulate you into doing their needs. This was always their trick.

Hell no, there was no way I was doing that again.

“No.”

“Please, Mummy. Just this once, and we will let you breathe.” He pleaded. “For now.” He added under his breath, but I heard. 

“The other kids just called us fatherless, and they said he didn’t love us, and that was why he preferred…” Cooper was saying, but I didn't let him complete it: him and his sad, weird tales.

“Alright. Just this once.” I sighed.

“Thank you, Mummy. Here is his card.” He said, stretching it forward, and I reluctantly took it.

“Now to tea.” Charlotte reminded them, arching her brow, and they nodded, bowing and letting her catwalk in front of them.

My eyes ran through the card. Laurence Wayne. With another sigh, I slipped it into my bag and headed straight to my room.