Do you remember me?

That had been the end of their relationship and the last time Annette had seen any of the Michaelsons. Not physically per se. She had been keeping track of them on the news like the rest of the world.

However, she refused to give her opinion on the looks and appearance of Xavier, the current alpha of the Michaelson pack, whenever her colleagues swoon over him. But as good looking as Xavier might be, appearances does not make up for his cruel attitude.

And this is the same man she has to persuade into helping her. Fuck. This appears to be impossible.

"3:30 you said, that is unlikely because he has a 3:30 meeting with a client," puckered her blood red lips in confusion.

Seriously, did Xavier demand the women working for him to dress like barbies in desperate need of sex or did they decide to look like this on their own in the hopes of snaring the billionaire werewolf.

"It is a brief meeting," replied Annette. Well, very brief. Annette thought.

Enough time for him to get security to come running down to his office and have her escorted out of the building. Annette folded her hands and kept her expression neutral because if this woman was a werewolf, she would have been able to sense that Annette was telling a lie with the way her heart kept thumping in her chest. But Annette doubt the woman was a werewolf because she lacks the smooth and deadly movement of one. So for now Annette was safe.

The hell. What is stopping this woman from simply directing her to Xavier's office and be on her way. Things would be a lot better if she can just see him.

"I need to veri.." the receptionist did not complete with she was saying and get distracted by the noise at the door. Annette hurried and hind behind a decorative side partition in the reception area as she spotted a good number of wicked looking security guards flooding the reception area. Ahead of the security squad was a small team of men. 

Unlike the receptionist, these men were werewolves, their light brown yellowish eyes as well as their movement gave them away.

Amidst these men was an intimidating brunette with broad shoulder speaking to the group of men.

Annette was frozen in place as the man's face finally came in to view and his gaze met her.

Xavier. It was Xavier. The very same Xavier Michaelson she was sorted after.

And damn, he was all grown up.

No evidence of the Young boy she once knew could be found. Instead, a man capable of exerting power and influence wearing a dark three piece Italian suit. The structure and shape of his face had harden, his jawline sharpened, his mouth spotting a pink lips. He had transformed into a devilishly handsome man.

The result was intimidating.

He gave her a quick accessing look before turning away dismissing her at once as he carried on with his conversation working across the room.

"Xavier, Xavier, it is me. Annette" 

Shit, how was she going to convince him to have a conversation with her. Let alone help her.

He turned around to look at her, his piercing gaze assessing her. 

For a second, she lost the ability to speak. Staring into those familiar eyes, she felt nervous. But the thought of James, her cousin's name engraved on a gravestone after the people, the blood suckers, the vampires he owed a lot of money are done with him and are kind enough to leave a body to be buried. That thought drove all forms of nervousness away.

"Annette McKinney? Josephine, my

aunt was married to-"