The Devil CEO's Contract Wife - Chapter 288: A Call From The Academy [1]

Chapter 288: A Call From The Academy [1]

“Did you get what I asked for?” I questioned in a much colder tone, causing James to tremble slightly.

“Y-Yes…”

“All of it?”

James nodded, bringing out the flash drive from his pocket and placing it on the table, shifting it towards my drink.

I eyed it, not as elated as I thought I would be. All I could feel was a burn consuming me from the inside out, my eyes stung with tears, not because I wanna cry or anything, but because of how intense it was.

“Tell me, James Shaw. I want you to be very honest with me.” I shifted my gaze to him.

I could feel my emotions turning to stone. When I spoke again, I could barely recognize my voice.

“Is this enough?”

“More than enough…” he replied with utmost sincerity.

I blinked away. “You may leave… I’ll call on you when I need you.”

“O-Of course, Ms. Vixen.”

“And one more thing…”

He paused midway.

“Get ready for phase two.”

He couldn’t reply or understand me because he had no idea what phase two was. Confused, he left, throwing a look over his shoulder occasionally.

“You did well…”

I moved my gaze towards Isaac at the bar; it appeared he had been watching me all this time.

“Is that a compliment?”

He pointed at me as he came closer. “You could have made an excellent Don. It’s a shame Don King doesn’t get to see this… this fire.”

“He doesn’t need to.” I took the flash drive and shoved it in my purse. “It’s better this way.”

“So you intend to be a guardian angel? It does sound badass.”

I pushed to my feet. “What I intend to be is none of your goddamn business…”

He chuckled, and I walked past him, not having time for his nonsense. When the door opened with the help of the bodyguard, the broad casino came into view, overlooking numerous ongoing games.

Time to get to work.

~☆~

“Here you go…!” Tori said, dropping a mocktail for me. “One of my specials and on the house.”

“You won my heart!” I took the straw with my mouth, moaning at the taste. “Trust me, this is top tier! You can’t get this taste anywhere.”

“I see what you did there. Don’t overhype. Remember?”

“What do you mean by overhype? I’m being serious right here. Those high-end places got nothing on you. Trust me. You’re a diamond in the rough.”

She grinned. “I missed you.”

My expression softened as I took her hand in a tight hold. “I missed you, too.”

“I don’t see you around lately. Is everything good?”

I tucked some strands between my ears. “Yeah, the least I can do is keep you away from the crazy media, so coming here is limited. My life is full of drama, and you already have your fair share.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure, as if that is gonna keep me away from my best friend. Really, Cat, I don’t mind. I know we see each other, but I want us to catch up. Even though you’re officially a married woman and a mother, you’re still my bestie.”

I giggled, and she did too.

“I’m proud of you, you know?”

“Proud of what?” I asked, amused, wondering where this came from all of a sudden.

Tori was one of the few people I expected would hate me or be furious because of my five-year disappearance. She was black and white, but for some reason, it wasn’t just about that.

“You handled the media pretty well, and there’s the kid’s charity ball or something. That really killed whatever gossip that had been there…”

“You’re still a sucker for gossip, aren’t you?” I teased.

She dramatically snapped her fingers. “Guilty pleasure. And you, my little munchkin… are thou still overwhelmed by the god named Ares King?”

“Stop!”

“Come on!”

“What?” I drawled.

“Just a tiny little bit, alright?” She motioned with her finger, and the cutest expression.

“Ares is um… sweeter.”

“Sweeter…?” She grimaced. “What did you do? Mix him up with candies or something…?”

“Tori!”

“I’m just saying…” She raised her hands in defense, but then she smiled. “You should have seen him, Cat… I didn’t believe it before because you know he’s the devil and he’s…”

“Mafia…”

“Yeah, that, he really has strong feelings for you.”

“I know…”

“How are you scoping with that part of his world?”

“No comments.”

She nodded in understanding. “I got you.”

I smiled brightly, and I was thankful she didn’t question me further about it.

I took a sip from my mocktail.

“New bodyguard, huh?”

I moved my gaze to Scott, standing in the corner. I had rented the entire pub for the day for isolation, so I pondered why he kept standing there like a wall instead of having a drink or something.

The poor guy was so stiff and stern, like he had a score to settle with everybody.

I offered him a drink, but he politely refused.

“Damn! He’s packing…” Tori said, drooling at him. “You don’t see these goods just anywhere. What’s Ares trying to do? Test your faithfulness? Maybe you could hook me up, Cat. I’m more than ready to stand stiff at that wall with him.”

“Oh Tori…” I said in pity as I clicked my tongue. “He may be handsome and all that, but there’s only one man I drool over.”

“Yeah, sure, Mrs. King. Well? Come on, Cat, get him over here and introduce me or something. We can take things fast. Ahem! I mean, slow. Yes, slow.”

I shook my head because I was about to break her heart.

“He’s gay…” I confirmed.

“Aww…” she pouted. “It’s always the good-looking ones! Why?”

“Cheers to that…”

“But wait, if he’s your new bodyguard, then what about Reed?”

I froze at her abrupt question.

“I haven’t seen him around, nor has he stopped by. Didn’t he come back to Midnight with you guys?”

“No…” I smiled. “Reed, he decided not to. He had a change of heart.”

“Oh…” Tori voiced downheartedly. “That’s too bad, Esme loves him, doesn’t she? She’s gonna be really sad.”

“Yeah… but Reed needed to move on, and no one can stop him from doing that. Everyone has their choice, and he made it without any hesitation.”

Tori nodded in understanding. “I guess not everyone saw Midnight as their home. I mean, look at you. It was all about going back to Rosevale if everything blew up in your face. Especially when you quit being the devil’s secretary.”

I grinned at the memories. It felt so long, and yet it didn’t. I could still remember that day like it was yesterday.

“Yeah, that was the plan, but it turned out home wasn’t about the place.”

She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in question.

“It’s the person. When you find the right person, they become your home.”

My phone rang, and I took it out of my purse. Whose number is this?

“Hello?”

“Mrs. King,” It was the voice of a woman.

“Who is this?”

“The Headmistress of Midnight Academy.”

“Oh, Mrs. Hill. I wasn’t expecting you to call.”

“Neither did I. It’s about your daughter, Mrs. King.”

~☆~

My breath was shaky as I snappily navigated the overly long hallways. Seriously, this place was too big, and I could have gotten lost if I hadn’t been ushered.

“Esme!” I rasped when I caught sight of her.

She got off the chair and I crouched to her height, embracing her tightly, relieved to see her.

“Sweetie, you’re okay!” I checked for any slightest discomfort, but there was none.

“I’m fine, Mommy. It’s him you have to worry about.” She pointed.

“What?” I followed, pausing when I saw Adrian, his nose stuffed with tissues to keep the blood from flowing out.

What the fuck? Does Adrian attend this school?

The door leading to the headmistress’s office opened, and a woman with a stern look stepped forward, adjusting her glasses.

“I’m glad you could make it, Mrs. King…”

I rose to my feet.

“The mother of Adrian King couldn’t be reached, but with you, I think we’re good.”

“Scott…” I said, knowing he was behind me. “Don’t let Esme out of your sight.”

“Understood, Mrs. King.”

I walked into the broad office, and the door slammed shut behind me.

“Please have a seat…”

I did, and she took hers opposite me. She opened her mouth to start talking, but I didn’t give her the chance.

“Adrian King attends this school… why?”

“Well, he’s a new student. Is there a problem?”

“Such a coincidence, isn’t it?”

She narrowed her eyes in a questioning look. “Coincidence?”

“My daughter has been here for two months, and yet suddenly Adrian is attending.”

“Well, that is—”

“Forget that.” I cut her off, and she blinked in shock at my abruptness, but I didn’t give a fuck.

“What happened?”

“What happened is that your daughter hit Adrian King in the face and then kicked him between the legs.”