Tabitha's POV
"Tabitha, where are you going?" Derek rushed after me.
Ivonne snorted in her seat, "Is she crazy or what?"
I sprinted in front of the room next to me, panting. "I wanna see Klein."
Klein's assistant recognized me and opened the door.
I dashed inside.
Klein was lounging on a leather couch, looking all calm. Hearing the sound, he turned to face me.
"It's been a while, Tabitha. Hi."
I no longer cared about courtesy, just asking bluntly, "Klein, is that necklace your sister's?"
"Yes. I heard something belonging to her was up for auction today, so I came here to see if I could find any trace of her. Even if I couldn't, I still hated to see her birthday gift end up in someone else's hands."
Sure enough, my theory was right. The dead woman was Klein's sister, whom he had been searching for all this time.
Seeing the worn-out look on Klein's face, I couldn't bring myself to break such brutal news to him no matter what.
"Tabitha, what's wrong? You've got something you wanna say, right?"
"I've met the owner of these rose diamond studs," I said slowly.
As I expected, Klein's expression changed. "You sure? When? Where?"
"Tabitha, you're pregnant. You shouldn't run like that," Derek chimed in, his voice cold.
He wrapped his arm around my waist possessively while shooting a sharp glare at Klein.
He got the wrong idea about me earlier because of Klein, and since then, Klein had been bugging him like a thorn deeply embedded in his flesh.
This was their first direct confrontation. Klein stood up and politely extended his hand. "Alpha Derek, it's been a while."
"True. Klein, Tabitha and I left in a hurry last time, and I didn't get to greet you formally. How about I treat you to dinner as thanks for taking care of my wife?" Derek offered.
"Alpha Derek, I'm flattered. But you don't have to. I'm here today simply because of some personal matters," Klein replied.
I bet he could sense Derek's hostility, but he, as a gentleman, didn't wanna make a big deal out of it.
Klein turned to me. "Alpha Derek, I need to talk with Tabitha about something private. You don't mind, do you?"
Derek tightened his grip around my waist and stated firmly, word by word, "Oh, but I do."
He said so bluntly without any intention of hiding his hostility.
Then he continued, "Tabitha is pregnant, and I've gotta take care of her. Klein, if you wanna say anything, talk to me."
He acted all lovey-dovey like he wanted zero chances for anyone else to even approach me.
I, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered with this childish game anymore. So, I told him, "Derek, Klein and I have something important to talk about. You..."
Derek's tender expression froze over with ice-cold indifference. "Oh really? What could be so important that you'd wanna avoid talking about it in front of me?"
A dangerous vibe started radiating from him, and I sighed, not wanting to cause a scene.
"Fine. Then stay. But don't say anything. What I'm about to say is very important."
Derek remained silent, just nodding his head.
Klein quickly motioned for us both to sit down regardless of whether Derek wanted to or not.
"Tabitha, tell me. Where did you see my sister?"
I took a deep breath and replied, "Klein, what I'm about to say may not be good news. You need to brace yourself."
"OK."
"Half a year ago, by chance, I sought refuge on a sunken boat. To avoid my enemies, I dived into the water, where I found a ... dead woman. And she had those diamond studs in her ears."
Crystal whimpered inside me, feeling sorry for him.