Leah's POV
Ava stood there with her eyes blazing with fury and her body quivering with rage.
Her chest heaved with each breath, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
I reckoned that she was a storm that was about to break loose.
Her voice was low and dangerous, growling like she was possessed by her own inner beast, "How dare you, Leah Lewyn? Do you know who I am? I am the daughter of Alpha Saxon of the Blazebite Prowlers Pack!"
Her anger was obviously palpable, just like a living thing that took its own form and filled the room, making the air crackle with tension.
"I will destroy you, as well as that toy male whore of yours!" She hissed with her words dripping with venom.
I said in a decisive voice, "OK, that's it. This is the end of your career life. Guards! Escort Miss Dinara to her office, clear her belongings, and make sure that she walks out of the building in the next 10 minutes."
Ava looked panicked and stomped her feet so hard that one of her heels broke. She removed her shoes and picked them up in her hands, turned back, and walked into the elevator with the Royal Guards standing on her sides.
As the elevator doors shut in her face, I detected a malicious smirk peeking out from her eyes, as if she wanted me to know that this wasn't the end of it.
Bring it on, bitch. I folded my arms and thought to myself.
"Well, that went well," Gean said, wiping off the invisible sweat on his forehead.
"Is she the situation that you wanted to brief me about prior to the meeting?" I tilted my head toward him and asked.
Gean nodded and shrugged, "Well, she's truly a piece of work. She's been a pain in the ass to me ever since I met her for the first time in the Blazebite Prowlers Pack. She's the daughter of Alpha. I was nothing but a disgrace to the entire pack. So, you know."
I saw vulnerability in Gean's eyes. I stood up, held his arm in my hand, and sat down with him on the sofa.
I leaned against his shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"It's fine. I really don't mind. I thrive despite people who want to destroy me." Gean slightly lifted his head and sat back. As he leaned back, he let out a sigh and crossed his endless long legs with his arm resting comfortably around mine. I couldn't help but admire his striking features.
Before he sat down, he unbuttoned his suit jacket. His muscular frame displayed underneath the sharp lines of his tailored shirt. He had an impeccable fashion style. Everything he wore was the right match and placed in the right places with the right angles, adding to his overall attractiveness.
I looked at him with admiration and concern.
When he lowered his head and met my eyes, he smiled faintly and said, "Some people just have to have someone to spite to feel good about themselves."
"But that's not the right thing to do," I said and lowered my head. I couldn't really stare at such a handsome man in his eyes. I knew he wasn't into girls, but still, I couldn't stop my face from turning crimson.
Gean sighed slightly and said, "Thank you for stepping up for me today, but..."
"Are you going to tell me that you want Ava to stay in this company?" I frowned.
Gean's voice was mellow and smooth, "I hate to admit it, but she's really good at what she's doing. If she's gone, we can't find the right person to take over the Eastern market right away. You have to concentrate on Mediland, which means that you can't fight a battle on both ends."
I got a bit upset, not because Gean was pleading for that bitch who was mean to him, but because I knew what Gean said was, as always, right.
But I wasn't planning to let go of Ava easily this time. She has to be punished for what she had done to both Gean and me.
"I'm going to wait for another five minutes to notify HR." I pouted. "I want her to suffer from her own anger of losing a job for a while."
Gean smiled at me and said, "Miss Lewyn, you're so adorable."
My phone buzzed and Jalin called it.
I immediately put him on the speaker.
"Hey, have you found Finn?" I asked.
"Yeah. He's in the lake house now. He's a bit unstable, but it's all been taken care of. Dr. Monk is with him," Jalin's voice was as casual as always.
"Are you still with him?" I asked.
"No, I'm on my way back. Apparently, Lucian can't do without me for more than two hours. Troy's waiting for you downstairs. He'll be your ride and take you to the lake house. As soon as you get to the house, you're banned from going out without your brother's permission."
"Oh, come on..." I mumbled indignantly. I didn't mind staying with my lovely new mate in a lake house at all, but the thought of losing my freedom really annoyed me.
"And tonight, your brother is going to take you to an Haute Couture show. There will be something about features, buttons, and linens and stuff."
"You mean Lemarie, Guillet, and Lognon?" I asked. These were the names of accessory workshops that work with A-list Haute Couture brands around the world. My Father took me to their workshops on his world tour when I was 6 years old.
Jalin replied, "Yeah, something like that. As always, Rafael always loses me when he starts to speak French. Anyway, after the show, he will do your measurement and produce a dress for you to wear for the next Full Moon Grand Ball. He hasn't seen you for five years and he misses you very much. He was crying in front of me over Skype when he learned that he could make a dress for you again. It was a transcendental experience to see an old tailor crying in front of me in both English and French."
Yeah, I got my first Haute Couture dress when I was 6 years old. My Father's most trusted tailor, Rafael Laflamme, designed it for me. 10 workshops, 350 highly skilled craftsmen worked non-stop for five months to produce that dress for my first Full Moon Grand Ball, because that was just how it worked when you were the only daughter of a Lycan King.
Later on, it sort of became a routine thing. Five months before the Full Moon Grand Ball, Rafael would fly from a picturesque place in Europe to the Kingdom, doing my measurements before flying back and working on my dress for five months.
"Oh, Mr. Laflamme! I miss him so much! He used to toss some French taffy candies in my pocket every time he did the measurements on me! I can't believe that I'll see him tonight!" I exclaimed with excitement, although, well, the idea of Jalin having a Skype chat with my Father's tailor was rather unusual.
Jalin sounded unhappy, "Aha! I knew it! But I need to remind you, Leah, I'm the only one who's authorized by His Majesty the Lycan King to feed you with candies."
"You're still my favorite candy man, Jalin," I giggled. "Aren't you going to ask me if the meeting goes well?"
"Oh, Leah, you're so adorable. Your nomination news is all over the news now and even if it wasn't, I would still know, because your brother tells me everything. And by the way, Gean. Lucian is very confused right now about your attempt to hold his hands in front of a whole room of old men. I tried to explain that you were just trying to calm him down, but he didn't believe me. So, you'd better explain your intention of doing this to him in very simple words, like you're talking to a three-year-old."
I chuckled while Gean covered his forehead miserably.
I couldn't wait to see Finn.