Chapter 24 NEW JOB

Chapter 24 NEW JOB
POV - Hazel

I put my fork down a little too forcefully, trying to contain my disdain and embarrassment.
“I did not flee, I just wanted to give you some privacy, while you were taking care of your … little friend, there. And I didn’t hit you on purpose, I was just trying to swat away the stick that was pocking me.”
Danny nearly chokes on his coffee at my wording.
“In my defense, I wasn’t pocking you on purpose, erection is a normal morning reaction for males, and I was asleep, so I didn’t know that I was actually touching you. Although you were invitingly soft and snuggly, until you tried to unman me,” he counters sounding affronted.
I scoff, unable to keep my eyes from rolling. Men can really be big babies sometimes.
“So, what are you saying? Do you want me to apologize for hitting you where the sun doesn’t shine? I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t do it on purpose, and it will never happen again, as you will never get in my bed ever again.”  
I narrow my eyes at him, letting him know that I’m not joking.
This time it’s his turn to scoff.
“As I wanted to get in bed with you. I was just trying to help you, as a friend. You were screaming like a banshee and then you started bawling your eyes out, I was afraid the neighbors would call the police.”
Melodramatic much!
“In this neighborhood? They wouldn’t call the police even if they witnessed a murder committed right in front of their eyes. Plus, I’ve screamed in my sleep before, and no one ever complained about it,” I point out, crossing my arms in defiance.
“Right, you do that often. What is it that you are dreaming?” Danny asks, keeping his voice even, but I can’t help feeling that he’s starting to be suspicious. I never told him about the contents of my dreams, and about the three witches being in them; somehow, I don’t think this information should be shared around, at least until I know for sure who they are and why they have a grudge against me and my mate.
“The past,” it’s the only explanation I offer, and he doesn’t push it.
After that day things started getting a little awkward between Danny and me; we kept the same routines, but it’s clear he knows I’m hiding something from him, and he’s not happy about it. He’s still friendly and polite, but there’s a coldness there that there wasn’t before. He’s never tried to comfort me again when I had bad dreams, and it works fine by me, I was coping by myself before he showed up in my life, and I can keep doing it without a problem. It will spare me some guilt when I finally get back to Derek’s side.
Two days ago, we officially dumped our diner jobs, and we moved north to the city where Illumina headquarters are located, to put in motion our plan. There was a job opening for CFO’s secretary, and although I’m not really qualified for the position, my short dress and some Alpha power got me the job anyway.
But the biggest question is? How could Illumina’s enemy number one get in and out of its headquarters without being recognized? 
There are two answers to this question. 
First answer: when I left to live in secrecy, I dyed my hair black and put on blue colored contacts, to look less inconspicuous. Although the new look someone makes me look more mature, sexier even, which I’m not sure is good thing. 
Second answer: the new trick I practiced in the last month allows me to manipulate light to create an illusion around me, like the invisibility, only instead of making myself invisible I can take any shape, I even changed myself into Danny and Derek, although I can’t do anything to match their height, so I looked like two dwarfed versions of them. 
This way I have at my disposal a double disguise, the first is the illusion, which is not that different from the real me, only the facial traits are different, and the hair are curlier, but the build is pretty much the same, maybe I just added some meat in the right places. Don’t judge me, that’s just every girl’s dream.
The backup disguise is the black hair and blue eyes, which are the same as the illusion, in case my powers fail me while I’m still in the building. It shouldn’t happen, but one must be prepared for anything, especially when one is going against a ruthless and sadistic organization like Illumina.
Today is my first day of work here, and I need to accomplish two important tasks, which are mapping out the layout of as many floors as I can, especially the executive ones, and find out where the labs and archives are located, and how to access them.
It’s quite a lot for the first day, but we don’t have time to waste. Yesterday Lukas’s team has tested the first butch of the antidote on a number of Crescent Moon’s members, and it didn’t work; they are still under observation, but if it didn’t work in the first hours after the administration, I doubt there will be any change whatsoever.
Lukas had also reported that Derek was missing, he had his team check the pack territory and the villa, but they couldn’t find him anywhere. 
I know for a fact that he’s fine, otherwise I would have felt it, our bond is powerful, and the distance is not an issue for us, I would feel him even if I were at the other end of the world.
I hope he hasn’t tracked me all the way here, or worse, that the witches have got him and are holding him prisoner wanting to use him as leverage to lure me to them. Or maybe I should just stop guessing and focus on the task at hand; the faster I find information about this new poison; the sooner I’ll get my mate back. 
“Follow me, Ella, I’ll show you around and then I’ll need you to be so kind as to prepare two hot beverages for the CFO and CEO, they are having a meeting in the main meeting room,” Moira, the head secretary instructs chirpily. 
I envy women with so much positive energy, as opposed to bitchy lazy me. But for the sake of my mission, I will pretend to be a cheerful and amiable person, until my cheeks hurt for over-smiling.
Drinks in hand and a smile plastered on my face, I knock on the meeting’s room door, and when they signal me to enter, I make my way into the room, nearly dropping both drinks at the sight of the man sitting in one of the leather chairs.
Light blond hair, sharp blue eyes, the same exact shade as Carol’s, my ex-colleague, the one who sold me out, caused my parents’ death, the one whose mother tortured me and tried to kill me repeatedly, who’s created the poison that fucked with Alice’s mind, the poison which has taken away my ability to procreate, and lastly, the Carol I have killed in cold blood for revenge.
No wonder I was never able to find any information online on Illumina’s CEO, he didn’t want anyone to know after the shit that went down with his wife, Meredith Lacroix. She tortured and experimented with werewolves and humans alike, trying to create a new army of mutants, she wanted to study me to obtain my powers and create an even more powerful army, until she attacked our pack and she lost, and all her dirty secrets got out in the open. Even if the Government was aware of those experiments, they had to fake ignorance in front of the public eye, and I thought that was the end of it. But I was definitely mistaken.
The fact that he is CEO only confirms my suspicions that Illumina is indeed Lacroix Pharmaceuticals, only under a new name, and that they are the ones responsible for poisoning my pack. Did they do it to take revenge? Or for other purposes? 
“Everything alright?” Carol’s father asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts, and making me aware that I was staring at him this whole time.
“Yes, my apologies, Sir,” I apologize, lowering my gaze to the floor, “I just thought you looked somehow familiar, but that’s not possible, my mistake.”
I place one cup in front of him and one in front of the CFO, Mr. Senders, and then take a step back, still with my gaze cast down.
“I think that any young girl would find him familiar,” Mr. Senders says jokingly, “he’s a living and breathing real-life ken doll.”
Mr. Senders laughs at his own joke, and when Mr. Lacroix doesn’t join in, I raise my gaze to study his expression, and find him staring openly at me, with a neutral, clearly practiced, expression on his face.
Does he know who I am?