63: Sooner or later

63: Sooner or later

Monica held the glass of whisky in her hand and slowly placed it between her lips before sipping. She had agreed to meet Kaden at RIS NIGHTLIFE.

She turned on her phone and checked the time; it was exactly six minutes past ten. He should be here by now.

Monica looked around, her eyes scanning the different faces of dancers and drinkers, but none of them looked like his.

"Could it be he deceived me?" She mumbled, stretching her neck.

"Perhaps."

She almost gasped and turned around to see a familiar yet strange face sitting beside her. When did he get there?

"Kaden?" She asked, praying he should be the one because she was tired of waiting.

"Yes, and you must be Monica." Kaden answered, and Monica looked at the other man beside him.

"And who is he?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the man who had come with Kaden.

"Anthony, my beta." Kaden answered, and Anthony took his seat beside Kaden.

"Ah yes, werewolf thing." Monica nodded her head and awkwardly sipped from her wine before clearing her throat.

"You conceal your stench very well; you could pass as humans." She said, stealing a glance at Kaden before reaching for her bag.

"You said you know where Athena is. Where is she?" Kaden went straight to the point, ignoring her side talks. He didn't come all the way to Eldradragon to have side talks. Every minute he spent there put his life at risk. He was a wolf in a dragon's territory.

Monica pulled out a photo and placed it on the table. It was a photo of Athena without the scar on her face.

"This is not who I am looking for." Kaden growled, pissed that the meeting was one of the numerous meetings where people who are interested in the bounty show him photos of other women, claiming them to be Athena.

"This?" Monica slid another photo on the table, and it caught Kaden's attention. It was a photo of Athena with a red scar on her face. She was in what seemed like a hospital bed, and the photo looked recent.

"Where did you get this?" Kaden asked, his eyes glued to the photo as he picked it up. He wanted to believe that it was Photoshop, but it looked too real to be one. It was she, his Athena.

Monica leaned back on the chair and gracefully picked up her wine glass and sipped from it.

"You mentioned one million dollars. Are you paying in cash or...?" She clicked her tongue and shrugged at Kaden when he shot his head in her direction.

She glimpsed at Anthony, who didn't seem to be interested in what was happening. Perhaps he isn't a social butterfly. She thought.

"Cash", Kaden replied and returned his attention to the photo in his hand.

"Where did you get this?" He asked again, ignoring the fact that he hated asking the same question twice.

"I took that photo at the hospital." She replied casually as if it was nothing and placed the glass on the table.

"What hospital?" Kaden asked, almost sounding impatient, and he placed the photo on the table, turning to look at Monica.

"I had rescued her from somewhere. She was barely alive, so I took her to the hospital for treatment and…"

"Where is she?" Kaden asked, interrupting Monica.

"If you are thinking she is still at the hospital, she is not, Alpha." Monica smirked, and Kaden's hand curled into a fist by his side.

"This photo is photoshopped. I've met your type countless times." Kaden said in displeasure. It was obvious the greedy woman didn't know where his ex-mate was.

"Is this photoshopped too?" Monica asked, slapping another photo on the table. It was a photo of Athena from another angle. Another photo followed, and it was that of Athena with gauze wrapped around her face.

"What happened to her?" Kaden asked, eyes scanning the photos one after the other.

"She underwent surgery. I removed her scar." Monica answered, her voice firm, and she picked the first photo she had shown Kaden.

"This is her now, without the ugly scar." She said, dropping the photo before pushing it towards Kaden, whose brows furrowed and lips parted.

He gulped slowly, compared the photos, and for the first time, he imagined her without the scar, and the image that came to his mind was that of the picture in his hand.

He shut his eyes and exhaled slowly, suppressing the pain that punched at his heart.

He turned to Anthony, who nodded at him in understanding. Anthony left and returned later with a bag and placed it on the table before pushing it towards Monica.

Monica unzipped the bag and gulped at the sight of the currencies. She reached for her pocket and brought out a device that looked like a pen and ran it over the currency. Her lips curled up in a sinister smile when the pen showed green.

"Where is she?" He breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Monica zipped the bag and placed it by her legs before replying.

"Palace of the dragon king." She answered, her voice firm.

"She works as a maid there." She added, and Kaden gulped loudly. He knew a dragon had her, but he didn't expect it to be the dragon king, Alaris.

"How did she get into the palace from your custody?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"She asked to be taken to Eldradragon, and I sold her to the palace." Monica answered, a smile playing on her lips.

"And her stench as a wolf?" Kaden asked.

"That, you should ask her. I never knew she was a wolf until days ago. She hid her stench perfectly." Monica answered and stood up to leave, crutching the bag in her hand.

"Bonus information: there is a rumour the dragon king has chosen her to be his queen." Monica whispered and cackled at the horrifying look on Kaden's face before strutting away without turning back, holding her fortune in her hand.

"Sorry, Athena, I have to make a living." She mumbled.

"Palace of the Dragon King.

\~~~~PALACE OF ELDRADRAGON ~~~~

After days of staying indoors, Ladya left her room in search of Elder Endrado. She had refused to take Anna back, and the only person she wanted to speak to was Endrado, the man who had pushed her too deep into this mess. How could she secure her place as the mother of the imperial heir when there was no child growing in her in the first place?

She knocked on the door to the elder's mansion, but there was no response. She waited a while before turning the doorknob and going inside. She met the servants, and they greeted her as usual. They were used to her coming over.

"Is Elder Endrado at home?" She asked the head maid politely.

"Yes. I will inform him of your arrival." The head maid said, turning around to leave, but Ladya stopped her.

"You don't have to. I will find him myself." She smiled at the woman who didn't argue with her. They had seen what Endrado could do when anyone disrespected the concubine, Ladya.

Ladya held her purse and approached the stairs. It wasn't the first time she was climbing the staircases. After two minutes, she arrived at the first floor and headed straight for Endrado's bedroom. She stopped by the door, and as she was about to knock on it, she saw the door wasn't locked and there were voices inside. She paused and listened.

"I knew he was going to be an arrogant king. He makes decisions without consulting the elders, without caring about our opinions."

It was Endrado's voice, and Ladya drew closer to the door. She couldn't hear the other person, which made her believe it was a phone call.

"The throne will be taken away from him sooner or later. He thinks the child in the concubine's belly is his?" He laughed evilly, making Ladya feel chills on her skin.