Chapter 44 – Hidden Truths
The cheer and applause in the lobby still rang in the air, but Damien barely heard it. His focus was on the buzzing phone in his hand. He slipped away from the crowd, his jaw tight, and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Alaric,” he said quietly, his tone sharp, commanding.
On the other end, Alaric’s voice came steady, almost cautious. “I’ve been digging, Damien. I searched everything–school records, work history, old addresses. But…” He paused. “There’s nothing worth telling. Nothing unusual.”
Damien’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean, nothing unusual?”
“I mean exactly that,” Alaric replied. “She’s… ordinary. Too ordinary. No family, no one really knows her. It’s almost as if someone carefully covered her tracks. There’s no real trail, no deeper history. For a nobody like Elara, this much emptiness–it feels unnatural. Like she’s hiding something she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Damien’s nostrils flared, his hand tightening around the phone. Rage pulsed in his chest. “Is that not why I pay you, Alaric? To go the extra mile? To dig into shadows and drag out secrets? You give me nothing but excuses.”
“Damien, I–”
“Don’t,” Damien snapped, his voice low but dangerous. “Don’t call me again unless you have what I want. Do you understand me?”
“Yes… understood,” Alaric muttered, shame clear in his tone.
Damien ended the call with a hard press of his thumb, his eyes burning. His chest rose and fell with anger. For days, his gut had whispered that Elara was no ordinary human. Something about her presence, her gaze, that scent–it screamed of their kind.
And now this. No history. No story. Nothing but a blank shadow.
She’s hiding something. I know it.
His thoughts ran fast. If she were human, her life would be plain to see. But if she were one of them, a wolf, why keep it a secret from her pack? It was normal to hide from humans–wolves did it every day. But to hide from her own kind? From him? From Edward? That was suspicious. That was dangerous.
His jaw clenched. Why? What is she running from?
“Damien.”
A voice snapped him out of his storming thoughts. He blinked, turning to see Kian standing there, a hand raised slightly.
“Damien,” Kian repeated. “I called you twice already. Didn’t you hear me?”
Damien forced his face into calmness, hiding his frustration behind a smirk. “Sorry. I was distracted.”
Kian studied him with a raised brow but didn’t press further. “Come on. We have a board meeting now. Edward will be there. We can’t be late.”
Damien inhaled deeply, pushing Elara’s mystery to the back of his mind. For now. “Fine. Let’s go.”
The boardroom was bright with sunlight spilling across the long table. Executives and senior managers were already seated, their files open, waiting for the meeting to start. The moment Edward wheeled into the room, the quiet hum of whispers stopped.
He looked confident, sharp in his navy suit, his presence strong despite the chair. He gave a short nod as Quinn, standing at his side, arranged papers before him.
“Let’s begin,” Edward said simply.
The room came alive with reports, charts, and figures. One by one, team leaders presented updates.
“Our mall in Eastwood has seen a 15% rise in foot traffic since the renovation,” one manager reported. “Sales across major retailers are higher than forecasted.”
Another spoke up. “But at our Riverpoint location, we’re facing competition from a new shopping complex nearby. We’ll need fresh marketing strategies.”
Edward listened carefully, asking sharp questions. He wanted details, not fluff. Even after months away, his mind was sharp as ever.
“And what about the third mall?” Edward asked.
Quinn glanced at her notes. “The City Center Mall remains stable. Profits are steady, but there’s room for growth if we push more partnerships.”
Edward nodded. “We’ll strengthen promotions and adjust leases where needed. Make sure our tenants know we’re backing them fully. I want results by the next quarter.”
“Yes, sir,” Quinn said.
As the meeting went on, Damien stole glances at Edward. He watched the way staff respected him, the way his authority filled the room. And yet, Damien’s mind wasn’t fully on the numbers. It kept drifting back to Elara. To the mystery. To the feeling that she was more than she seemed.
She’s one of us. I know it. And I’ll prove it.
The thought burned in him, making it hard to concentrate.
After nearly two hours, the meeting ended. Papers were gathered, chairs pushed back, and quiet chatter filled the air as the staff left the room.
Edward left for his office, wheeling himself into the office that had been his for years. Titan opened the door, and Edward entered slowly.
The air smelled faintly of polished wood and paper. His desk stood tall, his chair behind it waiting as though nothing had changed. But Edward paused, his hand brushing across the smooth surface of the desk.
“It’s been almost four months,” he whispered to himself. “Four months since I sat here.”
The weight of time pressed against him. So much had changed since then–the accident, the endless recovery, the long nights of fighting his own doubts. He clenched his jaw, forcing the emotions down. This was his place, his domain. He was back now. He would not let weakness win.
He moved behind the desk, arranging a few files, when his phone rang.
The name on the screen froze him.
Vivian.
For a moment, Edward didn’t move. He simply stared at the screen, his heart caught between anger and longing. Vivian–his girlfriend, the woman who had vanished from his life after the accident, barely calling, never visited.
And now… she was calling.
Edward’s hand hovered over the phone, the air heavy with tension.
The ringing filled the office, echoing in his ears.
Edward’s eyes darkened as memories of her absence ran through his mind. And yet, a part of him wanted to hear her voice, to ask why, to demand answers.
Finally, he reached for the phone.