Jackson wasn't surprised by the results of the bidding.
After he signed the contract, he left the auditorium and returned to the lounge where he'd left Taya. When he saw that Taya was still asleep, he frowned slightly.
He stepped forward and gently nudged Taya, only to find she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Jackson called her name a few more times, but she didn't respond.
He had noticed that she could fall asleep quickly, but now he felt like something was wrong.
This felt like more than just a nap, she was sleeping so soundly.
He quickly took out his mobile phone and called Eric.
"Eric, do people with heart failure sleep more?"
Eric didn't need to ask who Jackson was talking about.
"People with heart failure are more prone to exhaustion, yes."
"What about not being able to wake them up?"
Eric wanted to tell him what was going on, but he also felt that the young lady didn't seem to want Jackson to know the truth.
"She must just be really tired. And some people sleep more soundly than others. It's nothing serious. She'll be fine when she wakes up."
Eric hesitated for a few seconds, fighting the urge to tell his friend what was really happening. But if he divulged Taya's medical information, he could lose his license.
Jackson heaved a sigh of relief when he heard what Eric said.
Taya had been busy accompanying him to banquets and biddings during the past two days, so that made sense that she was just a bit more over-exerted than normal.
Jackson hung up the phone and looked at Taya, sleeping on the sofa.
He clearly remembered that he had put a coat on her before he left, but it was gone.
Looking around, he saw the edge of his jacket sleeve hanging out of the trash can.
What the hel l?
Did she really hat e him that much?
Jackson didn't have a chance to ruminate on Taya's actions. There was a knock on the doorframe, and his Beta walked in.
"The Knight pack is urging everyone off-property now that the bidding has concluded."
The Knight pack never allowed outsiders to stay in their headquarters for long. They had too much going on, especially given the nature of their private contracts with the government. A leak of any kind could ruin them.
Jackson withdrew his gaze from Taya and nodded to his Beta. "Go get the car and bring it around."
Beta Smith nodded and quickly turned around to leave.
As soon as he left, Jackson stepped forward, picked up Taya, and walked out of the lounge.
Anger filled him. That she would so callously just throw his jacket away was completely unacceptable. Who the he ll did she think she was? The fact that she had disrespected him and clearly wanted nothing to do with him made him all the more determined to touch her, brand her, force her to be near him.
Everyone was stunned when he appeared in the lobby with Taya in his arms.
The stubborn desire in the Alpha's eyes was a little scary…
As Preston walked into his brother's office, he saw Griffon standing in front of the French window with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the lobby below.
"Griffon…" Preston called out to him, but Griffon didn't respond.
He walked over and followed the Alpha's line of sight to look down just in time to see Jackson carefully carry Taya into the car.
Preston wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Were the two of them thumbing their noses at the Knight pack on purpose?
One was a lowly human woman Griffon had kept as a mistress, and the other was a man who had talked about mating with his sister.
Not only did the two of them get together, but they even dared to embrace each other in the territory of the Knight pack!
"Do you think Jackson will mate her?"
Just as Preston angrily gnashed his teeth, Griffon asked this question.
Preston was stunned for a long time before Griffon realized he had asked if Jackson would mate Taya.
"How is that possible? With Ms. Palmer's background and lack of a wolf, how could the Sterling pack allow Jackson to mate her?"
"Is that so?" Griffon asked blandly.
Before discovering their past, Griffon was sure Jackson would not go against the Sterling pack for Taya.
But now, he felt that Jackson, who had regained his memory, would do anything for Taya. After all, they used to love each other so much.
"Griffon, you… What's wrong?"
Realizing that Griffon seemed morose at the possibility of Jackson and Taya together, Preston was worried.
Why was the Alpha paying so much attention to Taya? Did he harbor feelings for her?
"I'm fine," Griffon bit out.
When Griffon saw the Rolls-Royce drive away from the building, he looked away from the window and toward Preston.
"What do you want from me?"
Seeing that his cousin slash brother had returned to his usual gruff, right to the point self, Preston stopped himself from saying anything further about the Taya and Jackson situation.
"Artificial Intelligence 7 has pa*sed its initial testing, and the press conference will be scheduled for next month. I think it's ready, but do you want to send someone to test it again before the press conference?"
"No."
Preston had been studying computers for many years and had made countless outstanding achievements in artificial intelligence, so Griffon was very confident in him if he said it was ready.
"Just be sure to monitor news and the stock after the press release and inform me of any data of note."
As Alpha, Griffon was in charge of all pack operations. It was a lot to handle, and their businesses had steadily grown over generations of Knight wolves. One of the biggest things he had learned as the leader of his pack was to trust his pack members and let them do their thing the best way for them. He never cared about the process, only the result.
"No problem," Preston replied, nodding.
After they were done with the business, Preston brought up Tara.
"So, Tara had a quarrel with your pack guards downstairs just now. Did you happen to see that?"
Griffon nodded, showing no interest in it, but Preston couldn't help pressing further.
"Not only was she disrespectful and rude with the guard, she also claimed to be your mate. How could she-"
"Tomorrow, I will go to Elder Thorin to discuss when Tara and I's mating ceremony will be."