Chapter 78─Plans to distract and disturb the female wolves

“I think I’m going to pretend to be a secret admirer of them both,” Graham remarked with an excited glint in his eyes.

“Both Theresa and Jean?” Bruce asked with a concerned look in his eyes. He and Graham were standing on the mansion’s balcony, looking out over the gardens as they had cocktails before dinner.

“Yes, it can really distract them. They will each be expecting to meet this secret admirer at the ball. They could share the experience as friends or maybe they will keep it a secret from each other. It’s gonna be so exciting,” Graham commented with a broad grin.

“You look as if you’re going to enjoy the experience, but what if they catch you out before the ball and then you can’t carry on your seduction plan with Jean,” Bruce remarked in concern.

“I will make sure that they don’t suspect anything strange. They will just be too flattered to take notice of Mishka. Every woman loves to be flattered,” Graham responded with a confident grin on his face.

“Great, then I can give you ideas of what you can send them apart from bouquets,” Bruce remarked with a slow smile spreading over his face.

“I can send someone to deliver gifts at Jean’s aunt’s home and then send the same kind of gift to Theresa in this neighborhood. As soon as they start discussing the gifts, they will think that it’s mere coincidence that they’re the same,” Graham remarked with an excited glint in his eyes.

“How long do want to do this for because there’s not a lot of time before the party?” Bruce asked, frowning in concern.

“Only for tomorrow, but I will keep at it all day without leaving traces behind,” Graham responded with his chin raised confidently.

“Okay, but I wonder how long it will take Jean’s aunt to find out who’s sending the gifts,” Bruce remarked, studying the garden as he tried to think.

“It will only be for tomorrow and Saturday morning,” Graham answered.

“Are you hoping that there won’t be enough time for her aunt to trace you through her witch powers?” Bruce asked, looking at Graham in concern.

“There won’t be enough time for them to discuss or come up with any investigations,” Graham responded with a confident look in his eyes.

“They won’t have time to bother Mishka,” he added with a smile.

***

“I really feel bad about not being able to talk to Bruce himself about this,” Mishka commented while she sat in a city coffee shop with Joan.

“Why are you feeling nervous about him?” Joan asked with a frown.

“We met twice in the woods and it was only us there, although the second time there was a wolf there as well. But we were the only humans. So, I guess that I can’t imagine relating to him in a real life situation away from the woods,” Mishka responded with a pensive look in her eyes.

“And what about the time when you danced together? You were quite close and in his mansion. You said that you even chatted easily,” Joan remarked as she studied Mishka’s face carefully.

“Yes, but I was wearing a mask, so it was easy to pretend,” Mishka replied.

“Oh, I think you should try and keep your emotions in check. Don’t fall for him because that will be a completely impossible situation. He is a wolf and his pack won’t accept you. Then there’s your family who won’t accept him.

So, I suggest that you enjoy the working experience to the best of your ability. Just have fun singing there on Saturday,” Joan advised in a low tone of voice. She kept looking around while she spoke in case someone overheard her.

“I suppose you’re right. I can’t afford to fall for his charm,” Mishka responded with a smile as she looked into her coffee cup.

“But now, are you sure that you want to accompany me on Saturday?” she continued.

“If there’s a daring female wolf out there who might want to harm you then I can’t afford to not go to the party with you. Your grandmother can’t protect you. Anyway, she will be very busy socializing, so she won’t notice when you’re in trouble,” Joan responded.

“Alright then, but are you still gonna go dressed as a man? Aren’t you afraid that something can go wrong?” Mishka asked with a concerned frown between her brows as she looked at Joan.

“No, you shouldn’t worry about me. I’ve acted on stage before, so I don’t have a problem with things like that. We should just get some good background about this stalker wolf. She needs to be cornered so that she can tell us what she’s after,” Joan remarked as she cut at her slice of cake aggressively.

“I wonder if it’s wise to be just the two of us there. She already had her pack members with her yesterday, imagine how many people will be around her if she goes to the ball on Saturday night?” Mishka responded with raised brows.

“We can ask someone else to help out as well,” Joan responded as she narrowed her eyes in contemplation.

“I wonder if Bruce will be there. Will any of his models be there, I wonder? Mishka commented.

“Oh yes, some of his models could be wolves,” Joan remarked with a nod as she began to eat her cake.

“What about fortune-tellers like my grandmother and Rose? Do you think that some of the models could have secret powers apart from being werewolves?” Mishka asked as she sipped at her coffee.

“Well, we’re going there mainly because we suspect to find fortune-tellers there. It will be interesting to come across some models who are also fortune-tellers or magicians,” Joan remarked with a distant look in her eyes.

“Now, that makes me think. Can witches be wolves as well?” Mishka asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“That’s an interesting question. Strange that I haven’t thought about it yet,” Joan responded with a deep frown between her brows.

“It could lead to quite a complicated, but interesting set of challenges,” she continued, her eyes bright with fascination.

“I don’t even want to think or imagine whether this Theresa woman could be a witch as well,” Mishka remarked with her eyes stretched wide in anxiety.

“This could turn out to be too much for me,” she told herself inwardly.