Chapter 30 – Family history
Davis grinned and whispered while signalling with his eyes to a table near the door that had a man seated there, and looking at the menu, “I hope that guy didn’t hear your outburst, dumbass. He was outside moments ago, with his face against the window and trying to look inside. He is probably from that group, and you almost shouted some juicy things. It won’t take him long to tell his Alpha about it. You better pray to die in that trap that you are organising with Miss Aniya, because if you survive, I am going to hurt you so much... Really, what the heck did Miss Aniya see in you? You are so stupid that it hurts!”
Nick grinned back at him and stared directly into Davis’ eyes while saying, “I saw that guy outside and I know he is with Adrian. I already told him and his pack my life story, and I made sure to say the same things I told them to you so that he heard me. Who is stupid now, Mister Davis? You have a lot to learn about setting up traps, and if you behave, I might teach you one or two things. You should also remember that while you were getting rusty without fighting over the years, I kept on improving, and I am not an Alpha just because I say so. On any other occasion, I would make you swallow your dick after slicing it, but this is not the time or the moment. I appreciate your concern for Aniya, but my love for her doubles yours, and if you doubt that for a single moment, I will make you feel sorry for annoying me.”
“Spoken like a true Alpha. I might be able to turn you into a worthy suitor for Miss Aniya, after all. Not bad, Mister Nick, not bat at all.”
“Weird, Aniya says that way too often. Did she learn that saying from you?”
“She might have picked something over the years, yes… As I did, you bloody idiot.”
Nick almost choked with laughter and disguised it by drinking his wine, while Davis remained calm as if nothing had happened.
…
While Lisa was with her parents and Nick was talking with Davis, Aniya was having dinner with her parents, silent for most of the time, even with her mother asking about her day.
Aniya raised her head from the plate when she noticed that her mother was calling her name for the third time."Sorry, did you say something, mother?"
“Aniya, I am trying to talk to you, and you keep on nodding your head, and you don’t say a thing! What’s the matter?”
“Father didn’t tell you? I had one heck of a day, thanks to his friends. I am tempted to go to their headquarters tomorrow and kill them all, just to be sure they don’t try something stupid against me.”
Violet Rossi quickly looked around, making sure no servant was at an ear’s distance, and whispered, “Don’t say that so loud, Aniya, you never know who could be listening! Besides, you would never manage to walk away unarmed if you attempted something like that, are you nuts?”
“Probably I would. Father kept bragging about how well-trained his friends were, but all I saw were a bunch of scary cats who avoided looking at me only because I reacted and shouted louder than they did. A bunch of morons, if you ask me. No wonder they turned out like that, considering they relayed women for minor tasks. With no women around to keep them in check, they become dumb. Can we drop this subject until we are in a more suitable place? Because I am nearly losing my appetite.”
“Sure… we… can talk about the company, then. How is everything?”
Aniya shrugged while cutting the meat on her plate. “Going smoothly, it seems. This afternoon, I signed the necessary authorization for my Development Team guys to assist Dior with their upcoming campaign. Maybe next week we will see new billboards and commercials on the television and internet. According to my assistant’s projections, the Dior and Calvin Klein agreements will earn us ten times more profit than we did last year, by comparing the months. That will definitely please the Board of Directors. At least, the ones that stayed.”
“What happened to Mister Smith and the others that left the meeting when you became the new CEO?”
Aniya grinned, remembering what she had read in the papers that Anna Kent had given her in the afternoon and about their conversation. “It seems my attorney took care of the case he filed in court against me. He made a bunch of accusations like I insulted him and the others in that meeting, but what he didn’t know was that Miss Meredith Lion was recording the entire meeting, and she just ruined his claims. He made an agreement with her and sold me half of his shares for a cheap price in order for me not to sue him for everything he owns. His friends were in that package, and I got an enormous chunk of shares to stick my teeth.”
“That’s… impressive, Aniya! I would never…”
“You would never think about recording a meeting with the Board, right? Well, lucky for me, my attorney is an old fox, and she has no problem resorting to all sorts of tricks to grant me an advantage. I told her before we went to that meeting that I was expecting opposition, and she leisurely took a small recorder from her suitcase and pressed the record button as soon as we entered the meeting room. Mister Smith accused her of recording things without his knowledge, and she appears to have explained that she had once been attacked during a meeting, so she now records everything. I do not know if it’s true or not.”
Violet winked at her husband, who was hearing them with a big smile. “It seems the company is in excellent hands. What about you, dear? Got tired of your early retirement already?”
“Not at all. In fact, what would you say if tomorrow we went for lunch at the golf club? We could go for some holes after dessert. If I recall correctly, we are tied.”
“Are you sure we are? The last time you challenged me to golf, you lost. We are at three to two, and I am winning. Do you want to try again tomorrow to see if we can settle that? I don’t mind making you buy me another gift as a prize. I saw a very nice set of earrings that will go well with the necklace you bought for me the last time you lost.”
Dan Rossi gave an awkward smile and raised his glass to her. “You are on, pretty lady! Be prepared to face your demise! If I win, I will take you to a gun shop where I saw a pretty shotgun for duck hunting.”
“First tuna fishing, now duck hunting! My dear husband, you are really enjoying retirement!”
…
After dinner, Aniya signalled her parents to follow her, and she went to her father’s office. She closed the door as they entered, and she pointed at the fireplace and signalled with her head for her father to open the hidden passage.
As soon as Dan Rossi activated the sliding panel, the ladder was there, illuminated by the lights along the hole. Aniya went first, with her father following her, and her mother closing the panel as she went down the ladder.
When Aniya reached the floor, she went straight to the old family book over the desk and turned on the lamp over the desk. She carefully opened the thick book and began turning the pages, glancing at the letters.
Her father approached and asked, “What are you looking for, Aniya? You thought of something?”
“Did you ever see here that one of our ancestors was a member of the High Council? Or if at one point in time, a Werewolf appeared during a night without a full moon?”
“We had some ancestors in the High Council, but I already read that book and there is not even one mention of a Werewolf able to change at will.”
Aniya nodded and kept on carefully flipping the pages. The book was so ancient that she feared the pages would turn into dust before she had time to read it. She stopped on a page where there was a perfect handmade drawing of a Werewolf’s head, and she read the text near it, asking when she finished, “What about a Werewolf appearing not two nights after a full moon, but on a different night? Because I find it difficult for a Werewolf able to change at will to only appear today, let alone four of them. My friend found ten more that can turn at will, eleven with their leader, but he is still trying to find out how they do that.”
Dan Rossi jolted. “Eleven? That’s… I would say it’s impossible, but not after what happened today! I remember reading in that book that one of our ancestors killed a Werewolf when he was changing, but his report made little sense because it happened at the end of the month when the full moon was in the middle of the month that year. Do you think it was someone able to change at will?”
It could be. Where does it say that?"
With her father’s help, Aniya found the page and read it aloud, “On the lasteth day of the second month of our l’rd’s year 1852, I did face a beast. T wast at the backeth of a house, in a bawbling village and th’re wast nay moon. I did see the sir changing into a beast bef’re mine own eyes. I did strike t while t wast changing and the sir did look at me, did smile and runneth hence with mine own sw’rd on his stomach. I ranneth aft’r that gent, couldn’t findeth that gent. I rep’rt’d to the society but nay one hath believed in me, because t wast impossible f’r a w’rewolf to changeth without a full moon. I am searching f’r yond beast, and I shall nev’r stand ho searching.”
Aniya frowned and read it again, trying to change some words. “Basically, one of our ancestors saw a man at the back of a house in a small village, changing on the 28th of 1852, during a night without a moon. He attacked the man as he was changing into a Werewolf, but he ran away. Our ancestor told the Hunters Society, but no one believed him, and he kept on searching for that Werewolf.”
Dan Rossi nodded. “Yes, that’s it. Maybe no one believed in him because it was unheard of, but after what happened today, maybe he faced a Werewolf that could change at will, with no need for a full moon.”
Aniya slowly nodded, lost in deep thoughts. She closed the book and went for the ladder, with her mother asking with a puzzled face, “Where are you going? We just arrived here, and-“
“Yes, but I need to think. I am going to my room and sleeping early because I want to go to work tomorrow.”
Aniya climbed the stairs, while her parents looked at each other, wondering why she looked so puzzled.
In her room, Aniya looked at the phone, which vibrated while she was in the secret room with her parents. A simple message from Nick, saying that he had met Davis, and that everything was alright with him, and that he would call in the morning.
Aniya undressed and went to her bed, thinking and worrying until finally, tiredness took over.