Chapter 408: Born to lead
Dominick lowered the phone slowly, his expression clouded with worry as the news sank in, Casaio was badly injured.
"Nick, I’m ready! Let’s go!" Juniper’s radiant smile lit up the room as she appeared, dressed for their beach outing. But the moment she caught sight of his troubled face, her smile faltered.
"What happened?" she asked.
Dominick hesitated for a second before replying, "Casaio was injured last night."
Juniper’s eyes widened. "What? How?"
"During the hunt for the hunters," he said grimly.
Her breath hitched. "Is he... is he alright?"
Dominick nodded. "Yes. Gabriel got there just in time and saved him. But—" his throat tightened as he confessed, "I was supposed to be with him on that mission. A silver bullet struck his back, missing his heart by a narrow margin."
"Shall we go back then? It doesn’t feel right to stay here," Juniper suggested softly.
"I don’t know," Dominick admitted, his shoulders heavy. "I spoke with Mom. She said we don’t have to worry, Casaio is stable now. But still... I feel bad," he whispered.
Juniper shook her head. "It’s my fault, isn’t it? I was the one desperate to come here with you. If I had insisted we stay back, you would’ve gone with your brother. Then he wouldn’t have been injured."
Dominick shook his head quickly. "I don’t blame you. It was me who was careless from the beginning. I upset you first, then failed to balance my duty with my personal life."
"Don’t say that." Juniper reached for his hand, her eyes softening. "I don’t mind anymore how the wedding happened. Yes, I was hurt at first... and I did get jealous. But not anymore. You gave your best on our wedding day. It was me who ruined the mood afterward."
Dominick looked at her, his eyes shadowed with guilt.
"I don’t know how I’ll face Zilia again. I kept thinking about it last night, how I dragged up her past. It was wrong of me. She’s suffered enough, and now that she’s finally found real happiness... I should have respected that."
Juniper squeezed his hands gently.
Dominick’s voice lowered. "And what do you think about my brother receiving the throne? You were upset about it too."
"I only said those things in anger. Don’t hold them against me. I didn’t mean them." She gave his hands another squeeze, her eyes meeting his. "I know Casaio will make a good king. He is born to lead this kingdom."
Dominick simply studied her eyes, but didn’t say a word.
’I was wrong about her. She was simply upset on how our wedding turned out,’ he thought.
"Let’s go then," Dominick finally spoke, suddenly carrying her up in his arms.
~~~~~
Flora rubbed her aching eyes, the glow of the computer screen blurring her vision after hours of staring at the report. The words on the page felt like a tangled puzzle, and she wasn’t sure where to begin.
"Flora, is it true?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see Mary standing nearby, her expression curious.
"Huh? What’s true?" Flora frowned, momentarily distracted.
"That your sister gave birth," Darcie chimed in softly. "There was an official announcement from the Alpha King earlier. They’re holding a ceremony to welcome the little prince."
Flora’s gaze drifted back to the screen, her voice flat. "If you already know, why ask?"
Darcie and Mary exchanged a subtle glance.
"Are you upset with us?" Darcie ventured.
"Well, she is," Lazlo said, stepping closer, a file clutched in his hand. "They have been saying she was bullied... Accused of cheating her sister."
Flora’s jaw tightened, but she couldn’t speak.
"Is that why you don’t look happy, Flora?" asked Rachel, walking closer with a hot coffee mug in her hand.
"Is that why you don’t look happy, Flora?" Rachel asked softly, approaching with a steaming mug of coffee in hand.
"You all love forming opinions about me, don’t you?" Flora replied sharply. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be alone." She snatched the file from her desk and stormed away.
She stopped at the open balcony to breathe in the open air. Fingers raked through her hair as she drew deep, uneven breaths, trying to push away the tension coiling in her chest.
"Hey."
The voice startled her. She turned to see Lazlo standing a few steps behind.
"What do you want?" she snapped, her tone defensive. "Was it fun to drag something so inappropriate in front of everyone? I know I made a huge mistake, but you don’t even know the full truth. Yes, I hurt my sister, but my eyes were opened that day—" She faltered, biting her lip as her fists clenched tighter.
Without meeting his gaze, she turned away, letting silence hang between them.
"The manager wants your report in an hour," Lazlo said. "You can cry all you want afterward."
He pivoted on his heels and continued quietly, "By the way, a small piece of advice. Check the anomalies from the last three months. They’re subtle, but crucial. That could make the report stand out."
With that, he walked away without another word.
Flora furrowed her brows, her curiosity piqued despite her frustration. She flipped the pages of the file open with urgency, skimming through the figures. Slowly, realization dawned, she had missed a critical detail.
Without further delay, she dashed back to her department, slid into her chair, and began working with renewed energy.
Once she finished it, she printed them out and went to the manager’s office.
He went through the report, giving it a nod. "Keep it here. I want you to give this report to the secretary of the director. My secretary is outside, so do the work."
"Sure, Sir," Flora said, grabbing the file and hurrying away to see Katelyn.
Stepping out of the elevator, she wandered her eyes around. Walking ahead, she finally spotted Katelyn’s desk, but it was empty.
"Excuse me, where’s Secretary Katelyn? I wanted to give this file to her," Flora asked a man, who was walking away with a stack of files in his arms.