Chapter 2 Secret archives?

Cassian remained where he stood until Amora's footsteps completely disappeared down the hallway.

The middle-aged woman beside him glanced briefly at her son.

"You deliberately let her into this house."

"Not deliberately."

"Then?"

Cassian let out a quiet sigh. "I just didn't want to let her go that easily."

A faint smile curved the woman's lips.

"Because of her scent?"

Cassian said nothing.

His silence was answer enough.

"Stay vigilant," the woman said. "If she truly is an ordinary human, we must not let our existence be discovered."

Cassian's gaze sharpened.

"That's exactly what I've been thinking, Mom."

~o0o~

On the other side...

Amora followed the maid through the endless hallways of the Blackwood family's mansion.

"To your left is the Master's reading room. Mr. Cassian's office is on the second floor. The east wing is reserved for the family."

Amora nodded, clicking her tongue in amazement from time to time. "The houses of rich people really are on a whole different level."

The maid simply smiled politely.

They continued walking until they reached a much quieter corridor.

Amora's steps suddenly slowed.

"Is something wrong, Miss?"

Amora blinked several times.

"No... it's just..."

Her gaze settled on a massive black door at the end of the hallway.

For some reason...

She had been feeling as though something behind that door had been calling out to her."What's that room?"

The maid immediately turned around, her expression growing slightly tense. "That's an old storage room."

"A storage room?"

"It hasn't been used for a long time." The answer came a little too quickly.

Amora narrowed her eyes slightly. "If it's really just a storage room..." A sweet smile spread across her lips. "...may I take a look inside?"

The maid immediately shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Mr. Cassian has forbidden anyone from entering that room."

"I see..." Amora didn't insist.

However, deep down, she became even more convinced.

Is there something behind that door? Is he hiding his fortune in there? No... that can't be it. But I'm so curious. For some reason, I just can't take my mind off that storage room, she thought.

Just as they were about to continue walking, a cold breeze suddenly drifted in through the window.

At the same time...

"Awoooo..."

The faint howl of a wolf echoed from somewhere behind the mansion.

Amora immediately stopped in her tracks. "What was that? A wolf?"

The maid looked startled before giving a slight shake of her head. "It was probably just the sound from a television, Miss."

"In broad daylight?"

"W-Well... maybe..." The maid was beginning to grow nervous.

"Oh."

Amora gave a small nod and resumed walking, but the corner of her eye remained fixed on the grand-looking door.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of sapphire-blue eyes watched everything from the second-floor balcony.

Cassian stood with both hands tucked into his pockets.

His gaze followed Amora's every movement.

"It's as if she deliberately headed for that corridor..." he murmured quietly.

"Her instincts..." He narrowed his eyes. "...or has she known something from the very beginning?"

~o0o~

After Amora had finished touring the mansion, she made her way to Cassian's office, where he was busy working.

"Mr. Cassian, thank you for letting me sleep in your bed."

Cassian, who had been signing several documents, immediately looked up.

His piercing blue eyes locked onto Amora.

She froze.

A second later, she hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oops! I mean..." She let out an awkward laugh. "Thank you for letting me stay overnight at your residence."

Cassian's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"You should leave," he said flatly.

Amora let out a quiet sigh as she adjusted the small bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Look at that..." she muttered under her breath. "He's actually kicking out a sweet and beautiful girl like me."

"I can still hear you."

Amora immediately flashed an awkward smile."Hehe... it turns out your hearing is just as expensive as this mansion, Boss."

Cassian let out a slow sigh.

For some reason, every time the woman opened her mouth, she always managed to say something that made his head throb.

"The car is waiting outside."

"Oh..."

Amora nodded softly. Just as she was about to turn around, she suddenly stopped.

She looked back at Cassian once more. "Boss."

"What now?"

Amora scratched her temple.

"What if I tell everyone at the office that I spent the night at your house..."

Cassian's gaze instantly turned sharp.

"...do you think they'd believe me?"

The room fell silent.

Even the servants standing in the corner held their breath.

Cassian set his pen down on the desk.

"If you want to be unemployed by tomorrow, then go ahead."

Amora immediately shook her head as fast as she could. "Never mind!"

She quickly took a few steps back."I still love my job."

After walking only a few steps, she turned around once again."Oh, right."

Cassian pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is it now?"

"Thank you... for not taking advantage of me last night."

Her words left Cassian speechless.

Amora smiled softly.

"I may talk too much, but I know..."

"...you're a good person, Boss."

The mischievous smile on Amora's face disappeared, leaving behind only a sincere gaze.

A moment later, she gave him a respectful bow.

"See you at the office tomorrow, Boss."

Without waiting for a reply, Amora turned around and walked out.

The sound of the front door closing echoed softly through the house.

Silence filled the room once again.

Cassian remained standing where he was, his eyes fixed on the now-closed door.

"Sir," the head butler said respectfully, "Miss Amora's car has already left the estate."

Cassian merely gave a slight nod.

A few seconds later, he raised a hand and called for his personal assistant. "Leon."

A man in a black suit immediately stepped forward. "Yes, Sir."

"Investigate Amora Everhart."

Leon looked slightly surprised. "Just her employment records?"

"Everything." Cassian narrowed his eyes. "I want to know who that woman really is."

"Understood, Sir."

After Leon left, Cassian stood alone before the window.

His gaze rested on the now-empty front gate.

"If you're truly an ordinary human..." he murmured softly, "...then why does my Alpha instinct keep reacting every time you're near me?"

"What if... she's the woman destined for you?"

The voice made Cassian slowly turn away from the window.

His mother stood in the doorway, holding a cup of warm tea. A faint smile graced her elegant face.

"Mom."

She walked inside and placed the teacup on the table. "I heard everything you said to Leon."

Cassian let out a quiet sigh. "I just wanted to make sure."

"To make sure she's human?"

"Yes."

"Or..." the woman looked at her son intently, "...are you trying to make sure your instincts aren't wrong?"

Cassian fell silent.

For the first time in his life, he found himself doubting the Alpha instinct that had never failed him before.

"A mate's scent can never be wrong, my dear."

"But she's human."

"And who says a human can't be an Alpha's mate?"

The question made Cassian frown.

"That's impossible."

"Impossible according to whom?" Cassian looked at his mother. "There has never been any record of such a thing."

A faint smile appeared on the woman's lips."That's because not all history is written."

Silence filled the room once more.

Cassian studied his mother's face carefully.

It was as if she was deliberately hiding something from him. "You know something, Mom?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she walked toward an old bookshelf in the corner of the room. Her fingertips brushed over the spines of several books coated with years of dust.

"Since you were a child, you've always been taught the laws of the pack."

"That's right."

"But there is one story that was never told to you."

Cassian's expression turned serious.

"What story?"

The woman took a deep breath. "Because that story was considered a disgrace."

"A disgrace?"

She gave a slow nod.

"Many decades ago..."She paused briefly."...there was once an Alpha who chose to defy the laws of the pack for the sake of a woman."

Cassian froze. "Who was that woman?"

The woman slowly turned to face him.

Her gaze deepened.

"That's the strange part."

"Why?"

She spoke her next words in a voice barely above a whisper. "Because the records of that woman's identity... were deliberately erased from every archive belonging to the Blackwood family."

Silence filled the room.

Cassian slowly clenched his fists. "Who erased them?"

She looked directly into her son's eyes. "Your ancestors."

Before Cassian could ask another question—

Bang!

The front door burst open.

A man in a black suit rushed inside, breathing heavily. "Mr. Cassian!"

"What is it?"

The man swallowed hard, his face pale.

"The woman you ordered to be sent home..."He paused, struggling to catch his breath. "...has just been kidnapped."