"A retreat?" The pair of dark blue eyes dimmed slightly as they gazed out of the glass window, observing the vast stretch of buildings.
After a moment, Killian said, "No need. Make the necessary arrangements to return as soon as the meeting is over."
Kevin fell silent for a second, unable to read the man's mind. He was a competent assistant even to all the people he had served before in the Volkov Family.
Yet this young son of the Volkovs confused him like no other did. Sometimes, he was ruthless, sometimes he was gentle.
Sometimes, Killian wore his heart out on the sleeves yet there were times when nobody could read him.
He had the looks of an angel but there were times when a deathly chill emanated off him, making him feel more dangerous than the devil himself.
Just as Kevin was lost in his thoughts, his phone rang.
"It's a call from the mansion, Young Master," Kevin put the call on speaker, "Is everything alright, Steward Lee?"
"The Young Master's pet is missing!" Steward Lee did not beat around the bush.
Suddenly, a wave of coldness washed over the entire car.
Shivering, Kevin stepped on the breaks and the car came to a halt by the roadside, "The mansion is huge. She couldn't have run far, dispatch the cards, lock down the place."
Once the call was disconnected, Kevin turned to Killian, "Young Master, what should we…"
"Turn the car around."
"What?" Kevin was bewildered, "Young Master, although it seems like an ordinary meeting, it is very crucial for you. All the executives must have gathered in Lake Town. How we take it from here would relay your attitude."
Killian's position looked greatly unstable to the outsiders at this moment. He had recently returned to take over the family business.
In their eyes, he lacked the experience of his grandfather and he was young as well.
"If we don't reach the executive meeting on time, then it wouldn't make you look good. Those old geezers would go plotting or undermining your capabilities."
Killian fell silent. Complex thoughts swam in his deep eyes. It was, as usual, hard to decipher what he was thinking.
But Kevin knew that Killian understood the depth of this situation, "For the kitten, I will arrange the security team. They can search for her, she couldn't have gone far—"
Killian frowned, "Turn around."
Kevin was dumbstruck, unable to believe what he was hearing. Yet, the man's aura left no room to argue.
Even though his mind was filled with questions, Kevin had already turned the car around.
Killian looked out of the window, his gaze distant and his expressions unreadable.
…
MIA
The rotten air weighed me down, damp and thick with the sharp sting of medication as if something had been left here to decay for ages.
I crouched low, my body pressed against the cold concrete as I peered into what looked like an abandoned warehouse except it was beyond abandoned from within. It was destroyed.
Broken crates, rusted metal, scattered equipment, everything looked like it had survived something violent. Or was waiting for it.
The two men I had been following walked ahead without hesitation and stopped in front of a couch placed at the far end of the room.
Someone was seated there. I couldn't see his face. All I could see was a silhouette that was completely swallowed by the darkness.
"Boss," one of the men spoke, his tone almost cautious, "The kitten has gone missing. The last she was spotted… she was with a woman."
My ears twitched.
Then the man on the couch lifted a hand, just a slight movement of his fingers, but it was enough to silence the air around him.
"Keep looking," he said, his voice was low and calm.
"She shouldn't land in anybody's hands," he stopped for a beat before he questioned, "What is the identity of the woman?"
"It doesn't seem she was anyone significant," the man replied quickly, "She wasn't recognized by anyone."
Silence.
"It doesn't matter. Find her," the person said, lifting his hand slightly before dragging a finger across his neck in a slow, deliberate motion, "And finish her."
My breath hitched.
A cold chill ran down my spine, freezing me in place.
I had followed these men thinking they might be connected to the real owner of the kitten; that maybe, just maybe, they held the answers to why I had transformed like this.
But now—
It didn't matter whether they caught me as Mia… or as this black cat.
I wouldn't survive either way.
My body moved before my mind could catch up.
I turned—
And ran.
The sharp echo of my paws hitting the pebbled ground broke the silence behind me.
"Someone's there!"
Voices erupted.
I didn't look back.
A laugh bubbled up inside me despite the situation, sharp and breathless.
As if I'd let these damned jerks catch me.
The best thing about being a cat? Speed.
I darted past broken crates, slipped through narrow gaps, my body moving faster than it ever could as a human.
Out of nowhere, a bad feeling rose inside my gut.
A flicker of instinct as deja vu hit me and I nearly cried. No…
I was familiar with this feeling. It cannot happen again, not now.