Chapter 12 – Culture Shock

You really don’t know what life’s gonna throw at you. It may be a good fish and a good harvest, or an unexpected storm and a sudden whirlwind that’ll sweep you off the surface. In Leal’s case, it was mythical werewolves leaping out of the fairytale books and clawing at each other’s faces. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was it the horrendous sound of cracking bones and ripping clothes that first tore her off the real world or the deafening howls and growls that erupted from the gigantic wolves’ throats? She doesn’t know.

She looked at the person beside her, casually leaning over his Cadillac and watching the fight from afar. His shoulders were so relaxed as if the scene right before their eyes was as normal as watching a catfight between two females. Right now, he looks like the only person that she can ask.

So, putting her grudge away for a moment to hold on to her sanity, she courageously asked. “Axel,” his head quickly whipped to her, hearing his name slip from her tongue. He didn’t know his plain name could sound so endearing to her.

“C-Can you please tell me what is happening? Who are these gigantic wolves and where are the people that were there before?”

Axel avoided her eyes, sighing internally. How is he gonna explain this very complicated thing to her? He has long realized that she’s pretty much unaware of the existence of werewolves, and her being one of them. For the past few days, he has been going over how he could explain to her and ask her about her relatives to know what pack she belongs to, but none of those prepared speeches came to his mind when he was asking her right on the spot.

He was afraid she’d cower in fear of him and avoid her for the rest of eternity, which is on top of his list of fears—not that he has a lot.

“Do you remember that time when I asked you about werewolves?” He started. With the aggressive thump of bodies being thrown, weapons clinking, and low growls serving as their background music, they stared into each other’s eyes, testing each other’s reactions.

“Yes...”

“Don’t you think proof makes someone believe in it easier?”

“Yes...”

“Well,” he gestured to the wolves biting each other, with two giant brown wolves standing out. “There’s your proof.”

Leal stayed silent, her mouth slightly hung open. She didn’t know what to say, or how to react. Should this be the time when she loses her mind between reality and imagination? Should she hurt herself to distinguish if this is a dream or not? Or should she react violently and vent out her frustration to Axel, who made her ordinary life an extraordinary one?

Axel’s getting anxious in her blank expression. She was just blankly staring at him, with no inch of shock or bewilderment on her face. He doesn’t know what’s running in her mind, nor what her next move’s going to be.

“Werewolves,” she whispered, then pointed to the men still tied in an ongoing brawl with shaky fingers. “Them?”

He slowly nodded, scrutinizing her expression.

“Hah,” her voice cracked. Unconsciously, a tear rolled down her cheek. Axel’s eyes slightly widened as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Schatzi, don’t cry. Please.” He softly wiped the stray tear, as Leal remained motionless.

Feeling agitated by her response, he decided that that was enough for today. He called his bodyguards and ordered them to shift back, as he escorted her inside his Cadillac. The four of them silently drove to Leal’s friend’s condo, as he dropped her off in front of their unit’s front door. Axel knocked, hoping her friend was there to help her inside.

A few moments later, the door opened and revealed a blonde girl in a face mask, as sleepwear. Her sleepy eyes widened at the sight of her friend being brought home by a famous personality.

“A-Axel Elcort?” Izzy asked.

He nodded and curtly smiled at her. “Can you help her go to bed? She’s a little preoccupied right now.”

Culture shock is a better way to say it, but he kept it to himself.

Izzy, baffled, nodded and softly pulled the dazed Leal inside. Izzy thanked her for bringing her home safe and sound from work. As soon as she closed the door, a teasing smile appeared on her lips, looking at her dazed friend on the couch. Who wouldn’t think maliciously of a dangerously handsome man dropping her friend off in the middle of the night, with her friend looking lost and confused?

“Leal~” Izzy sang her name. She sat beside her and teasingly poked her sides which seemed to wake Leal up from her reverie. “What was that about? Why was the unreachable, God’s greatest artwork, Axel Elcort just at my door, bringing you in?!” She squealed, excitement, and curiosity obvious in her tone.

But instead of answering her, she asked a completely different question. “What if someone you don’t trust tells you something very much out of this world?”

Izzy’s excitement faltered, confusion visible on her face. “What?”

Leal’s expression remained distant, as she didn’t bother looking at Izzy. She kept her gaze on the window, looking off at Brooklyn’s night view.

“And he even has proof,” She whispered and scoffed, refusing to believe it herself.

“Leal, girl, did the interaction with Axel Elcort loosen your screws?” Izzy asked.

Finally, Leal looked at her and broke out a smile. Then she shook her head as if she didn’t look very weird earlier. “I guess I’m just tired. I prefer you to forget this ever happened and continue with our lives, without him being discussed ever again.”

She stood up first, even getting lost in the hallway to her room. That night, Leal just blankly stared at her ceiling the whole time, unable to sleep. As a creative soul, her mind refused to hibernate and produced countless theories and assumptions, clouding her mind with tons of questions. The restless night resulted in a pair of dark, baggy under eyes which forced Leal to apply makeup.

When she was about to leave her room, she stopped by the mirror. She saw her reflection at first, but it faltered and it was replaced by the memories of last night. Wolves brawling and showing their sharp fangs, with the sound of cracking bones and ripping clothes ringing in her ears.

She exasperatedly sighed. This won’t do. She knows this will keep bothering her until she gathers the confidence to know more. And so, storming out of their condo, she proceeds to the elite street for top companies in the state.

Shivering amidst the emerging winter season, she shrugged to herself and shoved her slightly freezing hands into her coat’s pockets, looking up at the tall building in front. It was of modern architecture, composed mainly of glass and steel with what seemed to be reinforced concrete. Their main theme was gray and black, with a sleek vibe to it.

She deeply inhaled, before going to the building’s gate. The bulky bodyguard at the door’s eyes fell on her as she neared the glass doors.

He went near her as he said, “May I know what’s your purpose here, Ma’am?”

“U-Uh,” Leal suddenly stuttered. She didn’t properly think this through. “I-I’m a personal friend of uh, Axel Elcort.”

Wow, personal friend. She mentally scoffed.

“Do you have an appointment with him, Ma’am?”

“I-I don’t...”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. But only those that have an appointment with the Boss can—”

“Can you at least ring him for me?” She asked him with hopeful eyes. This is gonna cost her her pride but it’s alright instead of risking her sanity. The bodyguard intently looked at her with furrowing brows, as if recalling where he saw the familiar face.

“Please?”

After a few moments, the crease in his forehead dissipated and his face suddenly turned formal. “I’ll call the office of the CEO, Ma’am. Please wait here for a short while.”

Confused by the sudden change in attitude, Leal intriguingly looked at the turned back of the bodyguard. He rang someone in his post, stealing a few nervous glances her way. She remained standing there until he went back to her.

“The Boss is currently in a private meeting, but his secretary told me to escort you to the waiting room outside his office. Come with me, Ma’am.”

She silently followed his lead, taking the time to look around and admire the elegant interior of the building. The last time she was here, she couldn’t look around because she was so shy and was trying so hard not to be caught for trespassing.

Inside was very busy as any normal big company. Though she hadn’t seen any other guests on the base floor, she didn’t think much about it. Maybe this building was only exclusive to the employees. But it seems weird for a company this big to have no guests.

They entered the familiar elevator, with the guard standing a few meters away from her. Oddly, the elevator didn’t open on the other floors and went straight to their floor. She didn’t notice that before. When they reached the top floor, it was deserted, unlike last time. The cells that were filled to the brim with employees are gone, and so were the noisy chatters. It looked like they deserted the place. All that’s left are the doors on the hallways, which still looked to be occupied. What might’ve happened there?

“Uhm,” she hesitatingly called out to the bodyguard who was walking ahead of her. “Do you know where the cells of the employees went?”

He momentarily halted but didn’t turn to her. “They were moved to the lower floors, Ma’am.”

“W-Why?”

“Because the Boss said so.”

Leal kept silent after that, afraid to start another conversation for him to end it abruptly with a big period. When they reached the last door of the hallway, she saw a woman behind a desk that had been empty before. She must be her secretary. She looked to be around Leal’s age, with a black wavy bob and bangs, and a stylish white pantsuit. She looks so far from a secretary.

“Riye,” called the guard.

The secretary looked up at them from her stacked paperwork, immediately plastering a kind smile. At first glance, Riye looked intimidating but the moment she smiled, it’s as if everything around her radiated vibrance.

“Good noon, Ma’am. The Boss is still in an ongoing meeting, so if you would, you can take a seat right here,” the secretary, whom the guard called earlier as Riye, escorted her to a small sofa set beside his office’s door. She didn’t even realize that the guard had already left, maybe he needed to return to his post.

“Would you like a drink, Ma’am? Tea, coffee, or wine?”

Leal shyly smiled at Riye. “W-Water will do.”

She sat down as Riye left to get water, and luckily, the door opened. But what greeted her wasn’t the one she was expecting, instead, a woman in a very much revealing dress opened the door, with a rather slutty smile on her face directed at the person inside.