Chapter 7

The next day, Lisa contemplated knocking Reinhardt’s office.

Why am I so tense? she thought, biting her lip.

Yesterday… so much happened… she sighed, and instead of knocking, she decided to head to her own office.

“Lisa… hello,” a calm voice called, and she suddenly became aware of her surroundings. Reinhardt was standing behind her, as if he had been waiting.

“Hi… hi… hi, Mr… ehm… Reinhardt,” she stuttered, feeling her face warm.

“I wanted to let you know I’m around and… if there isn’t anything to balance in the finances…” She clasped her fingers tightly, searching for words.

“Oh, Lisa, no problem. I’m quite okay,” Reinhardt said, his usual sangfroid demeanor intact. “But I’d like you to help me with a business partner in Ohio. You’ll monitor the operations there for three days.” He handed her a card.

“Ahem… I…” Lisa faltered, trying to find her voice.

“Are you busy with something?” Reinhardt asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity.

“No… no, I’m just… astonished that you made me your face in Ohio,” she admitted, taking the card with a trembling hand. “I’ll do a stellar job, sir. Thank you.”

While taking the card, Lisa’s eyes caught something that looks like a scar on Reinhardt’s hand.

Her pupils widened.

Wait… why haven’t I noticed this scar before? she thought. It was glowing faintly, and a sharp pang of recognition shot through her. A headache suddenly hit her, and she almost stumbled.

Reinhardt caught her immediately. “Lisa, are you okay?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.

“I’m… fine. I just haven’t eaten today,” she muttered, trying to brush it off.

She hurriedly left for her office, heart pounding.

There’s something about that scar… it feels familiar… sinister, even. But I can’t… I can’t remember…

Reinhardt stared at her as she hurried toward her office.

Hmm… Lisa, he thought, frowning slightly. She seems… off today.

Perhaps it’s what happened yesterday, he reasoned, trying to brush it aside.

Something still nagged at him. Her presence, her scent....it made the curse almost bearable. Whenever she was near, the glow along his arm seemed to retreat, almost unnoticed.

I need to know who this woman is, Reinhardt groaned, his voice low and tense. His head spun with the mystery surrounding her.

He dropped onto the sofa in his office, reclined, and let his gaze drift over the city skyline. “Siegfried, Konrad… I’m already in my office,” he mumbled , picking up his phone.

Moments later, Siegfried and Konrad entered, Bertolt trailing behind them.

“We’ve finished the report Ursula requested,” Konrad said, immediately dropping a file onto Reinhardt’s desk and taking a seat.

“We found all there is to know about her,” Siegfried began, “and most of it isn’t hidden. But there are some mysteries. I mean some gaps in knowledge.”

“Konrad, Siegfried… you two are the best intelligence the Schmidt pack has, and you’re telling me there are gaps?” Bertolt sighed, frustration could be seen all over across his face.

“What are the gaps?” Reinhardt asked, flipping through the file, but nothing unusual immediately caught his eye.

“Well,” Siegfried continued after taking a sip of the water Bertolt offered, “Lisa’s parents are dead. A significant portion of her childhood is unknown. We located her parents’ grave—they aren’t affiliated with any pack, which suggests she doesn’t possess any supernatural power.”

“However, we ran into an issue,” Konrad added. “We tried tracing her parents’ family but couldn’t find anyone. All of them seem to have died mysteriously.”

“We even contacted the police for a report on the Hathaways,” Konrad continued, exhaling. “They confirmed the family died of sudden food poisoning....eight members in quick succession. Other than that, nothing unusual was reported. Lisa seems to have fared well afterward.”

Bertolt frowned. “I find this strange, Reinhardt. It looks like someone or something is trying to erase her past.”

“But why?” Reinhardt asked, his tone heavy. “She isn’t powerful… not a werewolf.”

“Even if she is, how could she be connected to the curse?” Reinhardt sighed, rubbing his temple.

“Nancy might help.. when she recovers her memory,” Bertolt reassured him.

“I have a theory,” Konrad said, leaning forward. “If she truly has a connection to the curse, yet all available evidence points to her being powerless, it could mean she isn’t really a Hathaway. She may have been adopted, but with no surviving family, we have nothing to prove it.”

His voice trailed off, leaving the room filled with tension.

“If we follow your theory, Konrad,” Bertolt said, hands on his chin, “it only means one thing that Lisa caused this curse and is trying to erase all traces of herself. What does that mean for Nancy?”

“If it is Lisa, Nancy will be attacked after three days,” Reinhardt answered, facing the glass that overlooked the city skyline. “If it isn’t Lisa, Nancy may be attacked sooner within less than three days.”

“How do you know, Reinhardt?” Siegfried asked, brushing a hand through his hair, golden eyes fixed on him.

“Because I sent Lisa to Ohio on a three-day business trip,” Reinhardt said quietly. “If she’s the manipulator, the timeline will match. She returns, and then… Nancy dies.”

“Either way,” Reinhardt continued, voice hardening, “gather the pack. Protect the hospital. Nancy must not die. We’ll set a trap and hope our guess works.”

“Siegfried, Konrad, you can leave,” Reinhardt said. “Tell Rowan, Braun, Veronica, and Johan to stand sentinel at the hospital. We’re expecting an attack.”

Both men nodded and exited the office.

“Reinhardt,” Bertolt said, his voice cold as ice, “you still don’t believe it’s Lisa, do you?”

“I don’t know,” Reinhardt replied, exhaling deeply. “It doesn’t feel like her but I can’t shake the doubt.”

“We shall see, Bertolt.” Reinhardt sank into his sofa, his expression clouded with confusion.