An unsaved number

RAPHAEL

He had always tended to make me mad, but never like this. We’d never even argued since we were kids.

Why should I be the one to blame for this? He raised the plan, and I presented it. If I left him to do it, Alina would probably have cursed him out before running out of the room, considering the manner in which he handles things.

I exhaled sharply as I rode the elevator to the ground floor, walking out through the open doors without saying a word to the receptionist who warmly greeted me.

The moment I stepped out, I pressed my phone to my ear. It rang for a while, but nobody picked up. I tried for the second time, and Curtis’ voice filtered through, a little sleepy.

“Lawyers should never sleep at this time,” I joked, rolling my eyes as if he could see me.

His warm chuckle filtered from the other end. “I had an emergency flight out of the country three nights ago, and I just got back this morning. Please give me some grace.”

That was why I didn’t call him immediately when he texted the good news. I pushed the conversation straight to business immediately.

“You said you found her, right?”

“Of course. And the first meeting went well. As we discussed, they'll meet you to get the second.”

I raised my brow. “They?”

“Oh, yes.” There was a shuffling on the other end, like he was trying to get out of bed. “I met with her and the mother. Her mum was present during the signing.”

“Oh, good. So when do we handle the next meeting?”

I could almost picture him shrugging. “You tell me. The ball is in your court. I’d arrange a meeting with them whenever you want, though I told them it would be in a month or so.”

I paused for a moment to think—something Roman rarely does. I couldn’t meet my lost niece and her mother in this divided state. I had to first get through this Alina problem to settle my body and mind.

But how long would that take? How long would it take Kane to dig out her location? A week?

Maybe ten or more days. But what if it took longer?

“Hello?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I mumbled. “I was trying to mentally plan my schedule to make sure it doesn’t clash with the arrangement.”

“Why don’t you run through your calendar and give me a text later tonight—“

“That won’t be necessary. Just fix it any day in the following month.”

That would give Kane enough time, and also account for how long Alina might take to reconsider the new contract deal. Maybe she would even bargain higher, and that would be fine.

When the call ended, I stood outside the building, just cooling off. I didn’t realise that Roman had pissed me off that badly. I had every right to feel the way I was feeling.

When I walked back into the building, I first smiled at the receptionist as an apology for my earlier rudeness. On getting to my office, thanks to the goddess, both Kane and Roman were gone. Maybe they were in Kane’s office.

I busied myself with calls and signing whatever was necessary. By the time it was evening, my door opened again. Roman walked in with Kane.

I pretended not to see them come in, but Roman walked around my large mahogany desk, then leaned against it, watching me.

“I’m sorry.”

I raised a brow at him. “What? Sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry for the way I spoke the other time. I was really stressing out about everything, you know.”

“Roman, I’m stressed out too, but I don’t remember pushing that stress to you.”

He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my feet, wrapping his arms firmly around me. I hugged him back, because I didn’t have any option. If I kept my hands at my sides, they’d cramp up.

The anger that had stayed inside me completely evaporated. When he pulled away, his grin was almost blinding.

“I’m guessing you should also apologise.”

“Roman, get away from me,” I murmured, but my tone wasn’t serious. 

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you always cheap with your apologies?" He muttered under his breath as he walked over to Kane, and plopped onto a couch beside him. 

“I’m guessing Kane forced you to apologise.”

Kane shook his head. “I didn’t do anything. By the way, I’ve been discussing with Roman how quickly I can get Alina.”

My ears, eyes, and interest perked up instantly. Good thing they actually did something useful.

“Okay, and what was the conclusion?” I asked, looking between both men eagerly.

Kane was already doing the math. “As I explained to Roman, I’d have to contact my people underground, and then give them enough time to get an address. Since the photo on her profile is old, she may have moved. Getting her new address might take some more time. I’ve thought about all the possibilities. Let’s leave it at three weeks.”

Perfect! My calculations were just in order. Knowing Kane, he’d possibly be done in less than that estimated timeline.

“That’s okay by me,” I mumbled.

Roman sat up immediately. “Kane also raised the issue of her not accepting.”

I nodded. “I don’t think she would accept our proposal that easily since she refused the first one. I would increase the amount to a point where it would be too much for her to reject. We could draw her in with money and then pamper her to a fault. By the time the timeline for the contract is over, it would be difficult for her to leave.”

“Both of you are insane,” Kane scoffed, earning a chuckle from Roman.

“Raphael, that actually makes sense, you know. I don’t see her rejecting a higher offer, and when she’s in, we would make sure she never leaves.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket and let out a shrill ringtone. I fished it out, annoyed that someone was interrupting this important conversation. It was an unsaved number, so I hung up and threw the phone back into my breast pocket.

“Who was that?”

I shrugged at Kane. “I don’t know. It’s an unsaved number, and—“

The phone vibrated again, more infuriating this time, then rang with the familiar ringtone. I should really change that ringtone.

“Just pick it and see who it is,” Roman sighed.

I picked up and put the phone to my ear. “Hello,” I said in irritation.

“Um… hi.”

My wolf slammed against my chest with so much force that I staggered forward, almost meeting the desk. I shot to my feet, my eyes wide in panic, fear, and disbelief.

“Alina, is that you?” I whispered. My hands shook. Roman shot out of his chair, signalling me to place the call on speaker.