Chapter 7 Ch Seven

• Freya
• “Good afternoon, Chris,” I replied with a smile. “We still have some goods that haven’t been delivered, right?”
• “Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding, “But I've made all the necessary calls and they will all be delivered before the week runs out.”
• “Well done,” I murmured.
• He politely said a greeting to Blaine and Amanda before going into the building.
• The look on Amanda’s face was to die for. I wished I could take a picture and frame it to look at it on days when I needed to feel pure glee.
• Without saying a word to either of them, I started to move towards the entrance door.
• “I would love to have a word with you, Freya,” Blaine called out.
• “Not until hell freezes over,” I replied without turning to face him.
• I made my way to my office and immediately noticed the envelope, resting on my desk.
• Warily, I reached for it and groaned inwardly when my suspicion was confirmed yet again.
• Since the year began, I have been getting letters from my stalker.
• Letters that contained his obsessive thoughts about me.
• Dario thought that it was perhaps an obsessed fan of mine who could actually be harmless.
• He suggested that I always have a bodyguard with me just in case but I refused.
• I didn't want to come off as being easily frightened.
• Sighing, I settled on the plush leather chair and started to go through the financial reports that Chris had sent to my computer.
• The last thing I was going to do was allow a deranged stranger to disrupt my plans for the day.
• I really hoped that he was actually harmless though. It would be terrible if the notes escalated into something sinister.
• As usual, it wasn't until I had confirmed that all the records were perfect and that none of my employees were slacking at their duties that I finally left my office and headed back to the Palace building.
• The kids ran into my arms the minute I stepped into the house and before I could even draw a single breath, started to tell me about what had happened in school that day.
• “Ryan pushed Cara and I punched his nose,” Cane announced proudly.
• My eyes widened in mild alarm, hoping he didn't punch someone else's kid too hard.
• “Please tell me you didn't,” I replied weakly.
• “I did,” he said with an unrepentant grin.
• “Where is your grandpa?” I queried, concluding that perhaps, Dario was going to be able to handle the situation much better.
• Cara pointed towards the kitchen and I rolled my eyes.
• Dario had to be the only man in his seventies who cooked as a hobby.
• It came as no surprise that he owned the largest restaurant in the city.
• I was certain that he would have become a full-time chef if he didn't have to perform his duties as an Alpha.
• “Did Cane tell you what he did in school today?” I queried.
• “Good evening to you too,” he replied amusedly, without taking his eyes off the vegetables he was cutting.
• I quickly murmured a greeting and returned to the subject at hand.
• “Did he?”
• “He didn't have to. I received a call from his teacher earlier in the day,” he answered and then stilled his movement to give Cane, who was happily munching on a carrot, an indulgent smile.
• “He is exactly like his grandfather. He never hesitated to defend the ones he loved.”
• There was a brief moment of silence.
• “Please tell me that you at least scolded him,” I murmured.
• Judging by the way Cane had sounded proud of himself when he was telling me about punching another kid, I doubted that he got a scolding.
• Or maybe he did but didn't receive the correction.
• Dario grinned sheepishly. “Believe me, I tried but this smart-ass could see through me and understood how proud of him I felt. He didn't take my scolding seriously.”
• I arched an eyebrow. “Really?”
• “What?” he replied with an innocent expression. “It's not my fault that you gave birth to insanely intelligent kids.”
• “Fine,” I sighed, “I am going to do this myself.”
• I led the kids to my bedroom and after we were comfortably settled on the bed started in the gentlest tone, to give my children reasons why hitting another kid is bad and what they are supposed to do if a scenario like that repeats itself.
• “But it doesn't seem fair,” Cane replied after a brief moment of thoughtful silence. “If I had reported him to a teacher, he was only going to get a scolding.”
• “Maybe you should have shoved him instead of hitting him since that was what he did to me. A shove for a shove,” his sister reasoned.
• If they weren't still little kids, I would have agreed with Cara’s reasoning but in my opinion, only adults were allowed to have that sort of revenge mindset.
• “You report to a teacher anytime another kid does something that you do not like,” I repeated firmly. “Promise me that that's what you are going to do.”
• I looked at the kids expectantly and Cara murmured rather hesitantly, “I promise.”
• Cane stubbornly kept mute.
• “And what about you, Mister Demont?” I queried, arching an eyebrow.
• “I can't promise you that,” he murmured.
• “Why not?”
• “Because I would be lying if I did and you’ve told us many times that we shouldn't lie to you,” he replied.
• I was torn between feeling frustrated and feeling proud of his manner of reasoning.
• He was going to be more than a handful when he stepped into his teenage years.
• “I guess I should give you some time to think about it. But remember that it's not right to hurt people,” I said.
• He nodded.
• “Come here, babies,” I murmured in a lighter tone as I gathered them into my arms. “I love you so much.”
• “I hate to interrupt this tender moment but dinner is ready,” Dario’s voice filled the room.
• The kids were out of my arms in an instant and were bounding across the room towards the doorway.
• “Little gluttons,” I muttered under my breath as I got off my bed.