Chapter 9


    Within a day of posting her advertisements, Carmine got a dozen offers for her shop and for her


    apartment. She was too overwhelmed when she saw the offers on herputer. Sitting at her office,


    she was studying every offer as Joseph stood behind her with his arms folded across his chest. He was


    pretty disapproving.


    “Isn’t this wonderful?” Carmine breathed as she showed him all the offers.


    “This is fishy as hell,” he grunted as he stared at the offers on theputer screen.


    “Why do you say that?” Carmine didn’t like that he was doubting her postings.


    He pointed at the screen. “Do you see the difference in offers? Each of them is barely a thousand or


    two thousand dors apart. It looks like this is all a well-nned strategy.” He straightened up. “And I


    seriously don’t like Mr. T. Wilson. Why did he dome to the shop yesterday?”


    “Joseph, you are overthinking and reading between lines! Mr. Wilson just wants to help me because he


    wants to sell his house. He is hoping that I don’t back out from the offer. He loves that house.”


    Joseph gritted his teeth. “You should be careful, Carmine.”


    “I am. Don’t worry,” she smiled and then went back to the screen where she zeroed in on the highest


    bidder who had offered a generous twenty-five thousand dors more for her apartment. “I have found


    my buyer and I am going for him!” she squealed int excitement, clicking the ‘ept’ button on the


    screen.


    By the end of the week, Carmine had sold the shop and her apartment to a certain Mr. Jack, who said


    he was representing his client. The client was kind enough to let her remain in the apartment for a


    week in order to move smoothly.


    She had packed most of the belongings in the boxes, informed Thor’s school that she was moving out


    and also given nice severance packages to her employees. The only thing that she was not sure about


    was that Joseph had said that he would go with her to the new ce and help her set up. “You are


    being too kind, Joseph,” she said with a warm smile. “I can manage it.”


    “You can’t,” he replied, putting a tape across a box. The whole room was littered with. boxes. “With? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Thor on your side, you will need help to set up a new boutique. Besides, what will I do here? The only


    shop I ever worked in nicely was yours. I have great expertise and I can be of wonderful help!”


    Carmine chuckled at the way Joseph was selling himself. “And your family?”


    “You mean my brother and his girlfriend? They are more than happy to see me out.”


    Carmineughed sadly at him. Joseph’s parents died long back and his older brother hardly supported


    him. “Okay! Then we have a deal. But you can’t stay forever in my house.”


    Josephughed. “I don’t want to!”


    Only three days remained of her final moving when Carmine had gone for herst paperwork. Since


    she was extremely busy that day, she had asked Mary, her assistant at the shop, to take care of Thor.


    Mary had taken Thor to her apartment, which was two blocks away. Though Thor didn’t like the idea,


    Carmine had to promise him a box of choctes to get him to stay with Mary. “Don’t worry,” Mary said


    with a smile as she picked him up. “He will love it with my twins.”


    “Thanks Mary.” Carmine said, hugging her. “I willplete all the paperwork today.”


    “Take your time, Carmine.” Mary assured her..


    Thest work left for her was to get some insurance papers signed by the authorities. By the time she


    returned, it was 11 PM. As she went to the elevator, she noticed that the building was eerily quiet. She


    pressed the elevator button only to realize that it wasn’t working. Sighing her irritation, she headed to


    the stairwell. Halfway to the third floor, she heard footsteps echoing behind her. Scared, she looked


    back, but they stopped the moment she stopped. Worried, she hurried up the stairs to reach her floor.


    The lighting in the hallway of the fourth floor was too dim, which was again unusual. She swiftly walked


    towards her apartment when she heard the footsteps behind her. Irritation and fear warred inside her.


    Stopping abruptly, she spun around to give the person behind her a seething re, but she gasped


    instead when she collied into a very hard chest. She craned her neck up to see that it was Mr. Wilson.


    “You?” Surprise widened her eyes as she stepped back a little. Her wits immediately sc at tered and


    cheeks burned. His amber eyes were so fixed on her, she found it disconcerting. Before she could ask


    another question, he cut her off.


    “I was in the neighborhood and I saw you entering this apartment. I hope I didn’t scare you,” he said


    with furrowed brows..


    She took a ragged breath in, hiding her fear. “N-no!” By now, she should get used to his unusual


    disposition. Last time when he visited her, he talked very little, and she caught him staring at her more


    than once.


    “Wouldn’t you invite me in?”


    Feeling awkward, Carmine’s surprise was at another level. She was flustered, but she nodded, “Please


    helped her.


    “Call me Theo.


    Her jaw dropped to the floor. This was the first time she came to know his name and it was a beautiful


    name.


    She collected her wits and gave him a soft smile. The man was weird as hell, but why was it that


    around him she felt so protected? “Pleasee in, Th-Theo.” His jaws clenched and the emotions


    flickering through his eyes confused her. She gave him a soft smile before turning towards her


    apartment.


    When she reached, she took her keys out of her purse. As soon as she pushed the door open, a


    sensation of impending danger washed over her. However, before she could. even react to the threat,


    Theo spun them around, shielding her from something. He let out a hiss of pain and she saw blood


    trickling from his forearm. She didn’t even know what exactly was happening.


    He turned around, pulling a dagger from his arm. It dropped cluttering to the floor. Carmine gasped in


    horror at the sight of the blood-stained dagger. It had a wolf made of its silver hilt. From her periphery,


    she saw a man attacking her.


    She tried to scream, but in the blink of an eye, Theo was at the man’s throat as a menacing growl


    ripped from his throat.


    Carmine froze when another man grabbed her neck from behind. “No abomination


    he addressed Theo, “Let him go, or she’s can escape a hunter,” he snarled at her. The dead!”


    Shock rippled through her. Hunters hunted werewolves. How did they know she was a werewolf


    because she hadn’t revealed her identity to anyone?