Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Crown Resort Group

As always, it was a busy Monday for everyone at the office. Damien was in the meeting room with several directors for their weekly reports when his phone vibrated in the inner pocket of his coat. If it weren't because he knew Katherine was outside doing what she needed to do, he'd ignore the notification and check it after the meeting. But his instincts nagged at him.

Whipping out his phone, he opened the text from his mother, Amelia.

[ RS ] 

The two-letter code meant "Roadside". His heart raced upon seeing the message because if it was nothing but roadside assistance, Amelia wouldn't send it in bold like it sounded urgent, or Katherine could have probably done what she could to call for a tow or something. Instead of calling his mother, he opted to call Katherine instead. The ringing went on several times until she picked it up and what he heard made him even more anxious.

"Damien… Would you pick me up? Please…"

Without second thoughts, he sprang up from his chair so fast that the members of the meeting snapped their heads towards him. He quickly covered his phone and told the room, "Postpone the meeting. I have an emergency." Then he gestured for Marcus to come with him as he left the room in a hurry.

"Where are you?" he spoke on the phone again.

"I'm just outside east of the city on Ida road."

"Are you okay?" He hastened his steps as they headed towards his private elevator that opened as soon as he pushed the button. "Do you need medical assistance? What the hell happened?" 

Katherine was a little hesitant as she responded, her voice lowered and detached. "I'm...fine. Physically. I'm not hurt. But I stopped on the side of the road... I...can't drive my bike."

"Why not?" His brows furrowed, trying to imagine what was happening to her at the moment.

"I…" She sighed with a shaky breath. "Just come over?"

"I'll be right there, baby. Just stay somewhere safe and wait for me."

Damien ended the phone call so he could call someone else. Marcus asked him what was going on, but he wasn't sure what was happening either. 

As soon as his call was picked up, he immediately asked, "What happened?"

His mother's voice was steady, which gave him a sense of relief somehow. It only meant that Katherine wasn't in grave danger. "Everything was fine at first. She was driving at an average speed until the wheels suddenly wobbled. She nearly went off balance but managed to pull over."

He hissed at the image that flashed in his head of Katherine skidding on a slippery road, making his heart race again before he reminded himself that she was fine and that she wasn't hurt. "She asked me to pick her up. I'm on my way. How far are you?"

"Not far. I'm in an alley a couple of blocks away. Do you want me to go over to check on her?"

"No... I haven't told her yet. I was going to—when she came back today. I'm leaving now."

"Okay, take care, son."

Knowing that Katherine was physically okay, only did a little to calm himself. He knew that she wouldn't ask for his help unless she really was in a pinch, so it didn't stop him from worrying. As soon as they got off the elevator and left the building, he jumped into his car. 

***

While waiting for Damien to come get her, Katherine stared at both of her trembling hands. It's been quivering for minutes that she could barely hold her phone steady. She clasped her hands together, and it stopped just a little, but she could still feel it shaking.

Almost certain that the tremors were not because of the Adrifin drug withdrawal, she worried that something serious was going on with her. Some medical conditions floated in her mind, scaring her even more. She shook her head from side to side as if that would brush her ill thoughts away. 'No, I'm okay. I'm probably just tired,' she thought to convince herself.

While she was on her way to the city earlier, she decided to tell Damien about her little excursions and how she had stopped seeing that therapist from the NIA. She never intended to keep it from him as she thought doing it once wouldn't matter so much. But Katherine didn't want to keep lying to him anymore. However, timing really was a bîtch. Now she'd be forced to tell him why she was out of the city in the first place, plus the tremors she was having. It would sound worse than it really was.

Soon, Damien arrived, and the tires of his Range Rover screeched as he made a harsh U-turn and stopped in front of her. Good thing the road wasn't busy at that time of the day. He swiftly got out of the driver's side and jogged towards where she was waiting. Her heart fluttered as his eyes quickly scanned her body as if to search for any injuries.

Katherine wanted to pound into his arms, but she stopped herself. He looked both worried and angry. "Damien..."

"What happened?"

"I could've just taken a taxi, but I can't leave my bike here. Then you called..." Her voice trailed off. She realized that his call was so timely that it almost seemed as if he knew she needed help. With furrowed brows, she probed, "Weren't you in a meeting?"

Damien's brows lowered as he shook his head. "I postponed it." He looked at her hands that she clutched so tightly against her chest. "What's wrong with your hands?"

Katherine took a deep breath, and as she released it with a sigh, she held out her hands towards him. At this time of the year, Esmea's temperature averaged at 14ºC. Her hands trembled like she was cold, but then she said, "It's not the weather. I've been having tremors for a while now, but it usually stops within a couple of minutes. It's been like this since...before you called. I had to pull over."

His brows deepened. He was almost scowling when he took her hands in his, carefully rotating to check. "Why haven't you told me about this?" 

He was angry.

"At first, I thought it was just the withdrawal of that drug Falcon injected me back then—Adrifin. I've used that before when I was still in Shadow, and I've experienced similar effects happening days—even a couple of weeks after. But it's been more than a month now...and it has never happened while I'm driving."

"What were you thinking driving in this condition? Katherine, you could have been in an accident!" He gritted his teeth, his jaw popping.

She looked away and retracted her hands from him, feeling hurt that he yelled but also understanding that she deserved the yelling. 

Perhaps realizing his reaction, Damien softened his voice and gently pulled her towards the car. "Let's go."

"What about my bike?"

"Marcus will drive it back to the city."

That's only when Katherine realized that Marcus was there. The latter could really conceal himself that you won't recognize his presence.

Damien opened the door for her, but before she entered, he leaned in and captured her lips. His kiss was a little harsh yet also soft at the same time—like a punishment but not painful enough to hurt her because he couldn't. When he broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm just glad you're safe."

***

As they drove away, she noticed that they weren't headed towards their penthouse or CRG. "Where are we going?"

"Hillcrest Hospital. You need to get thoroughly checked."

"But—"

"No buts, Katherine. You're clearly not okay. Tremor isn't life-threatening, but it alters your performance—like driving. You need a full check-up and that's final."

His voice was stern and authoritative. Damien's words were indeed final, and she couldn't argue with it. So all she could do was sit in silence for the rest of the ride.