Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

"Are you listening?" Markus questioned Felix, yet the man still didn't respond to what he'd told him just now. Markus followed Felix's stare and his eyes landed on Amelia who was currently chatting with Damien's grandmother. This wasn't the first time that he'd notice Felix ogling Amelia from a distance, and he debated whether he should tell Damien about it.

Markus snapped his fingers in front of Felix, and the latter finally turned to face him. "Did you say something?"

It wasn't Markus's place to call him out, so he decided to repeat what he'd said. He told Felix about the incident in the basement parking and that Damien asked him to go up to the room where they kept the woman while Damien and Katherine were still busy entertaining guests. Felix acknowledged without questions. He glanced at Amelia for a few beats before he turned around and headed to Styles who was by the dessert table.

Styles stood stiffly. He seemed unable to focus on the woman next to him—Emma. She casually talked and asked him if he enjoyed chocolate-covered fruits, but Styles could barely utter a word. He was sweating and looking constipated with the way he struggled to formulate a response to Emma who was trying to make friends with him.

"Are you okay? You look unwell." Emma raised her hand to Styles's forehead as if wanting to check his temperature.

Felix chuckled and stepped in before she could touch Styles. He was afraid Styles might have a seizure if she so as much as poke him.

"Sorry, Emma. Styles is a little shy," said Felix. Emma glanced at him and then back at Styles as she lowered her hand. "What he's trying to say is if he could ask for your number."

Styles glared at Felix but kept his mouth shut, slowly shifting his cautious stare back at Emma as though he was waiting for her reaction.

"Oh…" Emma's cheeks blushed. She softly chuckled before looking around and spotted a table nearby that had a large photo of Katherine and Damien. Underneath the frame were stationery, cards, envelopes, and pens for the guests to use if they wanted to write or send something to the couple. She walked towards it, and when she came back, she handed a folded paper to Styles. "Here."

Styles darted his eyes at the paper and then at Emma a couple of times before hesitantly receiving it.

Something caught Emma's attention from the main table, and she smiled at the two men, saying, "Kath's calling me. I'll see you two around. Bye Styles."

Felix and Styles watched as Emma walked away. When she was finally out of earshot, Styles grumbled under his breath, "I could've handled that just fine."

Felix scoffed, shaking his head. "Sure you did. You looked like you were about to shit your pants."

"Fûck you."

"No thanks. I'm only interested in women."

Styles continued to grumble as he tucked the paper into the inner pocket of his suit. Felix flung an arm around the other's shoulders and walked him out of the event hall while filling him in about the matter at hand.

***

The party ran for two more hours. By this time, Katherine had shaken hands of many business partners and associates from both the Parks and the Youngs' side. Her facial muscles were aching from smiling to keep up appearances. The party slowed down, and guests started leaving. Katherine was beat that she had to lean against Damien constantly to stay up. He'd told her she could take a rest in the penthouse, but she didn't want to leave him to entertain the guests by himself.

Apart from being tired, she would be reminded about the woman from Shadow every now and then, which added to her exhaustion.

Once they thought they could leave, Katherine and Damien bid farewell to everyone. The couple, along with Amelia, headed to where they kept the Shadow agent, finding Styles and Felix playing cards at the coffee table.

Felix informed them that after searching, he concluded that the woman didn't have any weapons on her and only had some change in her pocket.

Jeffrey had patched up the wound on her arm. At first, he insisted on bringing her to the hospital because she needed stitches. Damien had to ask him a favor to do it in the room instead and provided Jeffrey all the tools he needed. Damien didn't like involving his friends in his personal affairs like these. His friend already helped them with Chris and now this one. He didn't like it, so he made sure they were favors that he would return one day.

The Shadow agent woke up a few minutes after Damien and Katherine arrived in the room. Chloe was groggy, and she forced herself to sit up and faced them, her eyes cautiously scanning the people around her. Five pairs of eyes focused on her, and she was looking pale.

Katherine walked closer yet kept several feet between them. She was serious and direct. "What do you want?"

Chloe matched Katherine's stare. "I'll only speak to you alone."

"Not gonna happen," said Damien.

"Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of them," Katherine added, and Chloe swallowed, her shoulders sagging like she didn't have a choice. "What happened?"

"They found me."

"Who?"

"Some men who had been chasing me since the raid. They were probably the same people who arrested Parker and the other agents."

"How did you end up in the basement parking?" Damien questioned.

"I…stole a car while I ran and drove here. I didn't realize I was bleeding until I parked."

Damien and Katherine exchanged glances. Then she folded her arms under her chest. "You expect me to believe that you were being chased and you got your arm cut? Why would you come here? I was clear yesterday. I don't trust you."

Chloe's lips were pressed into a thin line, and she looked down for a few beats, seemingly thinking through her response. "I need asylum. I don't have anywhere else to go." She patted her jeans pocket and took out twenty dollars and a few quarters, then she held them out to Katherine. "This is all I have. Please take it."

Katherine looked at Chloe's hand. It had dried blood on the palm that looked like it had been wiped off but wasn't cleaned enough. A slight prick grazed her chest, seeing the money and remembering that she, too, was desperate at one point during her five years of being in a limbo. She so badly wanted to believe this stranger, but a considerable part of her didn't want to risk it.

Looking up and meeting the other's eyes, Katherine told her, "I will give you money. I believe $10,000 is enough to go out of state and start a new life. Leave this place and don't look back."

Chloe clenched her fist tightly, and her eyes turned watery when she spoke under gritted teeth, "You don't get it. I'm an orphan—at least that's what I was told. I have no recollection of my past before Shadow took me in. They did something to my head, and I can't remember anything before I became one of them. I always felt I didn't belong there. I just need a place to live. You're the only person who knows what it's like to be in there once and then finally be free." She choked up. "I just want to live. But I don't want to be alone. Please."