Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Tuesday — January 29th

Katherine woke up not knowing what time she fell asleep. The last thing she remembered was Damien playing the piano for her. She was positive it was a modern song but didn't know what the title of it was. That didn't matter, though, because whatever he played always sounded relaxing to her. Unlike him who could play a few other instruments, she didn't know how to play any except a guitar—and the last time she even held one was many years ago. She probably already forgot how to play it.

Stretching her limbs, her bones cracked and she winced when she felt some soreness on her back. A massage sounded so good right now. Patting the space next to her, Katherine checked the notifications on her phone. It was half past seven in the morning—she thought she felt a bit sore because she slept for more than eight hours. The first thing she read was Damien's texts.

[ My King: Good night, love. I hope you feel better in the morning. Sweet dreams. ] — sent at 12:01 a.m.

[ My King: Morning, Kitten. I'm taking Bear out to the park and run for a bit before I head to work. Don't just stay indoors all day. Get some sun when you can. I'll call you later. I love you. ] — sent at 6:30 a.m.

Still feeling a little groggy, Katherine tapped her response.

[ Katherine: Thanks for playing for me last night. I almost overslept. My back is a little sore. Will make some tea for grandpa. Drive safely, please. I love you. Have a great day at work! ]

As soon as her text was sent, she rolled out of bed, washed up, and headed down to the kitchen where she planned to prepare Grandpa Theo's morning tea that she'd bring to him in his room later.

"Oh, you're awake." Deborah Young smiled as Katherine entered the kitchen.

"Morning, Aunt Debbie," she replied, scanning the kitchen island and watching her aunt prepare the tea for her grandfather. Katherine glanced at the servant from last night to whom she told she would make tea this morning. The servants' heads were lowered as they waited for orders.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you… Is that for Grandpa?"

"It is. Would you like some?"

Katherine shook her head. "My stomach would hurt if I drink tea without eating something first." She grabbed a bottle of water from the double door fridge and stood across from her aunt. "I was planning to make Grandpa's tea this morning. I wanted to bring it to him."

"It's okay, dear. I've been doing this every morning like clockwork, it's become a habit." Deborah smiled sweetly as she threw the hot water from the teacup into the sink and then poured the tea into it. She then carefully placed the pot and teacup in a tray and addressed the servants, "Prepare breakfast for the young mistress and then bring Father's food in his room in ten minutes."

"I'll join Grandpa for breakfast in his room." Katherine set the bottled water down and began to help the servants in preparing the food.

Deborah paused for a while, watching Katherine go about the kitchen before carrying the tray out of the room.

***

Grandpa Theo clicked his tongue and shook his head as he looked at his granddaughter while they ate breakfast on the balcony of his room. "I'm glad you're staying here to check on me, but you didn't have to worry, pumpkin. I'm fine!"

Katherine drew her brows together and pouted, "That feels like you don't really want me here. I'm hurt, Grandpa."

"Don't be so dramatic! Of course, I want you here. Why don't you move back in? You'd get to check on me every day." The older man slyly grinned.

She stared at him, narrowing her eyes because she knew what he was up to. Her grandfather wanted her and Damien to permanently move into the mansion. He had been actually offering her that whenever he got the chance. While she didn't hate the idea, it wasn't convenient for Damien to be traveling the long distance to and from work.

A tap on the table pulled her out of her trance. She realized she was staring into space and her grandfather was calling her attention. "Sorry, gramps. What was that?"

"I'm asking why you're the only one here. Where's Damien? Or has he left for work already?"

"Ah… No, he didn't stay last night. Early meeting." Obviously, that was a lie. But there was no need to tell him the truth.

Katherine spent the rest of the morning with her grandfather. He seemed to be in a good mood today and they ended up watching Ratatouille in the TV room.

Later, she received a text message from Damien, asking if they could have lunch or dinner together. Knowing that he only had an hour for his lunch break today, she decided to meet him for dinner instead.

At five in the afternoon, Katherine finished getting ready to meet him about an hour later. A servant knocked on her door, informing her that she had a guest waiting for her in the sitting room. Confusion laced her face as she wasn't expecting any visitor today. Surely it wasn't Damien as he was still in a meeting. "Who is it?"

"The gentleman said his surname is Mr. Price," replied the servant.

"Price?" Her brows knitted. The only Price she knew was Michael from Young Corporation, her immediate boss.

Grabbing her purse, she headed downstairs and went to the sitting room, still wondering why he was here. The Liam Hemsworth lookalike got up from his chair when she appeared, a smile forming on his face. "It's been a while. How are you?" he started.

"I'm doing okay. I'm glad to see you, but I wasn't expecting you today. Did we have a meeting that I forgot about?"

"My apologies. I should have called you before coming here. I thought your aunt had informed you, so I just showed up."

"My aunt?"

Michael nodded, handing her a thick binder. "These are files that you'll be needing for the Crown Residencies project. Madam Young wanted you to work with the current project head so that you'd be more knowledgeable in that area of the business too instead of only focusing on procurement. She told me you were staying here, so I figured I'd give this tonight."

"She didn't mention anything about that...but I guess it makes sense," she muttered as she casually flipped through some of the pages. Apart from learning the ropes in all areas of the company, she was marrying Damien, and working closely with Young Corporation's team and his team would probably be beneficial for both parties. She didn't mind this, however, that would mean she'd have to be on-site more often.

Katherine instructed the servant to bring the binder up to her room and then she faced Michael again. "You didn't have to drive all the way here. I could have picked up the files tomorrow."

"I didn't want to trouble you while you're recovering. It's okay, I didn't mind the drive at all. It actually cleared my head. Are you going somewhere?"

She glanced at her dress and smoothed it down. "Yes, I'm heading to the city to meet Damien for dinner."

"I see. Well, I could give you a ride. I'm driving back there anyway," he offered.

The ride that would bring her to the city hadn't come back yet as Caroline was using it. There were other cars in the garage but no other drivers at the moment, and she promised Damien she wouldn't drive while she was still having tremors. If she waited for the car, she might be late getting to the restaurant where they were supposed to meet. After contemplating, she took Michael's offer.

***

The traffic wasn't bad when they reached the city. Katherine had already informed Damien that she was on her way and that Michael was giving her a ride, but she hadn't received a response from him.

As the car pulled up in front of Central Harbor Restaurant, she noticed a striking man standing outside the entrance. Damien wore a tailored charcoal grey pinstripe suit. He had his hands in his pockets as he watched the car come to a full stop.

She quickly thanked Michael before alighting the car and then faced Damien whose eyes looked between her and the man who got out from the driver's side. He didn't seem surprised to see Michael so he must have already read her text, but when he dragged his gaze back at her, she shivered at the coldness of it.

The air suddenly felt arctic.