Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

The couple went home to their penthouse in Golden Phoenix Residences after their short visit to the convenience store. They ended up grabbing a pack of dog treats and a few sugar-free biscuits as those were the only ones they could find that were safe for Bear. The fluffy giant ball of fur nearly knocked Katherine over as soon as they entered the place. He had grown so big and was still continuing to grow.

"Hey, baby. I miss you too!" She scratched the spots behind his ears while he slobbered her. "Oh, we've talked about this. No licking!"

Damien smiled watching the two together and he jokingly complained, "You followed me everywhere last night and now you don't even say hello to me because mommy's here?"

Bear barked as if to respond and jumped into Damien's lap, about to give sloppy kisses. This was a disadvantage of having large dogs. It could get messy. Damien and Katherine were still working on getting him to stop licking faces but he was such a hyper, stubborn giant baby.

"Knock it off, Bear," he gently said as he pulled away. They got to their feet and gave Bear a treat, which they knew would be finished in just a couple of minutes.

After washing their faces clean, they went into the walk-in closet where Katherine had to pack more clothes to bring with her to the mansion. Although they were already 'okay', she still wanted to stay with her grandfather for at least a few more days.

She carefully chose a few sets of clothing and packed them away in her suitcase while Damien leaned against a shelf, watching the massive aquarium that's installed on one side of the wall with his hands buried deep in his pockets. He'd already changed into a more comfortable set of clothes—a pair of blue chinos and white sweater.

He felt a pair of delicate hands slide up around his torso and he instantly opened his arm to let her cozy up with him. "You don't have to drive me up there. You'll be tired," she said.

He lightly squeezed her arm, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. She smelled of nectarine and blossoms—he thought. She'd also already changed into a casual short-sleeved dress. "I'll never be too tired for you, you know that."

Katherine bit her lip, looking up at him with eyes looking hopeful and downcast like she's conflicted of her own decisions. "Why don't you come stay with me at Grandfather's house?"

Damien cocked a brow, slightly surprised at her offer. He knew she still needed some convincing regarding their disagreement on her security arrangement but they've been doing okay tonight too. Perhaps she was opening up to the idea of letting him handle it? He could only hope so. But then again, his woman was strong and could take care of herself—most of the time—but it didn't change the fact that he'd always be worried, so the added protection was the only thing keeping him sane whenever she was away and he couldn't be with her. So for her to ask him to go with her, they were definitely going in the right direction.

Still, he couldn't help but tease. "Are you sure you want me there? I thought you didn't want me with you anymore." He was being petty. 'Can't a man just ask a little loving?'

Katherine's face scrunched up in a frown. "Who said that? That's not true!" She clicked her tongue and buried her face under his arm, inhaling his scent as she hugged him tighter. "Let's fight, but let's not separate. I mean, let's not fight and let's not separate, but we can disagree."

He let out a bark of laughter, shifting his weight and angling his body so that he was now facing her fully. She looked up at him as she added, "I never not want you with me. That's stupid. I missed you last night."

"Yeah?" Damien's lips quirked into a grin.

She nodded.

"If you missed me, prove it." He narrowed his eyes.

Biting her bottom lip, Katherine checked the time on her watch. It was almost midnight and she thought it was late. Gently pulling away, she walked back to her suitcase. "I will. But not here. Let's pack your stuff and go."

He scoffed, lightly slapping her ass as he headed to his side of the closet. "I'm not letting you get away with that. I'll claim it when we get there." He heard her laugh behind him.

She helped him pack his things and as she chose several shirts from the rack, something that's stuck on the side caught her eye. It was the envelope that Amelia gave him, wedged between a stack of white shirts and the divider. "What's this doing here?" she probed, wondering why he kept it in his closet instead of his study. He'd hidden it in his closet too at the penthouse of his office back then. She found it strange but didn't question him about it. "Have you read the letter already?"

"No," Damien answered with a light tone. He didn't even turn around and just continued packing.

Katherine's brows furrowed deeply, picking up the old envelope that was slightly rough between her fingers. "Why not? I thought you were going to open this like you said."

"I changed my mind. I don't think it's necessary."

She glanced at it, her fingers itching to open it and read. "Aren't you curious?"

He let out a sigh, finally turning around to face her, his eyes zeroing in at the envelope in her hands. "I was. But… I just don't see how reading something from thirty years ago would help me now. I've grown up without reading what's in it and I think I'm fine not knowing. The fact is… She left and now she's back. What's in that envelope was from a long time ago. A lot has already happened, but we can't change the past. However, we can still do something now and for the future."

She swallowed. Katherine thought that he was probably just a little fearful of what's in it. He took the envelope and put it inside a drawer that's rarely opened as it only held random stuff he didn't use daily.

He grabbed her hand and then their suitcase and walked out of the closet. "Come on, let's go. We still have to drive."