Page 83 of Rejected By My Shifter Billionaire
Kassia could feel the blood leeching off her body as her mind gradually took the words in.Her mother.It was shock after shock, and her fingers unconsciously started gripping the bed sheets, as if she needed something to anchor herself to.
“W-why are you calling?”
Her mother’s voice broke. “I need to speak with you, darling. I’ve been diagnosed, and it’s...bad.It’s made me think, and I just really need to speak with you.”
Kassia mentally reeled at the words.First the professor, and now her mother, she thought numbly. “Where are you right now?”
Her mother answered vaguely. “The clinic’s not easy to find. I can have my driver with you in five minutes. He can bring you to me.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting outside the gates.”
“Thank you, darling. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
There was an odd note in her mother’s voice that made Kassia hesitate. It almost sounded likeglee,but it was such a preposterous thought she told herself she must have been imagining it. “I’ll see you in a bit then. I’m sorry this had to happen.”
“Don’t be, darling. I’ve come to accept that some things are just meant to be.” The words shouldn’t have sounded off, but it did, and Kassia found herself guiltily mulling over her mother’s words as she took the quickest shower and put on a new blouse and jeans. Hurrying towards the gates, she told herself she was being paranoid, first with Alessandro then now her terminally ill parent.
Taking her phone out, she sent a quick message to the professor.
I’m sorry for not trusting you, Professor. Please tell me what to do to prove I love you. Because I do.
It was extremely sappy, but she told herself desperate straits called for desperate measures. For all she knew, the text message could be used as evidence to the Council. She had no idea how police investigations worked with werewolves, but she was willing to give anything a try.
“Ms. Summers?”
A man suddenly appeared in front of her, and she jumped back in surprise. He was of medium height and dressed in a plain black suit. Most girls would probably think he was attractive, but for someone who grew up with strong characters like Kassia, the first thing she noticed was the weakness on his face.
“Sorry for frightening you, Ms. Summers,” the man apologized with a grimace. “I am your mother’s driver, Rocco.”
“I s-see.” She tried to get rid of the wariness inside her, but the way he couldn’t seem to meet her eyes didn’t help.
“This way to the car, miss.”
He took her to a limousine, and for some reason, the sight of it filled her with fear.God. So. Paranoid.Ignoring the way her stomach churned with apprehension, she made herself thank Rocco for opening the door and stepped inside the limousine.
Rocco took the driving seat and as the car started to move, the glass partition between them slid up, surprising her.
“There’s no need—-”
But the driver didn’t seem to hear her, and the partition went all the way up, effectively separating them. She was about to reach for the intercom when she realized she was feeling sleepy.
Whywas she feeling sleepy when she was so full of adrenaline a while ago? It...didn’t...make...sense.
When Kassia woke up, she found herself tied to a chair, hands behind her back and a separate set of ropes tying her feet together. In front of her was Rocco, who still couldn’t meet her gaze. Beside him was a man with watchful eyes, dressed in a pinstriped suit and a silk kerchief peeking out from his breast pocket. And finally, separated from the other two was her mother, dressed in a gray pantsuit and a pair of Valentino’s.
All three were picture perfect in their elegant clothing, but somehow the fact frightened Kassia even more. That they could still show care about their appearances despite having kidnapped her made everything feel too...premeditated. It made her think all this was routine and ordinary...to them.
The light swinging directly above them like a giant pendulum made the rest of their surroundings darker, but Kassia figured they were in some kind of warehouse. Her first instinct was to struggle out of her restraints, but common sense kicked in amoment later, and she knew that not only would it be pointless, it would also make her feel more a victim.
She forced herself to look at Kimberley, and the way her mother smirked made Kassia almost wish she were as odd as her parent. Striving to keep her voice even, she asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Mel grinned at the question. “You obviously don’t know your daughter that well, sweetheart. Look at her,” he couldn’t resist taunting his lover, “asking so sensibly even when she’s woken up bound in an unfamiliar place and in the presence of the world’s greatest hired killers.” His lips twisted in a satisfied smile at the flash of fear in the girl’s eyes.
Somehow, Kassia instinctively knew that the man, whoever he was, wasn’t lying, even if it didn’t make sense to her at all. “Why, mother?” She realized she genuinely wanted to understand how someone in her position could still be driven to kill for profit. Because that was what this was, wasn’t it?
Kimberley’s answer was indifferent. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“B-but you’re rich,” she stammered.
