Chapter 46

Renee’s POV

“Mia took you?” I shout. Unbelievable. I laugh at the audacity. First she steals my design and tries to ruin me as a designer. Then she takes my daughter? She’s a mother herself, I would expect that to be enough for her to know using children as a ploy for messing with someone is off limits. Apparently not.

An incoming call blares through the car speakers. Debbie and I both jump. It’s from Eric. I turn the volume down and let the phone keep ringing. If I hang up he’ll know I’m purposely ignoring it, at least this way he thinks I just missed it.

I look back at Debbie. I’ve never seen her part wolf before because she’s never had the strength to turn. She looks adorable. While she isn’t fully turned, her pup features are still coming forth. Her nose is shortened and her eyes are rounded and big. My own inner wolf stirs and my heart aches. How beautiful it is to see your own offspring grow into what she’s supposed to be.

“What happened?” I ask more calmly.

Debbie stares down at the light brown fur coating her arms. She pulls down the passenger mirror and takes in her appearance and smiles. Leave it to Debbie to not even be phased she was abducted.

I smile with her. Despite the circumstances this is a huge moment.

“Will this keep happening?” She asks excitedly. I consider it a possibility. If it happened once I don’t see why her abilities wouldn’t continue to develop.

“Perhaps, we’ll have to talk to Jasper,” I say. Debbie continues to inspect her pointed ears and canine teeth. I get the feeling she’s avoiding my question.

“Debbie,” I say again softly urging her to explain what happened. Debbie snaps shut the passenger mirror and sinks back into her seat avoiding eye contact. “You’re not in trouble,” I assure her. This seems to lessen some of her worry and she looks up at me through her bushy eyebrows. My heart melts, she looks so cute with her puppy eyes.

“I didn’t mean to transform in front of someone,” Debbie says shyly. “I know I’m not supposed to do that,”

I let my hands fall from the steering wheel and into my lap in defeat. I’ve never told Debbie she wasn’t allowed to transform outright but as I reflect on all the times I live quickly yanked her out of situations where her temper began to rise I guess she put it together. I forget how observant children can be.

“Your wolf comes out to defend yourself, in this case it was exactly needed and I’m glad you used it,” I tell her and Debbie gives a slight smile.

“It was pretty cool,” she admits.

“So what happened?” I ask again. Debbie explains just as Mrs. Hazel did that the nurse called saying Jasper was here to pick her up. Debbie didn’t question it and when she got into the car she saw Mia and started to put together something wasn’t right.

Debbie started to go back to the school but she Mia grabbed her and threw her in the car. My blood begins to boil as I visualize this happening.

“I tried to fight her off,” Debbie explains. “But I wasn’t strong enough, then all of a sudden I felt myself become stronger,” Debbie continues her eyes widening as she tries to process what just happened.

“Where was she taking you?” I ask and Debbie shrugs.

“She got so scared when I started to turn she couldn’t get me out of the car quick enough,” Debbie laughs. I, too, enjoy the thought of Mia getting scared of a pup, though I will admit Debbie is feisty.

I start to think Mia had no plan to begin with, she just wanted to scare me. My phone rings though the car again, it’s Eric. This time I answer it.

“It was Mia,” I say right away.

Eric wastes no time. “Meet me at my office in an hour,” he hangs up. My stomach tangles in knots. Maybe he saw Debbie. Maybe he knows now that’s his daughter. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and glance at Debbie. She looks at me her brows furrowing in concern. I try to relax remembering she can pick up on a lot more than I thought.

“I’m going to take you to Jasper so he can inspect you and your transformations while I meet with Eric and discuss Mia’s consequences,” I say trying to sound certain that’s what’s going to happen in Eric’s office.

Debbie sinks back in the passenger seat. Despite her slightly larger frame because of her wolf traits the seat still engulfs her pup body. I put the car back in drive and safely continue on my way.

After dropping Debbie off at Jaspers and briefly explaining the whole situation I’m hit again with the realization how crazy my life is. I tried to keep it together as Jasper hugged me and told me I deserved a better life than the one I was dealt. His words were kind, but a pity party can only go so far.

On the plus side, he seemed really excited about Debbie’s transformation saying that means her illness is in remission.

I stand in the elevator on my way up to Eric’s office. My nerves of seeing him are compounded by the closed off space. I try to keep my mind busy and distracted so that I don’t slip into a panic.

I bite my fingernails and settle my thoughts on Mia. I can’t believe her.

I could take her to court and counter sue and add kidnapping charges on top of a copy right infringement. I smile bitterly at the thought.

Of course, if I do that there would be no reason she wouldn’t tell Eric that Debbie is his.

The elevator comes to a stop and the doors split open, parting my reflection in the mirror in half. I quickly step out walk towards Eric’s office wanting to be as far away from the elevator as I can be.

I knock on the door to Eric’s office and it opens swiftly. Andrew standing on the other side holding the door open for me. I nod a thank you and step in.

My eyes land on Mia and something takes over me. I get tunnel vision, everything in my peripheral becomes a blur and all I see is her. Blood rushes to my ears until they ring and the next thing I know Mia is clutching her face and my hand is stinging.

I’ve slapped her, I realize. Mia gawks at me with as much shock as I feel. I stand tall, refusing to back down.

“You bitch!” Mia raises her hand to strike me but Eric intercepts and grabs her wrist.

“Mia!” He barks. “Control yourself,” Mia looks at Eric with more hurt in her eyes from his comment rather than from my slap.

“You saw what she just did to me!” She shrieks. Eric’s face twists into one of disgust.

“Yes and I think you deserve much worse,” he says. Mia’s jaw falls open.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” she says crossing her arms.

Eric laughs. “Mia you have attempted to steal another designers work and you kidnapped her child,”

Butterflies my stomach. Eric is going to hit her with a lawsuit on behalf of Blue Moon Group and I get to watch. “You’re fired,” he says. I wait for him to say more but he doesn’t. Now I feel like I’ve been slapped.

Mia wipes the look of disbelief of her faces and turns her nose up in the air.

“Whatever. I don’t need to work anyway, I’m dating the richest man in the world,” She bumps into my shoulder as she walks out the door.

I stand looking at Eric, bewildered. I don’t even know where to begin. Eric circles back to his desk and plops in his seat with a sigh.

“That’s all she gets? Fired? Eric she tried to ruin not just my professional life but my family too. At the very least the company’s policy is to take copy right crimes to court,” I point out.

Eric looks up at me and for the first time since knowing him he looks tired. Dark circles rim his eyes.

“Renee you know my obligation to her mother,” he says as though that’s enough of an explanation. I cross my arms over my chest in a stubborn show to let him know I’m not happy.

He exhales. “I can cancel your debt to paying me back for Debbie’s salary and I can give you an additional four-hundreds thousand dollars. That’s how much the winter line is worth,”

I shake my head. He really thinks I can just be bought out like Mia.

“I’m disappointed in you Eric ,” I tell him and walk out of his office but not before I see the pain my words caused him show on his face.