My Boss Is A Werewolf

Chapter 19

Clara Bennett

“You ready?” Ryder asked, offering me his arm as we stepped out of the car in front of the Grand Ballroom.

I slipped my hand through it, feeling the solid muscle under his suit jacket. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The moment we walked through the grand double doors, the soft noise and flashing camera lights hit me all at once.

I looked up ahead and saw crystal chandeliers sparkling overhead, it was so beautiful....and the soft music played from a live orchestra, with elegantly dressed guests moving around in groups, laughing and chatting like they belonged in this world.

Ryder kept me close, his hand resting lightly on my lower back as we moved through the crowd. Several people turned to stare, whispering behind their champagne glasses.

I smiled politely when he introduced me to a few business partners, but my mind was somewhere else. The kiss in the car still lingered on my lips, making my stomach flutter every time Ryder glanced at me. I kept touching the moonstone necklace, trying to steady myself. It felt like it had become a part of me.

After about twenty minutes, I leaned closer to him. “I need to use the restroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”

Ryder nodded, his fingers brushing my waist before he let me go. “Don’t take too long. I don’t like sharing you with this crowd.”

I gave him a small smile and slipped away, weaving through the guests until I found a side door that led out to the private garden.

The cool night air felt good against my heated skin. Soft lights lined the stone paths, and in the center stood a beautiful fountain with water cascading gently over marble tiers. I walked over to it, pulled out my phone with trembling fingers, and dialed Victor’s number.

He picked up on the second ring.

“I have something for you,” I said quietly, glancing around to make sure I was alone.

Victor’s familiar chuckle came through the line, low and satisfied. “Well, well. Look who’s finally delivering. What did you get me, Clara?”

I swallowed hard, my free hand gripping the edge of the fountain. “I managed to get a hair sample from him earlier today, and I copied his schedule for the next two weeks. It’s all here on my phone. I’ll send the pictures right after this call. And you'll get the hair samples soon.”

“Good girl,” Victor said, his voice dripping with approval. “Keep it up. Get closer. I want more than just hair and schedules soon.”

I paced a few steps away from the fountain, my heels clicking on the stone. My chest felt tight. “No. You have to do something first. Fly my mom to the best hospital in the country tonight. Get her the top doctors and start real treatment immediately. I’m not sending anything until I know she’s safe.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then Victor laughed again, but this time it sounded colder. “You’re starting to sound a little too confident, Clara. Don’t forget who has the power here. I could clip your wings in a second if I wanted to. One call and your mother gets nothing but painkillers.”

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. I stopped pacing and stared at the water splashing in the fountain. “We have a deal, Victor. I’m doing everything you asked. That means I get to set some conditions too. Move her tonight, or you get nothing. No hair sample, no schedule, nothing.”

I could hear him breathing on the other line. For a moment I thought he might hang up or threaten me again. Instead, he let out a long sigh.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll arrange the transfer right now. You’ll get confirmation in the next hour. But don’t push me again, Clara. Send me what you have immediately after we hang up.”

Relief washed over me so strongly that my shoulders sagged. “Thank you.”

Victor chuckled once more. “You’re welcome. Now be a good little spy and enjoy your night with the big bad wolf. I’ll be waiting for those files.”

He ended the call.

I quickly sent the photos I had secretly taken earlier ...the hair sample I’d managed to collect from his suit jacket and the schedule screenshots.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I put the phone away. Part of me felt victorious for standing up to him, but the guilt was still there, heavier than ever.

Ryder had been nothing but kind, and here I was selling pieces of him to the man who wanted to destroy him.

I turned to head back inside when a shadow moved near the garden entrance. A familiar figure stepped into the light.

“Victor.?“

He stood there in a designer black tuxedo, a glass of champagne in his hand, watching me with that same smug smile he used to give me when we were together. He raised his glass slightly in my direction, like he was toasting me.

My blood ran cold. “How did you get here?“

“Enjoying the party, darling?” he called out softly, his voice carrying across the garden. “Happy to see me? I told you I’d be waiting for those items. Hand them over personally. Now.”