309 Discovery 1

The night crept on with the moon and the stars shining in the sky. In the stillness of the room, Damien turned the heater on to allow Katherine to sleep more peacefully. She fell asleep sometime after Damien started humming randomly. He was nowhere near sleepy but laying next to her made him feel as though he was dreaming.

He watched as she softly snored, perfectly comfortable with his presence despite her trying to hide it when she's awake. Carefully, he brushed her hair away from her face and she shifted in her sleep, subconsciously pulling his t-shirt toward her.

Damien stilled before he relented and let her pull him closer. He was only half surprised when she buried her face in his chest, hugged him closer, and trapped him with her leg—just like she used to. She couldn't lie in her sleep. She missed him. She missed this. It was too natural for her to do so.

He should have pulled away but he was selfish. In this moment of vulnerability, he took advantage of it and let himself savor the precious chance. Shifting her so that she was now laying her head on his arm, he pulled her even closer.

"I'll wait for you, love…" he whispered to her ear. She didn't respond but she nuzzled onto him even more as though it was her response, only she was still sleeping and unaware of what he told her.

Damien's satisfied smile ghosted his face as he closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

…

November 8 — Thursday

Katherine woke up alone in bed, not remembering how she fell asleep last night. She felt like crap when her eyes felt hot and her throat was sore. She was sick.

The sun's rays cast through her glass windows, illuminating the space next to her. She looked at the empty space, remembering that Damien laid beside her but he was no longer there now. She wondered where he was and when he left. Did he sleep in her bed? The thought made her already flushed face even hotter.

Katherine's eyes caught sight on a paper on the nightstand. It was a note written by Damien that said:

[You were slightly feverish before I left. Take these meds when you wake up. It's best to call in sick today, so please stay in bed. I have somewhere to be but I'll be back later to check on you. -Damien]

Next to it was a small bottle of medicine and a bottle of water. 

Feeling her heart warm up because of his sweet gesture, she took the medicine while wondering what time Damien left. She was feeling sick but her sleep was definitely great compared to the previous nights. And she knew it was all because he was there for her.

It was seven in the morning and Katherine contemplated whether she should stay at home like Damien suggested or brave it through and get to work. She had a lot of things to do. First thing's first: Falcon.

"Have you heard from Falcon?" she asked Styles upon entering the kitchen. The latter was making himself some breakfast.

"Who is this guy she's chasing anyway?"

"I don't know… She wouldn't tell me. All I know is, he used to be her insider back at the Park's. He suddenly disappeared and she lost contact with him." Styles munched on the sandwich that he just finished making and grabbed something from the fridge. He placed the covered bowl in front of Katherine and told her, "King Charming left this for you. Are you sick?"

Katherine checked what was inside the bowl and found that it was chicken noodle soup. She felt Styles's palm on her forehead but she was too busy admiring the food that Damien prepared for her to mind it. She knew he made everything from scratch, knowing that she loved the wide noodles that he made himself.

"Yo, King Charming knows a lot of things. He made the pasta himself earlier. I swear he's a cyborg or something. Ask him to do things for you and he probably knows how to do it." Styles took the bowl and heated it up for her, all while eating his sandwich which he held with his other hand. Crumbs fell when he moved about but Katherine was in a good mood to scold him.

"He's not a cyborg. He's just… he's…" She blinked, unsure of the best word to describe him. She gave up when she couldn't come up with something. "He's just… Damien."

"Wow. You're too in love with the guy..."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Being in love won't save her today. Despite her profound feelings for him, she didn't know what to expect when she would finally tell him the truth.

…

It was after lunch when Styles and Katherine received a call from Falcon who told them that she was in Katherine's old apartment with the guy she was after. Falcon couldn't possibly bring him to Golden Phoenix Residences and risk getting him or any one of them harmed since they didn't know who to avoid.

"Why don't you just stay? And I'll go meet with Falcon. You're sick," Styles told Katherine as the two of them prepared a bag with clothes and some food. He was worried about her.

"I'm not hot anymore, see?" She pressed his hand to her forehead to prove her point. "I need to talk to Amelia. This cannot wait."

"Alright. Suit yourself. But if you feel sick on the way or when we get there, I'm not taking care of you. I'll send you home or better yet, I'll call King Charming." He was partly joking and mostly telling the truth. As much as they needed to deal with this thing, he couldn't possibly let her compromise her health.

"You wouldn't dare…" She glared at him, closing the bag and swinging it onto her shoulder.

"Watch me," he countered, stealing the bag from her and carrying it himself.

The two of them were in the elevator in no time. When they arrived in the lobby, Katherine mumbled about buying a car. It always slipped her mind. Now they could only hail a cab.

Unbeknownst to them, while they were headed out using the front door of the building, Damien Park got inside through the side entrance and saw them going out. He wondered where they were headed to as the two were wearing black outfits, caps, and sunglasses.

Damien tried to call them but the two had already gotten inside a cab that they hailed. He jogged out of the building, thankful that Markus hasn't left yet and sped off with his car, leaving his assistant behind.

It was just thirty minutes past one in the afternoon and there was not a lot of traffic. He found the cab they were riding in and without second thoughts, he followed them. Later, he was confused to see them stop in a busy district in Harbor City. "Where the hell are you going?" he muttered under his breath.

This was the same district that he thought he saw her that one time. He tried to find her in the crowd but he didn't see her again. Damien abandoned his car by the curb. It was probably illegal to park there but he didn't care as he was determined to follow where Katherine and Styles were headed.

From time to time, the two would look back as if to see if they were being followed. Probably because they were in a hurry, and maybe because Damien was being very discreet as he followed them — he was not discovered.

Eventually, he followed them inside a very old building. Damien didn't think people went there as it looked like it was abandoned and yet Katherine seemed to know the place too well.

"Falcon — Amelia," Styles and Katherine said at the same time.

The mention of the name was very faint, but it was enough for Damien to hear.