345 His Woman is Enchanting

Once Katherine and Damien left the alley, Noah rubbed his jaw—he swore when he felt sore all over. He couldn't believe that he just got beaten up by a woman. He was ashamed of what happened and though he wanted to be pissed, he couldn't help but admire Katherine's competence. She surely didn't need any babysitting; she could take care of herself. So what were they there for?!

Seeing Styles being adamant about the bet, he didn't have a choice but to pay up. Quickly taking out a couple of hundred dollar bills from his wallet, he paid the other what he owed. He just lost from a fight and even lost some money. His boss, Damien, paid them all by the hour and they earned more than the bet but it was still so much money that he could have won… if only he were better. Damn it.

The sky had darkened and the day was about to end. He wished he could lie down and sleep so he could forget about this day already. Feeling the swell inside his mouth, he massaged his jaw again. The scene from earlier played in his mind and he blushed. He might just have developed a crush on the badass girlfriend of his boss. He had always been so arrogant and she was the only woman who stood up against him. That was admirable.

"Here," Styles handed Noah a can of soda after pocketing the pot money in his jeans, a playful smirk played on his lips when the other received the can. He then turned around and went back inside the building, whistling a happy tune for having won a couple of hundred bucks so easily. 

Noah eyed Styles's retreating back, cursing in his mind for getting tricked. Casually, he opened the soda can in his hand and in an instant, the liquid sprayed all over him, wetting his face and clothes. "What the hell!" he cursed, realizing that Styles must have shaken the can earlier before handing it to him.

Felix let out a chuckle seeing the pitiful Noah getting bullied by Katherine and Styles. He was truly impressed by her. He didn't know why, but even the first time that he met her, he could already feel that she was someone special. There was something about her that was quite different compared to other women. He never judged Katherine especially because he owed Damien so much. If he respected her since the first time they met, his respect grew even bigger after witnessing what happened earlier. 

Noah wiped his face with a towel, chuckling at himself for the misfortune that he experienced today. What an unlucky day it was for him. Taking a sip from the can, he grimaced when the bubbly liquid filled his mouth, feeling the sting from the wound inside. 

Felix let out another hearty laugh, throwing his head back from finding Noah's bad luck so funny. If Katherine or Styles hadn't heard Noah earlier, he would have scolded him anyway. But this was probably a better outcome for his subordinate.

Slapping his huge palm on Noah's back, he gripped the latter's shoulder hard and told him in a firm tone, "I hope you learned your lesson now. Never underestimate women, kid."

…

Arriving inside the old apartment, Katherine started bombarding Damien questions about his appointment.

"So? What happened? Where were you? How did it go? Did you get it?" She was like an excited child who was so happy to see a parent coming home after work. Her energy skyrocketed from all the action she did earlier, she felt like she was on a high.

Damien watched her being so hyper, his dark eyes staring intensely at her as he scanned her body from head to toe once again as if he was afraid he missed to see that she was hurt. There were no scrapes or wounds on her face but her arms and shirt were dirty and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead.

She looked like she was so excited to see him but he could tell that she was only doing so to avoid having to explain to him what happened in the alley. She may act so lively but the sweaty hand that was holding his at the moment gave her away.

Exhaling a sigh, he dragged her directly towards the bathroom as soon as they arrived in her old apartment, passing by Amelia who was confused to see the two. He closed the bathroom door right away and without saying anything, Damien lifted her up on the counter, making her sit on it. She gasped in shock, confused as to what he was doing. "What's happening?" she wondered.

She watched as he moved around, looking for something in the cabinets. "What are you looking for?"

"Towels."

"There." She pointed at the top shelf.

Grabbing a face towel, he soaked it in water and squeezed the excess before he started wiping her face with it. That's when Katherine realized that he was cleaning her up. "You don't have to… I can clean myself."

He ignored her statement and continued to clean her face thoroughly but gently before he started on her arms and hands. He carefully wiped her knuckles seeing that there were bruises slowly forming on them; an indication that she had punched with force. He didn't care about Noah's wounds. Looking at Katherine's delicate hands, he felt sorry that they were going to hurt later.

Damien had an unreadable expression and Katherine couldn't tell if he was angry so she kept her mouth shut and allowed him to do what he wanted. Quiet Damien made her nervous.

After a few minutes of silence and Damien wiping her hands like she was a toddler who came home after dirtying herself from the playground, she finally heard him ask, "Are you going to tell me what happened back there or do I need to ask other people for that?"

Katherine bit her bottom lip and contemplated. She figured that it was better to tell him herself—and so she did—starting from when she walked in on them while she was delivering the sandwiches that she and his mother made for them. He didn't say anything and just looked at her while she recounted the story to him, compelled to tell him every single detail of how she beat the crap out of one of his men.

"Sorry…" she said when she finished.

The entire time that Damien listened to her, he was only regretful that he wasn't able to see it for himself. More than he was worried for her and pissed on her behalf, he was proud of her. His heart swelled at the thought of his woman being so capable of defending herself. This woman—His woman was so enchanting. 

"There's no need to say sorry. You only did what you could."

"I just wanted to teach him a lesson."

Because he couldn't help himself, a corner of his mouth tugged upward, revealing a crooked grin as he patted her head and said, "You did great."

Infected by his compliment, a blush crept on her cheeks, tainting her face and making her smile back at him.

Tossing the wet towel onto the sink, Damien ordered in an authoritative tone, "Now take off your shirt."