356 Maverick

Crown Resort Group

The CEO's office was still brightly lit despite the dark sky outside jeweled only with a waxing crescent moon with no visible sparkly stars. The air inside the large office space was neither too cold nor too hot, however, the atmosphere was quite tense as three men gathered at the fine leather sofa in the middle of the room with papers scattered on the coffee table.

Empty coffee mugs were set in front of them, waiting to be refilled with a fresh batch of dark liquid that neither of them thought to do as they were busy discussing their plans. 

Damien had his elbows propped on his knees and his hands were steepled while his eyes stared at the only empty space the size of a quarter dollar on the table that's not covered with paper. He was expressionless but the dark pools of his eyes evidently showed his anxiety.

For the past hour that he, along with Markus and Felix, tried to come up with a plan on tightening their security, he had also filled in Felix the matter about Katherine with all that the latter needed to know. Outside of the Park family, there were only a few people who knew about Damien's past and his family's secret business, including Markus—given that they grew up together and that his mother once worked for Damien's family—and Felix, his head of security and the leader of Alpha Team.

Just like his father, Lawrence, Damien made the same choice to keep his family background a secret from a majority of his security detail. It was to protect the family. And because Damien had been independent since he left the estate, there wasn't a need for his security to know this part about him. Felix was a different case as they had met each other while Damien was still in the estate and the two only saw each other again years later.

A few years ago, before Damien met Felix again, he had set up a private security company called 'Maverick Security'—from his second name. He didn't set this up for financial gains, rather, it was for him to have total control over his security detail legally instead of hiring from other agencies. Which was why there wasn't any advertising for his private security company. He didn't keep it a secret but he kept it low-profile. 

When Felix came into the picture, Damien made him the head of Maverick Security in which he was given the full reign to train the personnel. Knowing that Felix was a skillful man, Damien trusted him with his security. The number of private guards grew over time and the sole purpose was to keep them as his personal security detail and deploy some to guard his businesses across the states and even some internationally. Damien's identity as a billionaire made him a very easy target for the ill-minded people wherever he goes.

However, now that things have changed, there was no way that they could keep the same strategy as it is when there's an obvious threat lurking out there without knowing where or when it would strike them. And because he placed Katherine above himself, he decided to put his Alpha Team with Katherine. Yes, she was a capable woman and he acknowledged that, but even capable people needed help.

"How many men can we have on stand-by?" Markus probed Felix as he got up and walked over to the corner of the room with an empty coffee pot in his hand and started brewing more coffee.

"As of the moment, Alpha, Beta, and Delta Teams are ready, that's 24… 25 including me. And a few dozens more that's on-call whenever needed. And if worse comes to worst, mercs are at an arm's reach." Felix stretched his arms above his head. He had been awake for almost 18 hours now, making sure everything that Damien needed in his security detail was being taken care of.

Damien darted his stare at Felix and saw the exhaustion in his eyes. He rolled his neck from side to side and sighed before he got up from his seat and strolled towards the tall window behind his desk, observing the city below him. The night appeared to be calm but only he and a few other people knew of the real dangers that many innocent citizens out there don't know about.

He never liked violence, but family comes first. And he would do anything to protect his family. "We need to be more vigilant. We don't know who exactly we're up against. An organization with many ruthless assassins could be lethal. But I doubt that they would send many on our way if the head wants to attack me or Katherine. He—Parker, may have control over his agents but even he wouldn't waste his men that he cultivated for many years. Especially if he already knows my uncle's business."

He wouldn't ask his uncle for help. No way. But Shadow didn't know that. And what they don't know about Damien, they could use to their advantage. As of the moment, even though they know less about the current Shadow, the best that they could do is to strengthen their security. 

"That's true. Do you need to relocate?"

"Not necessary for now. I hope we don't need to. It's too early to say because of Katherine's plans of keeping everything as it is. The security in Golden Phoenix is tight, but I'll talk to her and see what else needs to be done." Damien turned to Felix and added, "You can go home now. You need to rest."

Nodding, Felix got up and gathered his stuff. "You too. Don't work so late. You also need rest." Being older than Damien, he already treated him as his younger brother. He always worried about him and could only hope Damien would take care of himself too.

When Felix left, Damien and Markus had to go over some company matters that needed to be dealt with–papers to sign, contracts to go over, and some corporate decisions to make. He had delegated some tasks to Caleb Yoo already but there were still responsibilities that he needed to take on himself. But he didn't complain at all.

It was already a quarter to three in the morning when Damien and Markus finished their work and arrived at Golden Phoenix Residences. The two made their way up to the 62nd floor and just as they entered the foyer and Bear greeted their arrival, Damien checked his phone and remembered Katherine's text messages hours ago. He contemplated his response as he made his way to his bedroom.

Just like the past few days, Markus also stayed in the penthouse as per his boss's instructions. So when they arrived, Damien dismissed him for the day so Markus could get some rest. On the other hand, Damien changed his clothes, showered, got a few things from his closet before he strolled back to the elevator and entered the code to Katherine's penthouse, smiling to himself when the indicator on the elevator's panel lit to green when it accepted its code.

He made his way towards Katherine's bedroom and as soon as he stepped inside and saw her in the middle of her bed, his anxious heart gradually pacified and he was finally able to breathe normally again. 

Wordlessly, Damien slid under the covers and replaced the pillow that Katherine was hugging with himself, careful not to wake her up. He pulled her to his chest and pressed a sweet kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes. He felt her shift and mumble incoherent words in her sleep while she tightened her embrace on him—the adorable act made him curl his mouth into a smile. He was home.