358 What Matters

Katherine refused to enter the bathroom while Damien was still inside. After spending a few minutes more in bed daydreaming about random things, she came out of the bedroom and walked across the hall to a common toilet and bath to wash up. She could hear some noises out in the kitchen and dining area but she couldn't make out who it was. Her brows knitted as she concentrated, patting her face dry with a face towel.

When she was done, she strolled out and headed towards the kitchen only to see the back of a man whom she had met yesterday. He was in a casual outfit–a black t-shirt and jeans. Katherine saw Noah's side profile as he was busy cooking some eggs, pancakes, sausages, and beans. There were different kinds of food on the kitchen counter and it appeared as if he had prepared all of them.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she approached him, noticing the black and blue bruises on his face. She could even see him grimace and clench his jaw when he moved here and there.

"Good morning, D-Dad—Madam." He faced Katherine and croaked when he saw her scorn at the name he called her. He made a polite bow despite the ache on his side, his usual cocky nature was no longer visible that morning. She cocked a brow as she studied him, wondering what he was doing there cooking in her kitchen. Noah sported on a pink lacey apron with mittens in his hands. 

Surveying the dining and living room from where she stood, she saw several men from Alpha and Beta Team all over her place. Footsteps were heard from behind her and Damien's low voice sounded, "He's on kitchen duty." 

He walked past Katherine only stopping to press a kiss on her temple before he went to meet Markus in the living room who brought several company documents for him to sign. Noah greeted his boss as well but the Big Boss ignored his greeting.

"What do you mean kitchen duty?" Her eyes flickered between Damien and then Noah who was now back to minding his 'duty'.

"Just like how it sounds, Kitten," Damien answered. He sat on the luxury sofa and started skimming through each page, signing the bottom before he flipped to the next one. "Where's Felix?"

"He's…" Markus glanced very briefly at Katherine before he lowered his head and lowered his voice, "He's on an errand, Boss." He cleared his throat.

"Errand? What errand?" Damien questioned without lifting his head to look at his assistant. If he had, he probably would have understood what he meant right away. What kind of errand would he do without his order?

"Ah…" Damien nodded. He quickly finished signing the rest of the papers before he turned to Katherine who was already sitting next to him. "What do you think about Bear staying here?"

Her eyes sparkled upon hearing his question. "Really? He can stay here?" she beamed.

"Of course. I can bring him here now if you want." He stacked the documents neatly and handed them back to Markus without taking his eyes off her. He could see the excitement in her eyes and he imagined how Bear would react to see his mommy again. Turning to Markus, he ordered, "When you're done with this, can you bring Bear over? He'll stay here for a while."

"Yes, Boss." Markus bowed when Damien gestured for him to go with a simple nod and he left Katherine's penthouse.

"Are you sure he can stay here? I mean.. What if I'm out? I don't know if I can walk him…" Katherine mused.

Nodding towards Noah's direction, he answered. "You have a dog sitter." 

Katherine saw Noah pause briefly but continued like normal. "I thought he was on kitchen duty?"

"He's all-around," Damien replied nonchalantly while checking his emails from his phone. After learning about what happened yesterday in the alley, he was determined to give Noah a lesson. 

She leaned into him and whispered to his ear, "Isn't that a bit much?"

An annoyed look cast on his face as he faced Katherine. His brows furrowed and his eyes darkened. "No."

If it were anyone else, they would find his expression intimidating. But not her. She understood what he meant and she nodded before pressing her lips on his cheek. It somehow lessened his annoyance and he placed his focus back on his emails.

Since Noah was so cocky and disrespectful, Damien assigned him to be the house help, deducted his salary and put him on probation. He could have booted him out but Katherine already asked him not to fire the man. And honestly, they needed all the skilled men they could get at the moment. So even though he was reluctant to let him stay, he had to.

"Do you have work today?" she probed.

"Why?"

"I wish you would sleep a bit more," she worried, taking in the small bags under his eyes. He had only slept for a few hours and Katherine believed he needed to sleep in more in order to function fully but this man probably thought he was superhuman or something.

"I'm fine. I still have some things I need to go over later." He kept his phone away and gave her a small smile. "But I could use some food." Scanning the room, he wondered where Styles and Amelia were. "Where are they?"

Just as he asked, the two appeared from their bedrooms and his eyes landed on his mother's. Damien and Amelia exchanged awkward smiles as if they understood each other. All of them went to the dining table where Noah had set up their breakfast.

The morning was quite an entertaining one with Styles's nonstop chatter about his new gadgets and the latest happenings in the tech world. He was like a walking encyclopedia and a geek news anchor rolled into one.

Damien and Styles even planned a future gaming session where they, along with Jeffrey and Caleb could play together. Seeing them getting along, Katherine was so glad. She knew that Damien was trying his best to fit in her world and be friends with her friends and Styles was more than just a friend–he was a brother. Damien's efforts meant so much for her, which was why when she met his stare, she mouthed, "Thank you".

A couple of weeks ago, there were only three of them—Katherine, Styles, and Amelia. Now there were four. Heck—there were more than just four if Katherine counted Damien's men in their team. 

When at first she thought that taking down Shadow was going to be really impossible, now, she could almost confidently say otherwise. Their number is small. But they trusted each other. And that's what matters.

Katherine gazed at Damien and her heart warmed and throbbed and fluttered and did a backflip when she saw him laugh at something only he and Styles understood. And that's when she silently promised: 'I will be better, Damien. For you, I will.'