359 A Fluffy Reunion

The sun was high up in the sky at nine in the morning. The sun rays illuminated the living room of the 61st floor of Golden Phoenix Residences but it wasn't hot at all. The air was crisp and fresh, making the Saturday morning quite pleasant and enjoyable. 

Inside Katherine's penthouse, it was more crowded than usual because of Damien's men who were stationed in every corner of her place. Styles and Amelia joined her and Damien in the living room and just as they were about to sit, Damien's phone rang.

"Yes?" he answered after the first ring. "Okay." The phone call ended very quickly and he turned to Katherine. "Bear's coming over now."

"Wait… your dog?" Styles questioned, his eyes sparkling in anticipation.

Damien nodded and got up, pulling Katherine with him as he walked towards the foyer to welcome their fluffy baby. Styles and Amelia got up and faced the foyer but they remained in the living room which was several meters away.

"Do you think he'll remember me?" Katherine worried. It had been a while since she had last seen Bear and she would be really upset if the puppy had forgotten her. Feeling her heart drum in her chest, she kept her keen eyes focused on the large entryway, waiting anxiously. It was a bizarre feeling, but she loved it.

Damien recalled the time a few days ago when he took Bear out for a morning walk and actually saw Katherine out for a run around their building. Bear had somehow recognized her from a distance and barked. He had to hold the leash securely and tightly to keep Bear in place. A faint, playful smile appeared on his face and he dug his hands in his pockets as he responded, "I'm sure he does."

He watched Katherine, who stood diagonally in front of him, as her hands were clasped together, seemingly excited and nervous at the same time. She looked like a child at the moment and it was a precious look to see. It was as if there weren't any problems happening in their lives right now.

A few moments later, they heard the sound of the elevator stopping at her floor and a couple of seconds later, a huge brown, bear-like dog came running towards the foyer. Under the brightly lit space, Bear had a really soft brown fur and golden eyes. Its cute fluffy ears flapped as it excitedly ran straight towards Katherine and Damien.

"Oh my god!" Katherine's mouth hung open as she gasped in shock upon seeing her furbaby had doubled its size compared to the last time she had seen Bear. The pictures and videos that Damien sent her before didn't do justice at all! Her heart skipped a beat when she laid her eyes on the ball of fur that's speeding its way towards her. She knew what it was about to do and she didn't know if she was going to take it.

She was the one who was supposed to welcome Bear in her penthouse but it seemed like she was the one being welcomed. She couldn't explain the feeling that she was experiencing right now. Probably because she didn't expect the puppy to remember her at all but obviously, judging by Bear's action, it knew who she was and it made her heart swell.

Slowly kneeling on the floor so that she could support herself as she hugged Bear, she heard its little whimpers as though Bear was trying to say: 'Where have you been, Momma? Why am I only seeing you now? Can you see? I have grown!' The thought made her teary-eyed and she laughed. This might be silly for other people who weren't so fond of dogs but for Katherine, Bear was her baby. Bear was part of their family already. Even animals have hearts too, you know?

"Look at him, Damien… He's so cute and huge," she commented, her fingers scratching Bear's neck as she did. Bear's tail wagged so fast as if it understood what the humans were talking about. 

"Mm… He is." Damien patted Bear's head before it gave each of them licks on their cheeks. He could see how happy she was to see Bear and thought that he should have done this earlier.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's this huge. Is he going to grow more?"

"He'll be six months soon. Yeah, he's still growing and he's growing fast."

"I'm going to throw you a party, Bear! Yes, I will!" Katherine told Bear in a sing-songy voice, nuzzling her face on its fluffy neck.

Katherine and Damien leaned back and covered when Bear shook its head, splashing its saliva. The two complained at the same time and watched as the fluffball made its way to Styles who was quietly and eagerly waiting for his turn to pet the dog.

Styles restrained himself earlier because he didn't want to interrupt Katherine's reunion with her furbaby but the elation in his eyes was as clear as day. His face grew red and he could no longer hold himself back when Bear circled around him. He squealed in delight and squatted in front of Bear. "You're the most adorable four-legged creature that I have ever seen. Can I keep you?!"

There was laughter in the living room as they watched Styles play with Bear, giving it treats and teaching it some tricks. However, because he couldn't resist his adoration towards the puppy, Styles would give the treat first before asking Bear to do the trick.

"That's not how it works, Styles. You have to make him obey first before giving him a reward. You're doing it wrong." Katherine rolled her eyes but laughed at the sight. She had her back leaned against Damien's chest while his hand rested around her waist as he checked his emails on his phone with the other.

"I know. But he's so cute. How can I resist his face? His eyes are droopy… He looks so sad…" Styles faked a sob before giving Bear another treat. "Good boy," he praised. Bear didn't even do anything and just sat in front of Styles, wagging its tail and waiting for the next cookie.

The atmosphere in Katherine's penthouse was so warm and jolly. She had almost forgotten that there was something out there that's out to get her.

Feeling a kiss pressed on the side of her head, she turned to see Damien and heard him say, "We should get ready. There's somewhere I need to take you."

Katherine straightened up and her curious eyes met his gentle stare. "Where are we going?"

"Just in the city. Go shower and wear something comfortable. I'll go change and I'll meet you here when you're done."

"Okay… Is it only us? Or are they coming too?" she wondered, her eyes looking at Styles and then at Amelia who was in the kitchen with Noah.

"All four of us." Damien glanced at his mother and cleared his throat. "I'll let her know."