360 The Women's Deligh

Damien drove the group in his Range Rover while his security detail was in five of the same kind of SUV in black, following behind them in a convoy. Katherine was on the phone talking to her grandfather while sitting in the front seat. The car came to a stop at a red light and Damien looked at her.

The corners of his mouth curved up as he took in the dress that she was wearing. It was the same dress that she wore months ago on their first date when they started to become official. A simple classic white dress with front wrap closure and a tulip-style skirt that fell on her mid-thigh, showcasing her smooth, fair legs. It was the very same dress when he gave her a punishment that made her toes curl.

She was a bit overdressed for where he was taking her though he did say she could wear something comfortable—just like what he told her months ago too. But he wasn't complaining—he actually loved the look on her.

"What do you mean I already have—" she questioned in a high tone, her brows knitting together in confusion. "No, I didn't see… And you didn't tell me." She chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to Chairman Young on the other line. "I'm currently outside. I will check later when I go back—Yes, Grandpa, I'm with him." Her voice softened at the last sentence at the same time that she briefly took a glimpse of Damien, already aware that he was staring at her.

He cocked a brow up at her, silently questioning 'what's up'. She said her goodbyes quickly and let out a sigh before glancing back at him and smiling. "It was Grandpa."

"What did he say?"

"He was asking me earlier where I was headed today. Told him I was out for an errand and that I was planning to buy a car afterwards but then he told me that I already have one. It's apparently been sitting in the underground parking space since I moved in. He bought it for me and 'forgot' to tell me. He thought I would notice the car key that was placed somewhere."

"Ah…" Damien nodded and stepped on the gas when the traffic light turned green. "You also still have the Jaguar, you know?"

Katherine didn't respond and just looked at the road ahead of them. She almost forgot about the car that Damien gave her a few months ago. How could she have forgotten that this man next to her showered her expensive gifts back then—gave her a whole new wardrobe, a car, and a house. Everything was a nice gesture but there was just something about taking expensive gifts that just didn't sit well with her.

Seeing as he turned to a familiar road, she probed, "Where are we headed to? Your company's a few blocks away from here."

Her brows drew together, seemingly curious about what they were doing there. "Your office?" she asked, glancing at him and seeing him press some buttons on a remote control that she saw for the first time. In a matter of seconds, a hidden garage-looking entrance appeared from a wall next to his dedicated parking space.

The security detail in the SUVs behind followed them as they entered the lower ground level. The entrance closed after the last vehicle had passed. They spiraled one floor down the parking lot and entered what looked like a massive underground basement. "What… What is this place?" 

"Dude, this is…" Styles was also surprised to see what was in front of them.

When they alighted the car, the group followed Damien towards an entryway. The entire place was a blank canvas of only concrete walls and floor with no paint at all. It was very basic but it had ample lighting on the ceiling that illuminated the whole place. Her eyes landed on a lit signage above the entryway that read: Maverick Security.

Snapping her head towards him, she raised a brow and probed, "Maverick Security? I didn't know you owned a security agency." It wasn't until a month after dating Damien that she came to know about his second name and she always found it really fitting for him.

"It's not really a secret. I just don't flaunt it everywhere. The business is legal but we don't advertise like others as I'm not after profit. Mostly it's for the hotels and resorts' security and very rarely do we accept VIP security. Come, let's go inside." He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the inner part of the area. 

Katherine was in awe seeing that there were a few other black SUVs parked inside and several men in both casual and black suit attires roaming about. She didn't see this information about him owning a security agency six years ago when she did her research back in Shadow so it must have happened after that.

Entering inside, she saw Damien's men had dispersed to different locations, evidently feeling at home in the place as they arrived. She took in the same layout of only concrete walls and flooring. There were several other men in the area whom she was seeing for the first time. All of them turned to their direction and greeted Damien respectfully with a bow before going back to what they were doing—but not after glancing at Katherine and Amelia's way.

On the left side was a wide, open gym space with various kinds of equipment filled with buff-looking men working out. In the middle section was a flat mat area and also a boxing ring. On the right were a few closed-door spaces that made Katherine curious as to what was behind those doors.

A man came to Damien's side after being signaled and Damien said, "This is Styles. Can you show him the tech room?" After Styles followed the man and disappeared round the corner on the left side, Damien turned to Katherine and Amelia. "This way," he said and led the way towards the far-end door to the right.

Katherine and Amelia looked at each other, not knowing what to expect but followed Damien anyway. Katherine's heels clicked on the hard concrete floor and that's when she realized that she was probably overdressed coming to this place. She didn't really expect for Damien to show her this and because she planned to go somewhere later, she thought it would be nice to dress up.

Damien opened the door and stepped aside to let Amelia in first and stayed behind Katherine before throwing a warning glare at the men who ogled at the women with him. Placing his hand on Katherine's waist, it was as though he was declaring: 'She's mine. Keep your hands off her or I'll chop them off.'

Seeing their boss's protective stance, the men immediately looked away and minded their own business.

The three of them walked several more steps deeper inside before they entered another room and Katherine's eyes lit up as soon as she realized what the room was—a shooting range.

Damien observed the looks on the women's faces as they saw the sight in front of them and he subtly shook his head when he noticed their delight but a small smile ghosted his face. "Feel free to practice here anytime you want," he said as he strolled towards the small armory inside the range.