Aiden and Claire watched Lily as she quietly listened to Logan's instructions. Although most of the process of molding and baking the materials needed to make the mug were done by Logan, Lily paid close attention to everything he did and said. They were currently selecting the colors she would use to paint it.
Logan's studio assistant had guided Claire and Aiden to a sitting area that had a clear view of Lily while she made the present. They were seated in a small sofa with refreshments placed on top of the wooden coffee table in front of them. The time passed while they sat in comfortable silence with one another.
"What's your favorite color?" Aiden broke the silence between them after some time. He looked at her while she sipped from her tea cup.
Although confused by the sudden question, Claire answered. "Lavender, yours?"
"Black. Your turn." He grinned at her. She hadn't seen him truly smile yet, but she was sure it would have the power to make any woman's panties drop to the floor in an instant. He was just that handsome.
"Okay." Claire returned a grin back at him as soon as she understood what he was doing. She put her tea cup down and turned slightly to face him better. "What are some of your pet peeves?"
"Loud chewing, slow walkers and people disobeying my orders. How about yours?" He was glad she caught on quickly.
"Unkept fingernails, people who talk during movies and wasting time." Claire responded.
"Allergies?" He chuckled and lifted up his hands to show her his very well kept fingernails.
"Peanuts, you?" She replied while grinning and nodding in approval to his hands.
"None that I know of." Aiden made a mental note to make sure not to forget such an important detail. Although he was already memorizing everything she was saying about herself, he payed special attention to that specific fact.
"Do you like sports?" Claire asked.
"Yes. Besides martial arts, I'm into soccer." Aiden maintained a very active lifestyle to keep his body in top shape. Something that was pleasing to everybody's eyes, especially Claire's.
"Soccer? Really?" She curiously asked to confirm.
"Is it odd?" He replied while noticing the small sparkle in her eyes.
"Not at all. I really like soccer too. In fact, my brother and I used to play a lot when we had free time." A sweet expression bloomed on her face while she thought about Colton's goofy antics while playing together.
"Interesting." She didn't look like the sporty type so it was amusing for him to imagine her getting rough while playing soccer. "I'm guessing you've made plans to move out of your old place. Where are you going to live now?"
"Somewhere near the city's center for a while. I need to sort out some things before I settle down again. Where do you live?" True to her word, she wasn't going to move into a regular house until she dealt with the situation at hand.
"About half an hour east of my office building." He answered. Aiden knew she wanted to make sure her family was safe before anything else. It was a normal precaution to take.
"How come you don't have close security detail either?" Claire had noticed that similar to her, he didn't have men around him like most people of their ranking should. Although she was more than certain that he had people shadowing him.
"I usually do. But having a crowd around me gets tiresome from time to time. Especially when I'm trying to be alone with someone." He gave her a knowing smirk, making Claire slightly blush.
Before she could say anything in response, they were interrupted by Claire's cellphone ringing.
"Sorry I need to take this. Can you watch over her for a little bit?" She asked as she stood up from the couch.
"Of course. Take your time." He quickly replied. He was giddy inside since she would leave Lily under his watch. Even if it was for a short moment, it meant he had gained more of her trust.
Claire gave him a small smile as thanks and walked out of the studio. Aiden watched her leave before he looked at Lily who was now concentrating on painting. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her forehead was a bit sweaty, but her eyes were focused on what she was doing. She bared such a resemblance to Claire that it was like seeing some kind of past mirage of what she looked like as a child.
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Claire stood at the front entrance near Cameron and picked up the call. She knew what the call was about, making her expression turn extremely serious.
"How much did they spill?" She answered with a question without bothering to greet the other person on the line. Cameron overhead her and quickly understood what the call was about.
"Not much Boss. But enough to figure out they were only after Colton. They didn't seem to know about the young miss." The woman on the other line answered.
"Did they say who was behind it?" Claire inwardly sighed with a bit of relief. If her little flower was the target, then they would have even bigger problems compared to it just being Colton.
"They were hired through anonymous contacts and money wirings so they didn't have a name. All they knew was that the person wanted Colton killed and you to be delivered." The woman calmly explained the information her team had tortured out of the men captured at the villa the night before.
"Where was the drop off going to take place?" Claire's eyes sharpened and her pulse started to accelerate. She was still holding on to the hope that her suspicion was incorrect.
"A small shop at the far west side of the city called Sun Set Mechanics." The woman replied. Unbeknownst to her, she had set off something inside the person on the other end of the call.
Claire felt her blood freeze for an instant before it began to boil at the sound of the name. Bittersweet memories accompanied with an unspeakable pain came crashing down on her like rocks in a landslide. Her grip on the phone was so tight her knuckles were turning white while her eyes flashed with something so deadly Cameron couldn't even describe it.
The air around Claire shifted into an eerie one. The sensation he felt while looking at her was similar to the one he had around Aiden whenever he ordered blood to be spilled. He had thought she was fierce the night before when he witnessed her make a man crumble before her, but now, now he understood there was much more hidden behind her fiery eyes.
Claire took a deep breath in while closing her eyes. She held it for as long as she could before letting it out. With her eyes still closed shut she continued to speak.
"Have the center base prepared for Lily's arrival. Keep two of the rats caged and get rid of the rest. Double the guard around Colton and make sure to inform Anna of everything you just told me." She ordered while her grip on her phone tightened even more.
"Yes Boss. Anything else?" The woman answered as she started to diligently do as told.
"Have my new pup wait for me at the base." Claire replied before she ended the call. Her eyes were still closed when she lowered her phone to her side. Her grip on it had become so tight her hand started to feel numb.
She was slowly composing herself when she felt somebody gently start to open the tight closed fist she had the cellphone in. Opening her eyes she realized it was Cameron.
"You'll hurt your hand ma'am." Cameron calmly told her as he finished opening her palm and took the phone. He met her gaze while his gentle expression turned into a more serious one. "What are your orders ma'am?" He asked while offering her the phone back.
Claire looked up at Cameron and smirked. The look in his eyes was that of a soldier ready for war. She was right. He was truly a keeper.
"Get your car and meet me at the underground parking lot of Villan Enterprise." She said as she took her cellphone and turned to go inside the studio. Before she did, she slightly turned to face him again. "And if I were you I'd get ready. You're about to go through hell."