"Who?" Spike asked while he thought of an appropriate answer. Qila was asking about Due!
"The alpha wolf. He attacked you in my dream," Qila elaborated. She was staring at him.
"He is an enemy," Spike replied succinctly. "He was once a very close friend but because of a woman, he became my nemesis."
"I gathered that." Qila nodded seriously. "Does he appear in reality?"
"He may appear one of these days," Spike sighed. He kissed her eyes. "How are your wounds?"
Qila felt her gun wound. "It is gone! And the knife wounds! They are healed!"
The werewolf had a great healing power. Spike did not reply. He would wait for the DNA result...
"You healed me with your power?" Qila asked him.
"No. I restored your healthy body with my dragon power." Spike cupped her hips. "You were poisoned by the cocci plants found in the walls of your flat."
"Poisoned?"
"When did you live in that place?"
"About six years. Why?"
"It is possible that the plants are there since you moved in that place."
"But I don't feel poisoned!" Qila protested huskily. Her voice deepened when his hands fondled her back.
"The poison has a slow effect. Do you know where you are all the time?"
"Monday to Friday, I am at the office. Saturday, I am part-time gym instructor. Sunday, I do all the house chores."
"Saturday," Spike pounced lightly. He nuzzled her neck and jaw. "Do you remember the students' names?"
"Names?" Qila stretched her neck to give him more areas to graze. She closed her eyes. Her brows puckered as she thought. "No. I don't remember any names!" She gave a short shriek when he bit her skin.
"Sorry," Spike whispered while nibbling the delicate shape of her earlobe. "Try to remember one," he urged.
"I... I can't... when you're doing that..." Qila sighed as he flipped their position. In an instant, she was beneath him.
"I want you, Qila!"
"Oh, Spike! Take me, take me..."
They stayed in the concave room for many hours. They were not disturbed there while they explored their bodies. They did not stop until they dropped with exhaustion.
"I can't remember any names!" Qila complained when they woke up together.
"No worries," Spike murmured while he carried her towards the pool. "It doesn't matter."
"Where are we going?"
"We will take a dip." Spike told her before he jumped into the water.
"Oh! Halps!" But Qila was grinning as she treaded the water. "It's cold but it is refreshing!"
"You must be hungry!" Spike laughed.
"I am starving!" Qila admitted cheerfully.
While Qila was in the bathroom, Spike texted new instruction to Turner.
'Investigate Qila's Saturday visits to the gym. Who were her students? Or what were her activities in there?'
'Yes, sir!' was the succinct reply.
They had a happy breakfast. Soledad could not stop smiling while serving them.
"You are well, Miss Qila! I am very glad!" she exclaimed when she saw them.
"Me, too. How is your leg wound, Tita Sol?"
"It is healing. Thank you."
"You must rest now, Soledad. Qila is feeling better now," Spike told the former chef.
"Aw! Miss Qila is not hard to please!" Soledad answered smilingly. "I enjoy looking after her."
"I enjoy your company, Tita Sol. But you don't have to look after me literally," Qila replied gently.
"Correct," Spike agreed with Qila. "You must take care of your injured leg, Soledad."
"Are you sure, Miss Qila?"
Qila showed her rib area to Soledad. There was no evidence of the wound.
"Oh, you heal fast!"
"That's why you better take a rest, Tita Sol!" Qila told the older woman.
"Okay, okay! I will follow your suggestion! Bye, sir! Bye, Miss Qila!" Soledad instructed a female employee to be her substitute.
"We shall be working here, Qila, while they were investigating the extent of Limrick's influence in the company."
"Sure. How can I help?"
"Hmm," Spike thought for a few seconds. "Since you were the favorite encoder of Limrick, maybe you could decipher his documents."
"Come to think of it... I can't remember any of them," Qila admitted pensively.
"Not surprisingly. You were consistently drugged," Spike concluded perceptively.
"Now I know why my days were vague and short," Qila mulled pensively.
"You don't have to think about them, Qila dear." They went to his office. "Tomorrow, we'll have larger space. You will have your own cubicle complete with computer, printer, and fax machine."
The first report came in. Spike glanced at Qila. She was busy filing the papers on his 'out' tray. They were harmless. Just letters and checks he had signed.
'The black liquid is mysterious. It is just water. Its murky color is from unknown origin. Further study is being done. Dr. Diomedes.'
'I'll be waiting for further report!' Spike sent a message after reading.
The second report was from Turner. 'The gun has an anonymous owner but the bullets point to Abigor Limrick. They are his inventions. The owner of the gun is conclusive, Abigor Limrick. Turner.'
'File a case against him! We have the evidences! Frustrated murder on me! By the way, the woman who fired the gun was dead!' Spike was gritting his teeth when he made the reply through texting.
A general report came in by lunchtime. 'Buildings One to Five have Cocci growth in between walls and floors. We recommend the evacuation of occupants. We urge the management to have a general checkup of and to counsel all employees. Turner.' The document was signed by twenty investigators.
Spike had thirteen ten-storey buildings. Limrick almost completed his domination of the Pendragon Company!
He sent a message of agreement to Turner. 'Do everything in the recommendation! And look for evidences that would incriminate Limrick!'
"Would you like coffee or tea?" Qila asked him when he stood up and walked to the table where she spread the documents to file.
"I have a better idea. Why don't we go out and have our tea in the garden?"
Qila looked at the grandfather's clock. "Oh! Look at the time!"
"We'll have a long lunch break!" Spike wrapped his arms around her small waist. Qila was wearing a black pencil-cut skirt and a white ruffled blouse. "Or we'll have half day." He lowered his voice while he nuzzled her neck.
"Half day!" Qila exclaimed in an astounded manner. "I only started on my new job. The boss wouldn't like it!"
"On the contrary, the boss would like it very much!" Spike quipped teasingly.
Qila pouted her full lips. "I have a mountain of filing to do!"
"Our new office would be ready tomorrow. You'll have your filing cabinet then. We'd better have a holiday today." Spike kissed her kissable lips.
"Okay..." Qila held on to his lapels while his arms carried her.
They did not go to the garden, as he promised. They went to his bedroom and stayed there for many hours.
Qila was sleeping when Spike felt the vibration of his celfone. He stretched his arm to pick it at the side table.
'The DNA result is 99.99%... positive!'
Due Seawolf was the father of Qila!
Spike did not know whether he would rejoice or disheartened.
Due would not be happy to know that his enemy was the lover of his daughter!
'Well, that's too bad!' he muttered to himself. He disentangled his other arm beneath Qila and got up carefully. He knew Due would call him.
'The result is positive. Your daughter is with me,' Spike texted after he closed the sliding glass door of the balcony.
The celfone vibrated after a few moments. Spike smiled mischievously and let the device vibrate for a long time. The second time it started again, he pressed the 'accept' button.
"Hello?" Spike sat on a chair and stretched out his feet in a relaxed manner.
"Tell me! Is she really my daughter? Who is her mother?" Due sounded distraught.
"Hey, relax!"
"Answer me!" Due replied angrily.
"Okay. First of all, the mother is dead." Spike deliberately hanged his sentence.
"Who was the mother? Damn you!"
"Oops, no swearing, Due!" Spike expressed calmly. "Count to ten. Breathe in, breathe out."
"Okay, Spike! Who--"
"Lala."
There was silence but Spike knew Due was still there. He was panting.
"Or Celine. Or Wendy. She came by many aliases, Due," he asserted firmly.
"Lala had our child and did not tell me?" Due's voice was broken. Spike could imagine him holding his head with both hands. "Why?"
"There's a story behind the secrecy. If you wanted to hear it, you must pull yourself together. If you wanted to meet your daughter, you must remain calm while you're here. Understand, Due Seawolf?" Spike muttered decisively.
"Y-yes, I will... Let me pull myself together!" Due sniffed like a child.
"Due, I'm sorry about you and Lala. I'm really sorry. I knew Lala as Celine because she made me believe that she was Celine. And for the record, Celine and I had never been lovers!"
"I believe you, Spike... I'll be there tomorrow..."
Although Spike was wary of Due's temperament, he agreed cautiously.
"Please, do not bring your bodyguards, Due."
"Okay..." Due replied in toneless manner.
'Which means, he will bring his pack!' Spike interpreted silently.