A few hours back, before the unfortunate events that occurred with Hank and Victoria, Mr. Collin convened another meeting at his home office with the vampiresses and the vampires whose marriages had been affected by Savannah's seduction gift. Endless debates and bickering ensued for hours among the disgruntled couples. The vampiresses were adamant about seeking divorces, but Mr. Collin and the other vampires remained obstinate in denying their requests.
To stop the bickering among them, Mr. Collin demanded, slamming his fist on the desk loudly, and causing some of the vampiresses to jump. "My decision is final!" he announced sternly. "Twice now, I have reviewed the verdict as you requested. Your husbands are not guilty of cheating. It is time to make amends. You must forgive them for what Savannah did. Therefore, by next month, each of you is to return to your husbands' clans. Anyone who refuses will face the Headmaster. Is that clear, vampiresses?"
Crickets could be heard chirping if they had held the meeting outside, given how silent it became between the vampiresses and the vampires who gathered around the interior of the office for the meeting. Given this scenario, the final straw had been drawn.
Anger seethed within the vampiresses, while the vampires were relieved because they truly loved their wives. Most of them had offspring together, so the vampires didn't want to break up their families, especially when they had done no wrong to their wives. Unfortunately, Savannah's gift had truly caused a lot of damage in their marriages.
In disagreement with the final decision, Eva huffed and was the first to storm out of the office. Seconds after she absurdly slammed the door shut, the other females grumbled in annoyance and followed her out. Another slam from the door vibrated through the walls inside the office after the last vampiress had left.
Overwhelmed by the stress of all this unnecessary drama, Mr. Collin rubbed his temples. Just when he thought dealing with Kai was difficult to handle, a group of angry vampiresses had proven him wrong.
Looking up at the silent vampires, Mr. Collin sighed. "I suggest giving them some space," he advised. "I'm sure they'll come around."
"Sooner or later, they'll have to," Finn remarked, feeling gratified that Mr. Collin had stayed firm on his previous decision prior to this meeting. Had that not been the case, he knew Eva would have taken their three offspring and left him.
After expressing their gratitude to Mr. Collin, the vampires left to give him some much-needed space after all the drama he had tackled for one day.
~~~
Beyond exasperated, Eva stormed into one of the arched living rooms encircled by ceiling-high pillars. As soon as she stepped in, a faint creak caught her ears, followed by the rustle of fabric as the couch cushions shifted.
Prior to her arrival, Jack and her older sister, Sharlene, were already seated on the couch together. Though there appeared to be a small gap between them, Eva swore she caught a slight glimpse of Jack cuddling with her older sister, which was a definite "no zone" in her book.
"Weren't you supposed to be at the police station with Kai?" Eva questioned Jack as she plopped her light body weight on the couch across from them.
"I asked for a day off. I wanted to spend time with Shar—my unborn offspring!" Jack replied awkwardly, feeling a cold sweat on his face.
"Is that so?" Eva interrogated, skeptically squinting her eyes at him, as she felt certain he had almost said Sharlene before he quickly corrected himself.
With a curt reply, Jack gulped hard. "I... did."
As an advisor, Jack technically wasn't ever off duty, but Kai was generous enough to give him time with Sharlene since nothing serious was going on to require his assistance at the police station.
For months after Sharlene conceived his offspring and bore his sacred mark, Jack had been striving to step up and take responsibility for the wrongdoing that Savannah had unfairly placed on her. Despite knowing it wasn't his fault, he couldn't shake the guilt of feeling he had failed his duty as an advisor.
During these past months, Sharlene had avoided him until he returned home from the Rebellion war. More recently, she had finally begun allowing him to hold her, and they had even shared casual conversations reminiscent of the ones they had in their earlier days. Jack had even received a peck on the cheek from Sharlene upon his return from Egypt, which made his heart sing with joy.
Unfortunately, with Eva's arrival, her quick judgment on him felt like she was shoving a knife down his throat for getting a little too cozy with her older sister. But Jack knew Eva meant well for her sister.
"You asked Kai for a day off?" Eva questioningly remarked, narrowing her eyes skeptically.
For certain, she was onto him. She knew Jack was making amorous advances towards her sister.
Tired of her sister's pettiness, Sharlene sighed loudly. "Enough, Eva," she retorted, rubbing her large baby bump. "Jack has every right to bond with his unborn daughter."
"Hmm," Eva hummed disapprovingly, scowling more at Jack.
Was Sharlene honestly that blind not to realize Jack was putting the moves on her? Wedding bells would be chiming soon if her dear sister wasn't careful, and she'd end up stuck with Jack like how she's permanently trapped in a marriage with Finn!
"Anyways, how did the meeting go?" Sharlene changed the topic, solemnly steering her little sister away from her judgmental interrogation, directed at Jack.
When it came to her little sister, she knew what buttons to push.
"Divorce has been denied again! I'm so frustrated!" Eva ranted, withdrawing her nasty fangs as she spoke. "Ugh! We really thought Mr. Collin would change his mind. I should've seen this coming."
Jack kept quiet while Sharlene giggled.
"Why are you laughing?" Eva growled, now questioning her sister, which put Jack on edge to defend Sharlene even from her sister's pettiness.
"Finn loves you and your offspring. Maybe it's time to patch things up with your husband," Sharlene kindly suggested.
Upon hearing such words of betrayal, Eva retorted, snubbing her nose at the ceiling. "I can't believe my own sister is taking Finn's side!"
"Mom, Dad, and our brothers and sisters feel the same," Sharlene informed her, observing Eva's jaw drop in shock, and she expressed an insulted scowl.
"Seriously!" Eva squealed like a mouse who lost her cheese. "Betrayed by my own family. How dare you all!"
She rose firmly from the couch and began making her way to the exit.
With a playful giggle, Sharlene asked, "Where are you going?"
"To give Dad a piece of my mind!" Eva ranted, storming out the door without glancing back, now completely forgetting to keep Jack and Sharlene under her supervision.
"I can't figure out who I pity more, Dad or Finn!" Sharlene giggled louder, and Jack smiled, cupping her hand into his.
Though Jack never had any issues with Eva, he was glad she had gone elsewhere to pester her father instead of him.