"Honey, do not think too much about what I said." Charlotte massaged Isaiah's shoulders gently as he sat on the bed. "I just wanted the children to avoid thinking too much about my parents. If they did not like that child, I would encourage them to get closer to their grandparents. But they value Leila too much."
Isaiah was already tired, and he did not want to argue with his wife. Moreover, he understood her intentions behind discouraging their children. Those in-laws were not to be messed with.
"That child will bring trouble. Your parents might be willing to take care of her and use their resources to help her. We cannot do anything to get rid of her. If the past is revealed…" Isaiah said.
Charlotte frowned. "I understand my parents quite well. Since they decided to retire, they will not take action outside their small village except when it is necessary. They are stubborn and old-fashioned."
"Do you think they will not interfere with that brat's life?" Isaiah perked up from his bad mood.
"My parents like everyone to be self-sufficient. Even if they were to leave her all their money, there would be conditions for her. They dislike incapable people the most. They only do enough to keep their children alive." Charlotte said.
"Are you saying they think I am incapable?" Isaiah's hackles raised.
Charlotte's lips twitched. How did she end up married to a man who was more sensitive than herself? Wasn't that question equivalent to asking 'Are you calling me fat'?
"You built your business from scratch. You have kept everything stable, and you have a good family. You are very capable." Charlotte flattered him.
The man drew the still beautiful woman into his arms, happy to hear the praises.
"You know what could make me happier?" Isaiah kissed her.
"You are so old, but you still want us to be so frivolous?" Charlotte complained but she yielded to him with a smile.
However, deep down, both of them were worried. Yes, they started their business from scratch, but their starting capital was from a suspicious place. They did not believe they were wrong, but the fear lingered.
They could only hope that the Lawson grandparents would not support Leila too much. If they did, it could mean the end for the Campbells.
In the penthouse apartment
Leila felt more restless and caged the longer she stayed indoors. She was used to being able to explore the woods that surrounded the Nirvana Village when she felt like this. However, she was now in a city.
And it was the new moon.
Unlike the full moon which would make her feel euphoric, she would always feel like something was scratching her from inside during the new moon. It was the feeling of being cast into the ocean or a dark endless room.
After some debating, she decided to go out for a walk. Even though she was not familiar with the city, she was not afraid. She did not believe someone could beat her in a fight in the city.
If anything, she would welcome a fight to get her inner wolf settled.
With that in mind, she wore a hoodie over her head in case, in the unlikely event, her wolfy ears popped out unexpectedly. She could control the appearance of her wolf eyes and ears in most cases, but she did not want to take a risk in a new city.
If she experienced stress, she might not have a choice but to follow her animal instincts.
When she left the building, Leila felt better almost immediately. The cool air drifting from the lake had a refreshing humid smell which reminded her of the woods in Nirvana after rainfall.
She found her feet leading her through the streets and towards the lake. The night was quiet, unlike what she expected from a city as someone who had lived in the village for most of her life.
Every time she left the village during her life, she always ended up in noisy places which made her uncomfortable. Everything would be too loud, too smelly, and too unpleasant, so she always went back home after handling her business.
She had to admit that Lake City was not too bad.
When she reached the lake, she perked up her ears to listen for noises that could indicate the presence of other people. She knew in cities, places like lakes would be guarded to prevent trespassing and other dangers like drowning.
Sensing nothing, she stealthily walked towards the lake and started a stroll along the shore. Her steps were light and lively as she listened to crickets chirping out loud and frogs croaking in the water.
For a short moment, she felt a little bit at home in Lake City.
Unfortunately, the feeling did not last.
As she was distracted while trying to see the fish splashing near the shore, she heard footsteps. She wanted to leave the scene immediately and avoid trouble, but things did not turn out as easy as she thought.
A man running at a preternatural speed along the lakeshore came towards her before she could react. He was holding a strange-looking gun in his hands. Two men were behind him and running just as fast.
Leila only had a chance to move for six steps when she was caught by the man with a gun. Without a pause in his actions, he held a gun to her head. Leila's mouth fell wide open as she looked at her situation.
However, her first thought was not about how dangerous her situation was. She just thought about how her grandparents would be angry if they found out she landed in trouble mere hours after she promised to be safe.
Then, she calmed down.
She needed to deal with this situation before her grandparents got wind of it. They pretended to be free of the secular world, but they always got gossip hot off the press. If she was not quick, they would hear of it.
"If you come any closer, I will kill her." The man pressed the muzzle to her head.
"Why should we care?" One of the men asked.
"We know your code of honour. You animals pretend to be civilized, so I know your code does not allow you to kill humans without cause." The man laughed. "We hunters have no qualms about it."
The two men snarled threateningly with sharp fangs bared at the man, but as he said, they did not make a move.
However, based on the conversation and the canines sticking out of the snarling men, Leila realized that she had not only walked into a crime scene, but she had also walked into a supernatural crime scene.
Yes, her grandparents were going to kill her if she survived.
As they were at an impasse, an enthralling voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere spoke up.
"Who said she was human?"