"Oh, Joey's wife, let me drive it." Skylar quickly reasoned, hiding her night hunt from him.
"And where did you go?" Vincencio curiously asked, before inhaling her scent, almost making Skylar moan if she didn't push him away gently.
"Why you ask?" she wondered, hoping she was caught.
"The engine is still hot." He answered, grinning before pecking her lips twice. Skylar got alarmed but knew how to reason and dodged bullets.
"Oh, I roam around from the hotel to the company to find sleep, and sadly, I ended up with paint and canvas." She briefed, making him check his wife openly, setting Skylar's cheek on fire.
"Well, I still love you colorful." He teased and winked at her before inviting her. "Shall we head to bed? I want to cuddle."
"Who's clingy now?" Skylar refuted teasingly.
"Both?" He responded, making them giggle.
"Touché, but let me clean this up." She said and was about to start cleaning up the pretend mess when Vincencio quickly carried her in his arms.
"Clean that tomorrow, and let's go." He said, and they went to bed in Skylar's workshop, retiring for the late-night secret commitment.
However, Skylar could not sleep easily since her hunting task was suddenly missed. She was disappointed at missing a target, but she was eager to meet the mysterious man, who captivated her interest during her night hunt.
"Aside from my husband, I didn't think that somebody would catch my attention like this." Amused, Skylar thought as she snuggled more into her husband's arms before adding. "Not bad, MG Boss."
Tomorrow morning, Skylar was getting used to waking up earlier than Vincencio's waking time. She prepares her morning coffee, does laundry, and prepares breakfast. However, her mind drifted to her last night's hunt, making her sigh, which she almost cut her fingers if she hadn't felt the cold blade almost touch it.
"That's close." She mumbled and focused on cooking until she stopped. "What is that?"
Skylar's ears twitched, and the noises happening around the house stirred her hearing, making her frown. She began hearing things clearly from the laundry and footsteps upstairs, then to the hall and the staircase.
"Morning." She quickly greeted the person approaching the kitchen.
"Morning, how did you know that I'm coming?" Vincencio curiously wondered, but didn't stop her from kissing her temple dearly.
"Instincts?" She replied, shrugging her shoulders, before finishing her cooking, and Vincencio helped her by plating.
Their meal was always warm until they decided to slouch for a few hours in the living area, watching the news. But it was the same morning, new and yet, something caught their attention, making the television's volume go up.
"Luca Madrigal, is it true you almost got killed last night?"
"Yeah, luckily they were scratched, but that port, I think they were smuggling firearms."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I saw them transferring some cargos in another container and their warehouse filled with antiques."
"I wanted to laugh." Vincencio chuckled, but Skylar noticed the darkness in his eyes.
"Are you okay, hubby?" Skylar wondered while her eyes fixated on their TV. "I'll make sure he dies tonight."
"I'm good. I don't like what he was saying, though." He answered, but Skylar sensed something else, yet she could not figure it out.
"Have you seen him before?" she wondered.
"Yeah, he's snooping around the port, pretending to be an inspector, but sadly, he's wrong." He answered, making Skylar curious.
"Meaning?" she curiously asked.
"I knew every inspector checking the cargo's port, and that Luca Madrigal wasn't in the list or in the newbies list. And from what I heard about MG, they had a reputation to hold, and messing with them is like messing with the mafia." He answered, defending the Midnight Guardian before sighs of pity. "I pity that man."
"Wow, you knew MG?" she commented with a giggle.
"Well, they were good at securing the cargos and we're trying to have a partnership with them and I think they'll accept it soon." He replied, grinning in anticipation, making Skylar smile proudly at him.
"I'm proud of you." She proudly commented and kissed his cheek. However, Skylar was determined to deal with her escaped prey. "Breath for now, Luca, soon, you'll face your deathbed."
"Oh, let's go. It's almost seven." Vincencio noticed the time, making Skylar sigh, but agreed.
***
Their usual routine around their household ended, and they headed to their respective tasks around the company. Skylar moved like the usual attendant, meeting with her cold façade and speaking with authority and command. However, when she returned to her office, something clouded the CEO's mind, making her decide not to be disturbed at the moment.
"Med, don't let anything disturb me. I'll be in my penthouse." Skylar quickly informed her secretary when she got out of her office to grab her coat before adding. "But still call me when something urgent happens."
"Yes, boss. Irina might be able to help you." Medina understood what her boss was referring to.
"Noted." She nodded and went to the private lift, heading to her penthouse.
Arriving at her penthouse, she could smell Irina's baking cookies, which never failed to make her stomach react in hunger. She didn't knock. She didn't need to and just entered without warning. As for Irina, she knew that her blood mother was heading to the kitchen.
"Hello, Mom." Irina greeted Skylar with warmth as she took out freshly baked cookies from the oven before adding, "How's your day?"
"Good, but how – never mind," Skylar answered, but quickly stopped herself from asking when she recalled that Irina was a vampire.
"I thought you forgot that I'm a vampire." She teasingly giggles.
"Almost." She chuckled and smelled the cookies, making her drool for a taste.
"Anyway, have a taste." She gave her a signal, but Skylar was a little skeptical.
"Can she put her vampire blood in her baking?" Skylar thought in wonder, making Irina giggle.
"Don't worry, I didn't put my blood on it." Amused, she joked.
"Are you reading me?" She wondered, and Irina shook her head.
"Nope. I can't read your mind, but your expression does." She replied, making Skylar touch her face.
"Is it written?" she confusedly asked, making Irina laugh. "I wondered if she could tell that I'm bothered about my last night hunt?"
"Are you bothered by your last night's hunt? Yes, that expression I could read." She answered after repeating what Skylar had just thought, making her squint her eyes.
"How come you can't read my thoughts?" Skylar asked curiously, making Irina smile.
"It's not that I couldn't, they were hazy and uneven, and if I tried to dig on it, I might puke and worse, I might bleed, and I don't want to make Medina worry." She answered honestly as she sat beside her blood mother.
"Oh, so vampires had a hard time reading things." She commented, nodding to what she learned about vampires.
"Well, there were unique humans that even for vampires were hard to read, but since vampires changed, they didn't care much about reading unless they were offering blood to sustain us." She agreed and briefed her.
"I think I heard some human does that, and they were called blood whore, am I right?" She said, making Irina smile and nod.
"Yeah, that's the term. For humans, vampire blood was like a drug to be addicted to. That's why FRSil needed a strict doctor's prescription, so humans would be safe. But taking more than the prescribed amount, strong hallucination, addiction, and death may happen." She explained, making Skylar recall when she tried using it on one of her targets.
"Ohh, that's why when I used it before, he became weird." She slightly reacted in surprise but understood.
"But it could also act as a truth serum. Just one dose injected in the arm, hallucinations started, which you can start interrogating." She added, making Skylar frown curiously.
"Wait, if the FRSil had that effect, some mafia might find it useful that the regular serum," Skylar said, and realized something. "If the Moon Rose Familia had that kind of cargo last night, it might be the reason why Luca was there, trying to steal the medicine and firearms."
"If he did, somebody directed him. Someone gave him a tip on where to get it quicker than stealing from the accredited hospitals." Irina added, making Skylar tap the counter while munching cookies.
"If that was the case, who tipped him?" she wondered.
"Perhaps, someone already knew the port's system flow." Irina guessed.
"Inside job?" she wondered.
"I don't think so because based on what I read from Medina's intel, the MG's boss isn't a type who you can betray without dying on the spot," Irina said, making Skylar nod.
"True. Then it may have come from the first attempts." She guessed, thinking something more before adding, "I have to make Medina check that."
"I think she already does, Mom." Irina said, making her frown, but Irina giggled before adding, "Just check your office, you might find something there. And another thing, be careful and always watch over your temper, or else, I will be forced to use the FRSil on you."
"Are you talking about the changes happening to me?" she guessed, making Irina smile and nod before wondering, "You know this because?"
"I'm a vampire, and you're my blood mother. I feel the changes in you also, aside from being a vampire, I have knowledge in medicine and other chemicals. So, you can expect me to mix chemicals, whether for medicine or explosives. I'm good at both." She explained, making her smile in understanding.
"Wow, you and Joey could work lethally, but I prefer you behind the laboratory." She admitted she wanted Irina safe.
"And why?" Irina knew but still asked.
"Aside from keeping you safe, I hope to be able to control FRSil's effect in case it is used against me." She answered with a hopeful smile.
"FRSil strongly works with humans, but with night creatures like us, it must be timed." She answered but chuckled.
"Why did you make it sound like I am not human to begin with?" she groaned, making Irina chuckle.
"Well, it isn't bad, Mom, but it's strong." Irina seriously answered and added a warning. "Mom, be careful. Don't get mad easily."
"I'll try, but if something bad happens to either you or your dad, don't expect me to calm down." She firmly said and kissed her blood daughter before heading to her office. "I'll check what you mentioned earlier."
"Then, I'll bring these cookies to Medina." She said and left her in the penthouse.
"Is that how mates do for each other? So much like us." Amused, Skylar mumbled and entered her office – her secret office.
***
Skylar checked what Irina mentioned earlier and was amazed at how Medina managed to have a copy of the MG's CCTV footage of last night's event. She shook her head but remained focused on her target's position and its aim. She carefully watched Luca's movement in the darkness without realizing the camera's position in the area.
"I think I knew the reason why MG wasn't securing the area as tightly as the others." Skylar thought carefully before smirking, "MG's boss decided to make that area an invitation for the likes of Luca. It's a trapping area and I like it."
Despite her amusement, she made sure to check every angle of her target's movements across the cargo warehouse, and with each move he created, Skylar could already conclude what he was after.
"I am right, he was after the cargo that I saw in the dark container, but did the familia know this attack?" She wondered and read Medina's note.
Medina's Note:
Last night's hunt was a miss, but the familia's cargos were safely delivered and received. The familia's bosses just confirmed it. However, the prey has escaped. Luckily, it gives us the opportunity to play better since he showed himself in the news, which was a very wrong move to make. But we have to be careful, this might be a plot to catch someone. Perhaps, Rose Slayer.
"My Beta never fails me." Skylar chuckled amusingly before a sinister grin. "Well, if they were after Rose Slayer, I have to make sure to finish mine before they come after me. And to do that, I have to go there."
Skylar got up from her seat and grabbed another cookie before heading back to her company. However, it was not the only thing she was carrying when she returned, and Medina sensed it.
"Decided to do something drastic?" Medina asked smugly, knowing her boss well.
"Yeah, I'm heading there for three days," Skylar said and kissed Irina's head.
"A three-day business meeting, noted," Medina noted it down in her boss's schedule before wondering, "…and Vincencio?"
"Let him handle the company. Assist him." She decided as she entered her office, leaving her coat on its rack before turning serious at Medina. "Don't even think about telling him about it, Med. Don't kill my surprise."