I stared at the photo. It was old and faded, but clear enough to see the faces of the people in it. A little girl, maybe five or six years old, with dark hair in pigtails, large bright eyes and a big smile, stood next to an older man in a silver ceremonial suit.
The man was Cassian Sterling, and the girl was unmistakably Naya.
I looked up at Andrew, and our gaze met and held for about a minute before I looked away, shaking my head.
"No," I said immediately. "Absolutely not."
"Hansel—"
"I'm not doing it." I shoved the photo back at him. "I don't want to deal with a human, much less lower myself to ask one for favours. These people are despicable."
"You've already lowered yourself, Hansel." Andrew leaned against the table with a mischievous smile, which was infuriating me. "You kissed her, nearly fucked her, and now she's staying at your place. That's a pretty big compromise."
"That's different," I said with a scowl.
"How?"
"I was tired of listening to her whining, and she was crying too. You know how I feel about women crying. I agreed to let her stay just to shut her up. That was all."
Andrew sighed and rose from his chair. "Listen, you don't have to grovel or beg her. She won't even know you're asking for a favour."
I tilted my head towards him, joining him on my feet too. "What do you mean?"
"The DOE Foundation Fundraiser." Andrew pulled out his phone and scrolled through something. "It's tomorrow evening, and it's the biggest charity event of the season. Every major player in the entertainment and hospitality industry will be there."
"I know. I'm one of the sponsors."
"So are the Sterlings." He showed me his phone. "I contacted a close friend of a man who's in the planning committee, and he said the Sterling family have already RSVP'd, which means they're coming."
I saw where this was going. "You want me to bring Naya."
"Not just bring her," Andrew's eyes gleamed. "Make it look like she's important to you. Godfathers adore their goddaughters, don't they? From what I could dig up, he hasn't seen her in years. Not since her mother, Stephanie Rivers, cut ties with the Sterling family."
"Why did she cut ties?"
"I have no idea. But if you show up with Naya on your arm and she plays the perfect doting date, looking happy and cared for, especially when she should be mourning her late mom, Cassian Sterling will notice and he'll want to talk to her. And when he does—"
"He'll have to talk to me, too." I finished the thought. "Because I'll be right there beside her."
"Exactly." Andrew nodded, satisfied. "You don't even have to ask Naya to help you. Just tell her it's a work event and that you need a date for appearances. She'll say yes because she needs you right now, and she would do anything to be in your good graces because she could go to jail at any time for what she nearly did to you."
I frowned. "You want me to use her, Andrew? That's manipulative and exactly the kind of move my family would make. This is the kind of move I'd sworn I was better than."
"It's not manipulation, she's making up for trying to kill you…"
"She didn't want to kill me," I defended. "She didn't know it was meant to kill me. She said she received instructions from her phone to take pictures of my nudes and post them on a SnapShare account. I don't think she's capable of killing anyone."
"That doesn't matter," Andrew shook his head. "On a good day in court, she'd be charged with manslaughter. You'd tell her that this is a way for you to deal with it internally, rather than involving the police, and of course, for living in your house."
"I plan to send her back—"
"For fuck's sake, Hansel!" Andrew stopped me midsentence with an exasperated sigh. "Think like a businessman. The Western Territories represent millions in revenue. Think about all the distribution deals, filming locations, and market access. It is an untapped market, and the Sterlings know this, too. If Naya River would be your ticket to accessing that market, why are you hesitating to use it?"
I looked away from Andrew. I didn't trust Naya, not even a little. She was unpredictable, and a woman whose worth can be measured by money could turn on you at any time.
And now, with the debt she had accrued from her dead mother's hospital bills, she'd be capable of doing anything to get it.
But she might be the key to the very empire my family has been trying to conquer for years.
Still, I couldn't let personal feelings get in the way.
"The fundraiser is for what again?" I asked.
"DOE foundation (Disorder of Exception). They fund medical research for rare genetic conditions." Andrew raised a brow. "Ironic, considering."
Ironic indeed. The foundation had no idea it was funding research on conditions that affected werewolves, Direwolves, and other supernatural creatures that weren't supposed to exist.
"Fine," I nodded with a sigh. "I'll take Naya to the fundraiser."
"And you'll play nice with Cassian Sterling?"
"I'll be charming." I poured another drink. "When have I not been charming?"
Andrew laughed. "You want the honest answer?"
"Get out of my office."
He didn't move an inch, and he still had that annoying grin on his face. "This is going to be interesting. The cold Hansel Ward, for the first time, will appear in public with a woman on his arm, pretending he cares about her. That's great publicity."
"I'm not pretending anything. This is business."
"Keep telling yourself that." He walked to the door and paused. "But Hansel? That woman, Naya? She's not as helpless as she's pretending to be."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen a lot of people whose hearts were broken by their loved ones, and she doesn't fit the description. Her fiancée, for whom she sacrificed her life, ditched her on their wedding day, her mother died, and her family buried her without her consent. She's hiding her grief so well, and that's dangerous."
He shrugged. "Just be careful. She might be playing you as much as you're playing her."
"You think she wants me for something else?" I asked, wondering if I should also mention that voice from five days ago.
"Who knows, just be careful because she's making your act carelessly."
Then he left.
I sat there in my office, staring at the photograph of young Naya and Cassian Sterling.
Was Andrew right? Was Naya more than she appeared?
Had the crying, begging, and the way she'd grabbed my leg, were all of it real?
And why had I let her stay? She wasn't the first human woman to cry before me? So, why her?
I wasn't the type to make rash decisions, especially when someone had proven to make an attempt on my life. But here I was, dining and wining with my assassin.
But maybe that was the point. Perhaps she was a better actress than I gave her credit for.
Her mother had been Stephanie Rivers. One of the best actresses in Luxford City's history, and maybe talent ran in the family.
I picked up my phone and texted Mina.
Clear my schedule for the DOE Foundation Fundraiser event tomorrow. I'm bringing a date, and Ms Rivers will also be staying indefinitely.
Three dots appeared, she was typing, and I waited, wondering what she wanted to say. After about three minutes, a message finally appeared.
Understood.
I was surprised that she agreed quickly without any resistance.
It was a good thing anyway, because if this plan worked, Naya Rivers might buy me everything I wanted or destroy it all.