Love thy enemy

- State your full name for the court, please! the chubby clerk asks. - Aileen Monserrat De La Vega. I answer. Here we are, today’s the day I am finally free of that bastard of an uncle I have. He’s been meddling in my bussines ever since my parents died, 3 years ago. After pointless mediation hearrings and postponed court appoitments, the fucker can’t avoid me any longer. It’s high time he steps out of my father’s company. - Miss De La Vega, my uncle’s lawyer, Jebbediah Shaw, sneers, we are here today because you claim my client has took over your father’s company in a hostile manner. Yet, no documents were signed and no assets changed hands. So my question to you, young lady, is: whatever do you mean? „Of course he would point out my age, that pompous prick. It’s their only excuse for driving my father’s estate into the ground.” I think to myself. I take a deep breath before I answer. - I do believe you need to reed the file in front of you a bit more carefully. I say, acting innocent; even the judge chuckles. I’ve never accused Gregorio of a hostile take over, but I did accuse him of corporate espionage, intelectual theft and embezelment. I’ve submitted emails, documents, money trails and even brought fourth some witnesses. Your client meddled with my company and tried to get me off the board. Don’t even get me started about my CEO position. I say bitterly. You know this, you've been enabling him since the beggining and right now it seems to me you are just trying to steer the conversation away from this fact. - You filthy little w***e! Gregorio yells, it seems someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. You had no business being top management, you are just a kid, a female kid at that, you belong in the freaking kitchen! there's the Gregorio De La Vega I know and loathe, I think to myself, but the judge won’t have it. - Language, Mr. De La Vega! Missoginistic comments are not welcome in my court, nore are they relevant to this case. he says coldly, he is most deffinetly not impressed. As far as I see, he continues, you’ve overstepped your position as CEO of a sister company to get information to your advantage. You’ve avoided coming to court for 2 years continuing to find loopholes and excuses not to show up and the evidence agaist you is overwhelming. So this is my verdict: you get 10 years of prison, your company will pay back MVega Holdings for all the damage you’ve caused, amount estimated at 25 million. Keep in mind they are only paying so little because they agreed to let you go from your positon as CEO, I also doubt they’ll allow you to keep your seat in the board. I will also issue a restraining order of 500 meters, as I feel miss De La Vega is not safe around you. You will have 24 hours to set your affairs in order and turn yourself in. Annoyed with the result of the trial, my uncle’s lawyer growls at the judge. I’m honestly surprised...Gregorio hired an werewolf for a lawyer and he does not seem to like losing either. I bet his one of those Alpha lieutenants. But the judge is part of the Clueless, they are the „muggles” of Fire City, so he has no idea about the night creatures, or what the man before him is, but he’s no pushover. He looks amused by this reaction. - Do you think you are the first unhappy lawyer I see, mr. Shaw? he says gently. I suggest you keep your composure, unless you want me to hold you here overnight... The lawyer starts packing his folders and hightails out of court as if his life depends on it. I feel like I can finally breath, with the bastard out of the way I can finally focus on my mission of ridding Fire City of night scum. I should explain, I have a bit of a history with the creature of the night, or children of the moon as they like to call themselves. When I was 15, my first boyfriend and first love got caught in the crossfire of mutt packs fighting for territory and whatnot...he did not make it. Later, at 17, my sister was hexed by Sabrina „the teenage b***h”, not kidding, her name was actually Sabrina,over a petty reason I still don’t completely understand or know much about to begin with. My sister is still suspended in time...not aging, not living, only breathing. But the nail in the coffin, so to speak, happened 3 years ago, when, at 20, I lost my parents during a vampire power struggle they were actually trying to mediate. My family was in charge of protecting the humans of Fire City for generations, but none of them ever actually hated the things that go bump in the night. The code, as my dad often said, was to only eliminate threats to the peace between species. We constituted a supernatural police of sorts. That was the main reason why Gregorio tried to take control; MVega Holdings was a front for that main activity and it’s source of funding too. The corporation would have given him the power to influence the politics of the Moon faction. Gregorio De La Vega always wanted to be a part of the Moon Community, he was fascinated by the power and the magic. As, genetically, he was not a part of any magical bloodline, he wanted to have them as close as possible and I was in his way. Well...today, he was out of mine! I reach the office around noon. I’m starving, so I call Caroline, my assistant and closest thing I have for a friend, she answers almost instantly: - How was it? - They put the son of a b***h away for 10 years. I answer. How about lunch? I feel like i could eat the whole building! - Way ahead of ya! I made a reservation for us at „La Mexicana”, don’t come up, I’ve cancelled all your meetings for today. - You are a god sent, Care! I love you! - Yeah, yeah....you’re paying, biatch! she laughs. 5 minutes later, Care comes in the lobby, she seems tired, I’m guessing it’s because of all the filling in for me in the last few weeks. She’s wearing her red hair in a high braid today and she’s dressed all in black, not really officey and sexy as f**k, tight leather pants and flowy V neck blouse, high heels as well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wearing flats and I am convinced sneakers are against her religion. - You gonna stare at me all day? She smirks. I might just file a s****l harrasement report! - Well, I am got used with the courts anyway, so please do! I reply. - Oh honey, you look hot as f**k as well, albeit a bit to serious for my taste, so let’s go make some teenage waiter blush! I laugh, if I ever decide to trust people enough to call them friends I’ll put her at the top of the list. We walk to the restaurant while she’s filling me in on what happened at the office. I am a 23 years old CEO who has roughly no idea what she is doing. Of course, my parents taught me quite a lot about the business, but I still have to rely on my father’s experienced employees. And of course, 28 years old Caroline is my economical compass, and quite a brilliant one at that. I only cared about the other part of my job as well, so I just ask her about that while we eat. - Well, we had 10 teenagers missing and their parents seem to have no memories from the past few weeks! - Vampires? I ask. - Possibly, but I lean towards witches, I’m not sure that vampires actually have the power to glamour away weeks worth of memories. The question is what happened to the kids? We know they are not dead, or we would’ve found their bodies by now. Anyway, I have sent Ryan to investigate, I know you don’t like it when I use him...but he’s the best chance we’ve got. She says. Ryan is a vampire our guys captured a few years ago. He’s an asset, tough quite annoying. But he has explosive in his head „Suicide Squad” style, so I guess I can’t complain. - I get it. But we need to be careful around the SOB, he’s cunning, if he ever gets the chance, not only will he escape, but he’ll kill any man, woman or child that was ever related to our organisation. What about the mutts, I ask? - They’re quiet for most of it. They do have some fighting here and there, but they keep it between them, so I think we should leave well enough alone for now, she says reluctanly. - That’s not well enough. Well enough will be when they dissapear from this city.... - Good day, pretty ladies! says a voice behind us. In our concetration, we did not notice the mutt aproach. He’s kind of handsome for a mutt, hot even...for a mutt that is. Tall, dark hair, athletic body, strong square jaw, piercing blue eyes, best clothes money can buy too. Low and behold, the arrogant Anthony Lowell sits down at our table. - I don’t recall inviting you to sit down! I say. - Oh, don’t worry, you are not forgetting things, he says, I invited myself. We need to talk, Aileen! - Are we on first name basis now? I snap. He is surprised by my response, he even seems hurt. Why do I find myself feeling bad for the guy? - That’s my cue to leave, says Caroline. She hates the wolves. Her brother is dead because of them, so i let her leave. - See you back at the office! We still have a lot of paper work you need to bury me in. She nods and then, ups and leaves, not before throwing Anthony one of her „drop dead” looks. If only looks could kill. I laugh. - She seems nice....he says sarcastically. - She has every reason for that, your kind killed her brother after all. That seems to shut him up. Not for long tough. - So, he starts, we may have a common problem, miss De La Vega. - Yeah? Did someone interupt your lunch as well? I mock him. The Lowell pack has been trying to win some common grounds with us for quite some time. But never were we approached by their Alpha before. They are the strongest pack of mutts in town, and the most civil too. I guess in another life I would’ve listened. - Did you get all the bitter replies out of your system yet? his tone is cold, he seems genuinly hurt by my attitude. I will myself not to care. Also, I can tell he’s trying to use his Alpha influence to subdue me. Most humans would be shaking with fear by now...not me tough. I smile to him: - I can find some more, don’t worry! Now he is shocked, i’m not sure anyone was ever able to ignore his influence like that. What do you want? I finally ask. - I want Gregorio De La Vega dead, for starters....my turn to be shocked, I did not expect THAT. - Don’t get me wrong, there’s no love lost there, but why would I help you murder my uncle? I ask. - Didn’t he try to take your company away? To strip you of your inheritance? Sold about all your secrets, stole money and assets.... Why wouldn’t you? - He did...it got him in jail for 10 years starting tomorrow. Moreover, his lawyer was one of you. So what is your game here? - One of what?! - A werewolf. There he goes, I say, shocked again. For the big bad wolf in town you don’t really know much; do you? I see him struggle for his words, he did not expect that. I can see in his eyes he hates being caught half c****d in any situation. I kinda feel sorry for the poor sap. - If he had a wolf for a lawyer, it wasn’t one of my guys. Aileen, you need to listen... - There’s that first name of mine again, I interrupt him. I will not discuss murder with you or anyone else. Do you have anything else you would like to add? „Why, pray tell, are you still here?” I ask myself. If any other mutt would be in his place I would storm off. This guy intrigues me, or maybe his Alpha influence is getting to me after all. - Actually, yes! He states. Will you have dinner with me? As in, he stops for a bit, as in a date....my jaw drops, but I don’t let him see. - So...murder and then s*x! You are quite the charmer! I mock. Answer’s no, by the way. To both. He seems genuinly hurt. Oh, those eyes, so blue... What is it about this guy? I’ve never seen him before in my life, but I feel I’ve known him since before I was even born. "You are attracted to him silly. And why wouldn't you?" Oh, stop it, Aileen! I scold myself. The hot guy is still a mutt. Calm your t**s! He stands up. Upset and angry. - Sorry to bother you! he growls at me and storms of. I go back to the office, Caroline left me a mountain of paperwork and a post-it on top: „Went home. Tired and grumpy.” I don’t blame her. I sit and start going trough the documents, pencil in hand, making adnotations when I don’t understand something. These days my adnotations are more rare. I’m getting the hang of it, I guess. It’s been quite a day: I got rid of Gregorio, I have 10 misteriously missing teenagers and I met the infamous Alpha Anthony Lowell. There I go again...What is it about this guy? Are you going soft on me Aileen? I ask myself.