On the other side, Raphael was finally able to enjoy so alone ti with Laila. It had been a hectic few days, but now that they were back in the kingdom, the pace had slowed just enough for them to relax and connect.
He spent that ti learning about Laila’s past life... where she grew up, what she liked to do, her favorite food, her hobbies, and even small things like her favorite color and birthday. He asked about her dreams for the future, her goals, and the kind of life she wanted to build. Laila, in turn, found herself opening up more than she had expected. Sothing about Raphael felt warm and sincere.
Although Raphael was a little awkward at tis... mostly due to his limited social experience outside the werewolf clan. Laila found his efforts endearing. She already knew he was a good person, soone who ant well even if he didn’t always find the right words.
What Laila didn’t know was that Raphael had felt a strong connection to her from the mont they fought back at Imperial Haven. That mont had left an impression on him... so much so that he had imdiately recomnded her to Eleanor for recruitnt. It wasn’t just about her skills; it was sothing more instinctive.
But Laila was human. She had no understanding of werewolf customs, especially not when it ca to love. For werewolves, love was sacred... sothing divine. When a werewolf felt that soone was destined for them, they would move heaven and earth to win their heart. Race didn’t matter. Past didn’t matter. Once the bond was sensed... what werewolves called "a blessing from the Moon Goddess", and there was no turning back.
If the other person didn’t reciprocate the feelings, so werewolves would choose to stay single for life. Even after their partner’s death, many would remain loyal to that mory, never seeking companionship again.
That was why so called this "blessing" a curse.
While the two of them talked and laughed, oblivious to the world, the plane had already crossed the border and reached the kingdom. No one disturbed them. Everyone could see that sothing was happening between them, and they respected their space.
Once they landed, Eleanor headed straight to her private villa. The Shadow Team had already moved into one of the neighbouring villas she had recently purchased. Everyone dispersed upon arrival, taking so much-needed ti to rest and reset.
Eleanor tasked Cassandra with escorting Anastasiya and Laila to another villa nearby, where Teresa and Cassandra were temporarily staying. Anastasiya initially protested, she wanted to stay in a hotel instead... but Eleanor ignored her objections and made the decision for her. It wasn’t a request. It was final.
Once all responsibilities were sorted, Eleanor returned to her own room. She took a long, hot shower, letting the stress of the past few days lt away. Then she called Ethan to let him know she was back.
She decided she’d et Freya the next morning since the little girl’s school was currently on holiday. She hadn’t planned to speak to Freya that night, but fate had other plans.
While Ethan was on the phone, Freya ca into the room and saw her mother on the screen. Her eyes lit up, and she imdiately reached for the phone.
"Mommy, when will you co?" she asked, her voice full of excitent and longing.
"I just returned," Eleanor said softly. "I’ll have breakfast with you tomorrow."
"But Mommy, I missed you so much!" Freya said, her voice trembling slightly.
"I know, baby. I missed you too. But Mommy has so work to finish. Be patient, and we’ll go to the amusent park tomorrow. Just the two of us... and Daddy too."
"Yay! Amusent park!" Freya cheered. "But Mommy, I want to ride the giant slide this ti!"
"Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll ride the slide together," Eleanor promised with a smile.
Ethan, listening nearby, added, "Do you want to go to the place we couldn’t ride the slide last ti?"
"Can we?" Freya asked, her eyes wide with hope. "Last ti they didn’t let go."
"This ti they will," Ethan said with a confident smile.
He had already contacted the owners of Play Factore, the largest indoor playground in Manchester. They had agreed to grant VIP access to their family, including exclusive use of the giant slide.
He spoke into the phone, "Eleanor, we’ll go to Play Factore tomorrow. I’ll take care of everything. Just co to the Raynor estate early in the morning to pick us up."
"Alright," Eleanor agreed. "I’ll be there."
The next day, Eleanor woke up early and had breakfast at the Raynor estate. Freya was overjoyed to see her mother after a few days and refused to let go of her hand.
Together with Ethan, they made their way to Play Factore. The staff had been notified and were ready to welco them. The place was decorated with balloons and filled with laughter from other children, but they were guided to a special area prepared just for them.
All three of them rode the giant slide together. Freya squealed with excitent as she slid down between her parents. Afterwards, she explored the other attractions... trampolines, tunnels, climbing walls and occasionally dragged her mother along to play with her.
For Eleanor, it was a rare mont of peace and joy, away from the chaos of politics, corporations, and combat. She smiled more than she had in weeks.
The family spent the entire day at the playground. By the ti they returned, Freya was exhausted and fell asleep in Eleanor’s arms before they even reached ho.
The next morning, Eleanor dropped Freya off at school. Ethan didn’t join them... starting that day, he began preparing for his upcoming duel. It would be a public battle to prove his strength to the world, and he was taking it very seriously.
When Eleanor reached her office, she found Teresa, Maya, and Lily already waiting.
"Good morning, Boss," they said in unison.
"Good morning," Eleanor replied. "Teresa, did you arrange Laila’s identity?"
"Yes," Teresa replied. "I’ve prepared all the necessary docunts to register her as a Finnish citizen. Her facial features are quite common in Nordic countries, so the process should be smooth. I expect everything to be finalized by the end of the week."
"Good," Eleanor said. "In the anti, she’ll stay at the villa. I think she’d be a great fit as the security chief for our Trafford Command Center. But let her go through so training first. She needs to adapt to our work environnt before taking on that responsibility."
"Then perhaps we should bring her in as a security officer under Heimdall first," Teresa suggested. "It’ll give her hands-on experience."
"Fine. Do as you think is best. Also, send soone from our U.S. team to Russia to finalize the cooperation deal. The initial agreent I signed was just symbolic... we need to secure a real contract."
"Understood," Teresa said with a nod.
Eleanor turned to Lily. "What’s the status in Nigeria?"
"Things are progressing well," Lily replied. "We should be able to start civil works this week. After we included our Nigerian partners in the negotiations, everything began to move more smoothly."
"Excellent. Maya, the Indian project?"
"All docunts have been signed," Maya said. "The U.S. team will handle the final design and expansion. Once that’s done, we’ll begin investing."
Eleanor leaned back in her chair and smiled faintly. "Good. Let’s keep things moving."
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