Page 153 of Morally Corrupt

The moment I let her out of my hands, she goes crazy on the clerk drawing up the adoption papers. She immediately jump on him and latches onto his skin, leaving clean marks behind.

After we leave the store, I make sure to pet her.

"Proud of you." As I stare into her eyes, a name comes to me. "From now on, you are Maleficent." Or when I'm lazy, Mally.

I give her a wink that she probably doesn't understand, but I'm sure we have our own communication channel.

I'm somehow reluctant to put Mally in the carrier I'd purchased for her, so I settle her on my shoulder after I strap myself in.

"Be a good girl and don't injure me during traffic," I tell her, and she gives my cheek a slow lick.

Yes. She understands.

I start the car to go back home. A few times, I check my mirror and note the same car keeping a safe distance behind. Odd…

I take some random turns to see whether it follows, but I lose track of it after a while. Maybe it's my paranoid mind at work. I shake my head and head home. All the way, Mally keeps purring in my ear, and I can't help but smile.

* * *

"Adrian?" I yell his name when I'm back at the penthouse. Mally is still perched on my shoulder and seems to have really sunk her claws into my clothes, which prevent her from falling anytime I move rather suddenly.

He doesn't answer. Odd.

But when I go towards the kitchen, a disheveled, clearly hungover Adrian greets me, furtively eating some toast.

"Really?" I fold my hands in front of me and ask. Adrian gives me a sheepish smile, and I add, "Well, at least you're out of bed."

"What's that?" He points towards Mally, his mouth still full of toast.

"This is our new friend." I raise my hand to stroke Mally's head, and she gives a tiny yap. Adrian is suddenly alert but looks at me suspiciously.

"Is that a toy?"

"What? No!" I try to get Mally off me, but she doesn't seem to want to detach herself.

"Help?" I ask Adrian, and he joins in the effort to free Mally. Or free me from Mally.

By the time Mally is off my shoulders, she's already in full tantrum mode, and she's growling at Adrian something fierce.

"Mally!" I command her attention. I finally get Adrian a cat, and she hates him? No… we can't have that. "Behave!" I tell her, and she stares at me.

I return the stare, and I think some time passes before Adrian clears his throat.

"Mally?" he asks, lifting the cat slightly to look at her. She's now stopped struggling and regards Adrian with curiosity rather than animosity.

"Maleficent. She's our new cat. She's great!" I feel the need to add that, so he doesn't think I got the most unfriendly cat on purpose.

No, Mally and I have an understanding, and Adrian just needs to join in.

"Is that so?" he asks skeptically. "What about your allergy?"

"I got meds!" I exclaim and show him my syrup. "But she's bald, so… I don't know if she's all that harmful."

"Hmm… maybe." He's now cradling Mally to his chest, and she's almost putty in his arms.

Traitor.

"But why did you get a cat?"

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