The following day, Hayley decided to visit Mr. Monroe because he wasn’t answering her calls. Luckily, he was in his office when she arrived. He was not alone, though. They both looked at the lady who jumped up from Monroe’s lap the second Hayley walked in.
"Caroline, please excuse us," Mr. Monroe said awkwardly.
Hayley watched her run out of the room, then looked back at Mr. Monroe. He had taken over the agency from his father, who had been a giant of a man. Seeing him seated behind his father’s desk was a funny sight. It was way too big for him and made him look like a little child. She wondered how anybody took him seriously in that position. "Good day, Mr. Monroe. How do you do?"
Mr. Monroe quickly pushed some papers he had been writing on under a heavy book on his table and cleared his throat. "It’s nice to see you, Hayley. Why didn’t you inform me that you wanted to see me? I would have stopped by instead."
"I called, but you weren’t answering your phone. It was going straight to your voicemail."
He frowned. "That’s strange, sorry about that. Have a seat. You looked stressed."
"Thank you," she said and sat in one of the available chairs. "Mr. Monroe, you know why I’m here. I’ve signed all the documents you brought to me, and still, I haven’t gotten any feedback. I understand this process takes time, but I’d appreciate it if you kept me updated."
"Oh, I’m sorry, but I’m not done yet. I have been terribly busy."
"Yeah, I can see that. Caroline? Isn’t she your secretary?"
"Let’s not delve into each other’s private lives, Hayley.” She rolled her eyes but remained quiet. “I’ll give you a call tomorrow. I should have everything ready by nightfall."
"I guess I’ll take my leave then. That’s all I came here for."
"Hold on, Hayley," Mr. Monroe said. “There’s something I have to ask. Though, we might not always get along, your father was a good friend to me, so I see you as a daughter. What are your plans? When you get everything, what do you plan to do? The estate, what happens to it?"
"To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it. I plan to continue running the estate as it has always been run. Greta will remain in charge of the household. I am also planning to donate some of the money to charity. My father loved helping the less privileged." The time she had spent in the city had opened her eyes to many things. She realized that in order to see things from another perspective, she needed to put herself in other people's shoes. "Now, I plan to follow in his footsteps." From the look on his face, she could tell that he wasn’t impressed with what she had just said. "Then, I’ve always wanted to open my own boutique store and Father used to say it was a great idea."
"Well, your father would agree to anything that makes you happy."
"You don’t seem to agree with my decisions?"
"You do what you want, Hayley. My opinions don’t matter after all."
"Alright, Mr. Monroe. I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow."
True to his promise, the next day Hayley got a text from him. He informed her that he was done with all the proceedingsand that everything her father had owned would be transferred to her the next day. Although she was glad to be getting her inheritance, Hayley had something else on her mind. Once she signed the document, she would not need Zach anymore. She recalled telling him that they would part ways once she had got the inheritance. The thought of it had been easier before Zach said he wanted her back as his mate. She couldn’t deny that she still had feelings for him. Maybe it was a bad idea to have become this close to him. Now she was used to spending time with him and had become accustomed to him jumping into her room from the window.
They hadn’t spoken since the day he confessed his feelings for her. She didn’t think she was ready to accept him back. Although he proved that he could be trusted, Hayley felt it was too soon. She had spent the night over at her friend’s house to get some advice, but Elena had told her that she thought they should get back together. She thought it was romantic. It had been two years since Zach had rejected her and less than a month since she got back. She didn’t want to yield just because they shared one amazing night together.
She blushed when she remembered the things he’d said and done. Hayley let out an excited squeak and fell back to her bed. The memories of that night helped with the nightmares. The sweet nothings he whispered in her ears while he was inside her blocked out the hateful words from two years ago.
"Hayley?" The call of her name was followed by three loud, rapid knocks on the door. Hayley sat up, panicked, and a bit scared. But she recognized the voice, it was Zach’s. She waved her hand in the air, using the power of her mind to unlock the door. When Zach stormed in, he looked furious. Hayley sat up, alarmed. She didn’t understand why he would be angry.
"What is it?" She stood up, walking over to him. "Is someone after you?"
Zach had a calm expression on his face, but Hayley could see how livid he was. "Why didn’t you tell me about the letters, Hayley?"
Hayley froze. "Greta told you, didn’t she?"
"She did the right thing, and you should have done the same. Someone has been threatening your life, and you don’t think it’s something you should be concerned about. Just a few months ago, a woman received letters like this one and was murdered."
"Oh, how terrible…I didn’t know," Hayley muttered. "May her soul rest in peace."
"Why did you not tell me about this? Why keep the information to yourself?"
She scoffed, walking back to her chair. "If I told you, what would you have done? Protect me?" she asked.
"Of course, I would have protected you!" he yelled.
"I think you have forgotten who I am, Zach. Just because I am composed does not mean I am weak. My father was one of the most powerful wizards, and he trained me well. I can take care of myself. Also, those letters mean nothing to me."