Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Chapter 483: Owing Oneself to be Happy

Chris gazed at Katherine and turned to face her. Seeing her up close like this again and being able to talk to her felt new and familiar at the same time. He didn't think that there would ever come a time when they would be able to talk to each other without having the need to threaten or point guns. He knew that they couldn't be truly like how they were in the past, however, he was already more than happy that he could stay near her.

This unexpected turn of events changed a lot of things and he didn't know to what extent they would be able to work together, judging by the fact that he and Damien could barely be in the same room. At first, he didn't want to get her involved in his plan. But now that this happened, he couldn't think of any other way.

Noticing that he was staring at her, Katherine arched a brow in question. "What?"

"Nothing I I just thought that you were the same, yet it seems like you've changed a lot."

"You haven't seen me for years, Chris. I'm not who I was back then." She faced forward and kept her stare focused on Damien.

"I can see that" He glanced at the direction of her stare. "Is it because of him?"

She didn't have to ask to know who Chris was referring to. She was all about Damien now, so her mind would naturally think about him all the time. "Maybe"

Releasing a soft, appreciative sigh as though she was relieved as she watched the man she loves, she added, "He makes me want to become the better version of myself. But it's not just that Not only because of him."

"What then?"

Katherine asked herself the same question before. When she first answered Chris, she already knew what she wanted to say. It was indeed the truth She wasn't who she was now only because of Damien. But it wasn't until Chris probed further that she realized the other reason behind her change. 

A small smile formed on her face. "Because I believe that I owe myself to finally be happy."

She turned her head to Chris and she saw that he was a bit confused. Then, she heard him ask, "Were you not happy in the past?" Meeting his stare, she knew exactly that he was asking about her time in Shadowwhen all she could see was him and all she wanted to impress was him.

She averted her gaze, not wanting to see the melancholy in his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I was But I always felt like something was missing, so I guess I wasn't truly happy. Now I found it. And I want to hold on to it."

He nodded. He could see how she really wanted this. And if he could help her achieve that, he would be willing to give it his all until his last breathif it meant that she'd be happy in the end. He owed her that much. "You deserve it," he said.

Katherine didn't want to dwell on the topic anymore, so she cleared her throat and began, "This Hughes from NIA. How much do you trust her? I mean, she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Isn't that suspicious?"

Chris didn't mind that she changed the subject, and he understood her apprehension. "It was. Which is why I didn't believe her right away."

"And you didn't tell Parker about it the first time?" she asked, and he shook his head. "Why?"

"Parker is very calculative. If he finds out that someone approached me, he'll start suspectingeven if I reported it to him. And I didn't want to take that risk. Now that I think about it... I was probably already inclined to accept her proposal somehow."

"So, what changed your mind? And how did she know about you anyway?"

"She had been monitoring my activities. She knew where I was and what I was doing She told me that there's another one from NIA who was one of the executives behind Shadowsomeone from the inside. That's how she knew about me."

Confused, Katherine turned to face Chris. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, trying to make out the situation in her head. "You mean... there's a double agent from NIA who was spying in Shadow?" When Chris nodded, she asked, "Who?"

"I don't think you have met him. I've only seen him once It's the last time I saw him." He looked down as though he was trying to remember the past before looking back at Katherine again. "Parker had him canceled. And I was already too late to save him."

She gasped. "So Parker found out about him being a double agent?"

Damien came over and stood next to her, trying to catch up on what the two were talking about. She felt his hand touch her back and she leaned slightly towards it as she thought of how all of this started. "Then it was already risky So why did you take the risk and trusted Hughes?"

Seemingly tired from her questions, Chris let out a long sigh. "Because I had no one else, Katherine. You weren't there anymore. Styles 'died'," he said, and Styles looked at them when he heard his name being mentioned. Chris ran a tired hand down his face and he added, "Even Falcon died. I had no one. It seemed like that was the only logical choice I had left at that time."

Hearing Chris mention his mother, Damien suddenly stiffened. His face hardened as he looked at the other and he had the urge to ask questions. For some reason, he didn't like the thought of Chris mentioning his mother and looking like he was longing for her. Katherine noticed the change in Damien's expression and she immediately knew why. She turned to face him, slid her hand to his, and gave it a squeeze.

Just then, a beeping sound was heard and Styles called their attention, "Text message. I think it's Gus."

Thankfully saved by the text, Katherine pulled Damien with her and headed to where Styles was. She picked up the phone and read the text.

[I checked in. Parker isn't here. I don't think anyone is suspecting me. When are we doing this?]

Damien exchanged looks with Felix and Styles, then he nodded at Katherine. "Tell him to stay on standby. The operation will be tomorrow at twenty-three hundred."