Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Chapter 197: Yes, ma'am.

The three men, especially Damien, felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on their backs. They immediately got on their feet. The clicking of Katherine's heels as she walked towards the desk was a little haunting, making them gulp. She had a smile on her face but she looked like she was a predator waiting to catch her prey and eat it alive. 

Caleb and Jeffrey stood up straight as if they got caught red-handed. How funny was it that she entered the room just in time when Damien said those words. Surely she wasn't eavesdropping, was she?

Damien watched as she strutted towards him, a paper bag in her hand of what he assumed was their lunch. "Hey" he muttered, not knowing what else to say in this situation. If it were any other person, he could have made up a lie and say it without batting an eyelid. But this was Katherine, he knew better than to lie to her.

"Hey yourself." She smiled and set down the paper bag on his desk before turning towards the two men in front of his desk. "Hi, Katherine" they said.

"Hello, boys. Did I interrupt something? It looked like you were having a secret meeting one that you didn't want to tell me about?"

Damien reached out and placed a hand on the small of her back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I was going to tell you myself I just didn't want these two to beat me to it." His eyes darted to his friends and the two pursed their lips.

"Well if you wanted to keep it from me, you should have made sure to close the door. I always knock," she said.

"No, I'm not going to keep it from you. Like I said, I was going to tell you." Damien kissed her temple, gestured her towards the sofa, and started setting up the food on the coffee table. Caleb and Jeffrey leaned back on their chair while Damien explained the party to Katherine and why Jeffrey wanted it to happen so badly.

"So you're saying this is a high-class party that you host annually where you three and other people get wasted and get laid?" Katherine asked without looking up as she busily set the utensils on the table. Her calmness caused the three men around her to feel wary, they didn't know if she was trying to appear calm or this was just the eye of the storm.

As if by instinct, Damien reached across the table and held her wrist to assure her, "I wasn't going to throw that party this year... Or any other year starting from now on."

Lifting her chin up, Katherine formed a smile on her face. With her other hand, she raised a fork before stabbing it with much gusto into a dumpling, its juice spurted out and the clatter of the plate made Caleb and Jeffrey jump from their seats. "Oh please, don't let me stop you, boys. You deserve to have fun after working so hard all year."

"I-It's okay. I ch-changed my mind. I think I'll just meet the woman my parents were going to set me up with," Jeffrey mumbled. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"I still need to finish some papers" Caleb muttered and cleared his throat as he and Jeffrey started getting up from their seats.

"Sit down," Katherine said, her voice stern and commanding. "No one's going anywhere."

"Yes, ma'am." The two sat back down, their backs straight and their eyes on the floor.

She watched as Damien stared at her with an unreadable expression and said, "You, eat."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, receiving the dumpling with his mouth as Katherine held out the fork for him. He chewed and started on his food, following her order when she pointed at the soup bowl next to his plate. 

"Okay here's the plan you and you," she pointed at Damien and Caleb, "are going to behave at that party. And you," she faced Jeffrey who gulped as soon as their eyes met, "...you will find that date you are looking for in that party."

"Wait. What?" Damien hastily swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Katherine like she had just grown three heads. He was expecting her to tell him not to host this party after all, it was ridiculous. But now she was actually supporting it?

She shrugged. "I'm not a party pooper. Besides, your secretaries before me had been doing the planning and organizing, right? It's my job to do the same. So we'll be going through this together," she said. If she did it, she will have control over the party.

"But if Damien goes to this party women will be throwing themselves all over him. Will you be okay with that?" Caleb raised a brow, wondering what Katherine was thinking.

Damien and Jeffrey watched as Katherine prettily leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs. "Not if I'm next to him all night."

"You're going with me?!" Damien sounded confused until he saw Katherine raise a brow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean... you're going with me! I would love that!" He beamed.

The other two shook their heads. "He is so whipped," Caleb uttered under his breath and Jeffrey confirmed it, "Yep, he's on a leash."

Although Katherine didn't say it, Damien and the two men in the room understood what she was planning. If she was going to appear with Damien at that party, she'll be showing it to everyone that he was no longer available, warding off evil spirits away from her man while she stood next to him with her engagement ring in plain sight.

This party was quite famous in the upper-class circle and it was perfect for what they had planned back in France. Katherine and Damien agreed to stop hiding from the public so that they could freely appear together in public without fearing a headline the next minute.

Because she had good enough money saved up for a refresher course, she wanted to 'relearn' what she had forgotten and Damien was going to let her resign as per her request and support what she wanted to do. She thought it was the best way to save his reputation at the same time, finally get back on her feet by moving forward and start shaping her future.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Planning the party?" Damien asked.

"No but I think I know what I need to do," Katherine admitted. She hadn't done any huge planning and organizing for a party before, especially not one like this where everybody would potentially be talking about it to everyone.

Before anyone else could say anything, Jeffrey threw a fist in the air, "Yes! You're the best, Katherine!"

Damien glanced at his friends and waved his hand to them. "Now get out of my office. I'm having lunch with my future wife and you two are spoiling it," he said with a smile, wanting to have some privacy with Katherine.

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