Chapter 109: One Hundred And One Percent

As expected, Berry, Lin and Stylie were outside of the building still arguing beside Berry’s car.

Anais walked past a bunch of demon guards and she felt them all give her judging looks but the moment the King of all nightmares appeared behind her, they all fell to the ground and bowed at her feet.

Corrine eyed them briefly before moving towards her employees.

She paused a few meters behind them and for a moment time slowed. She stared at them as Berry and Lin exchanged words and Stylie stood in their middle, tears gushing down her eyes as she watched her seniors fight over her.

Corrine never imagined she would ever get the chance to see them again.

When she decided to do what she did, she sent them each a voice text explaining why she didn’t even wait to give them proper and final goodbyes.

But now that she was a living miracle, a walking dead, she wondered how they were going to respond to this.

She doubted they even know she died or even made it at the scene of her death. A certain creep made sure to cook up a story of her having a cardiac arrest and he just happened to be at the right place at the right time to help her.

She didn’t know how much of whatever is going on they know. But it was worth still revealing herself to them. She thought.

To put their mind at rest and stop them from having these fights among themselves over her well-being.

She was also curious to know if they were aware that their new intern, the one they greatly supported and even turned against her to get him in, was...a cold-blooded mutated worm freak.

Corrine smiled to herself as she moved closer.

If they don’t know, she would love to be the one to break it to them and bask in their shock and disgust for him.

’’What do you mean by that, huh?!’’ Berry snapped, her face already heating up like the body of a kettle as she glared hard at a tense looking Lin.

He looked furious but at the same time terrified to see Berry this mad at him. It surprised Stylie as well as they both stared at her. The silence between them was sharp and heavy. It felt as though Berry was ready to raise her hand and knock some senses into them.

’’Repeat what you just said to my face again and I promise never to speak to you again.’’

Stylie’s eyes widened like a ball as she stared anxiously between two of her seniors.

The monster standing beside her cleared his throat before moving close enough to whisper beside her ear.

’’I have a feeling, Anais that I am the cause of this dispute.’’

Corrine felt her ear tingle in annoyance at his words. She turned to him slowly with an annoyed look before rolling her eyes and moved close enough to stand directly behind Berry.

Grim stared at her in disbelief when she ignored him and decided to wait where she left him. His hands folded before him as he watched his favourite people struggle to get along again. He had no doubt that his Anais was more than capable of resolving whatever was going on between the three. And felt no need to interfere or make his presence known.

Lin looked hurt and mostly guilty by her words. He didn’t mean to say what he said to her but she was so protective of Stylie as if he was some shameless bully of hers. He was also trying to understand why their intern would suddenly be so rebellious and on edge ever since that night she made them drive all the way in the rain to work.

He was just as frustrated as they were about everything but they were both conveniently making him look like the bad guy when he wasn’t. He cared so much about the both of them, hell, they were like sisters to him.

The family he never had.

’’Berry...’’ Stylie moved close enough to wrap her hand around her arm and tried to get her to calm down.

’’Berry.’’

They all froze and the world moved so fast it felt like they had reached its end in that second they heard her voice.

They moved at once and their eyes widened at the same time.

It felt like they were staring right at the phantom of their very imagination and desires.

They blinked.

Breath stealing in their lungs.

Corrine gave them all an awkward smile and it was more than enough for the three disciples to rush over to her and greet her all at once.

Corrine didn’t expect them all to hug her at once. They almost threw her off her feet as they embraced her.

Their embrace was touching as well as tight. She stood stiffly in their hold and patiently endured it all until they were fully assured that it was her.

It wasn’t a dream.

Stylie was the first to break down in tears the moment they eased away from her. Lin looked the other way to hide his own. Only Berry stared at her with tears of her own and asked quickly if she was alright.

Corrine nodded slowly at her employee.

’’Oh my god, boss, are you alright now? Did it hurt? What happened? Were you overworking yourself again and collapsed?!’’

’’Grim told us you worked beyond your limits and he was fortunate enough to be there to rescue you before anything bad happens to you.’’

Corrine tried not to remove her slippers and fling it hard at the beast standing behind her. Her smile wavered at the thought of his lie. A very ridiculous one.

She overworked herself and had a heart attack?!

She fell down the stairs and broke her neck or something would have been a much more preferable tale to tell.

She stared at him over her shoulder before turning to face her family once more.

’’Are you alright now?’’

’’Yes.’’

’’One hundred percent?’’

’’Yes.’’

’’One hundred and one percent fine?’’

Corrine eased into a genuine smile before nodding at them that she was. They were all giving her this strange and relieved look. They all looked like lost puppies meeting their master again after surviving multiple hardships on the cold streets.

’’One hundred and two percent,’’ she replied, ’’You all have nothing to worry about.’’

She assured them and Stylie sniffed, looking the most relieved to hear that.

’’Ah, thank goodness. We were all thinking something bad is happening to you here...well, Stylie was the most convinced and she looked the most desperate to get you out of here, Boss.’’

Corrine’s eyes moved from Berry over to Stylie. Stylie avoided eye contact immediately.

’’I think about two days after your date night with Malachi, she started behaving weirdly and strangely. Whatever she says never makes any direct sense to any of us. And she was always so worried and restless about your well-being.’’

What?

Corrine’s eyes returned to Stylie suspiciously.

She knew she had once given the impression that she was in danger here the first time they came to visit and she was the most observant one to try to help.

But...

’’That night, she drove all of us in the rain to where we work. Looking so flustered and on edge it annoyed all the guards working there and got Lin so angry ever since then.’’

Stylie couldn’t make any single direct eye contact with Corrine and it bothered her so much.

Did something happen to turn their least agile employee to suddenly be this tense and on edge or...?

’’But regardless, we are all glad that you are fine and on your two feet again Boss. We would all die if anything bad should happen to you. And I guess seeing you like this should be enough relief for all of us, right Stylie?’’

Stylie kept staring at something over Corrine’s shoulder. She looked lost in a trance. It bothered even Lin who can’t seem to wrap his head fully around this absurd behavior of hers. It affected everyone around her and stole their peace of mind as well.

’’Stylie!’’ Berry snapped while Corrine moved slowly to see what she was staring at. There was nothing scary or interesting enough to look at in that way...well, except that annoying creep standing over there.

He gave her a diamond grin. One that made her look away quickly from him and return to her disturbed intern.

Her face pale like the cloth of a ghost. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she overthought everything and tried to make sense of something that bothered her gravely.

’’Stylie, is there anything you would like to say to us?’’

Stylie finally locked eyes with Corrine. Fresh hot tears gathered in her eyes and for a moment it felt like she had finally made sense of everything that confused her so much.

But it was something none of them would be able to grasp or comprehend.

Or neither believe it.

’’No.’’

’’Nothing.’’