Kai's POV
I stared at my phone, holding it in my hand.
Aiden had just sent me the details and location of the lady in the picture I sent to him.
I'm heading there right now, and I think I'm almost close.
Parking my car at a corner, I observed a duplex apartment situated at the corner of the street.
I walked towards the house, reaching the front door, I contemplated how to walk in as I stared at the door made of wood in front of me, and with a swift kick, I sent it flying open, and then I stepped inside.
Quietly, I surveyed the surroundings. It wasn't worthy enough to have my presence, but I had my purpose.
It was a medium-sized sitting room with few sofas and little ventilation, the AC weren't on, and it made me feel as though I was suffocating.
But one thing I noticed was that it was clean, and everything was kept in place.
My gaze kept wandering around the room as I checked it out, but my eyes landed on something that caught my attention.
I slowly approached a mustard sofa which was below the window.
A white curtain was rolled down the window, and it seemed as though the window hadn't been opened for a long while.
Something was hidden behind the curtain which was behind the sofa, and that was what had caught my attention.
Squatting down at the side of the sofa, I stretched my hand into the space which was in between the wall and the sofa.
My hand touched a smooth surface, and I began tracing my fingers on it as I tried to decipher what it was without seeing it.
After tracing my fingers through the surface for some time, I noticed that it was a framed portrait.
I pulled it out and placed it on the floor as I stared at its contents.
The faces of two babies were the contents of the portrait.
They didn't have a single strand of hair on their heads, and they looked too tender, so I noted that they were newly birthed kids, and they were both females.
"They're twins," I muttered under my breath as I continued staring down at the portrait.
They looked identical, so I could only assume that they were twins.
I felt drawn to the babies in the portrait, and as I continued staring down at them, my gaze suddenly turned intent.
I magnified my viewing ability, and the picture became three times larger than its normal size in my eyes.
I still had to look intently even after intensifying my view, before I was able to detect that they had different eye colours.
Their eyes weren't opened, they were closed.
I took out my phone from my pocket and took a picture of the portrait before I placed my phone back into my back pocket.
Their names were written on the white hair bands they had on their hairless heads, and the name that caught my attention was ''Dickson Ayla."
This name caught my attention, and I became curious about this baby bearing this name.
"Dickson Ayla?" I grumble the sur
name of the child with a confused squint on my face.
The family of Dickson were of pure royal blood, and we're of noble origins, who were high-ranking werewolves.
They were respected by lycans and their wealth was of no limits.
They were great people, and that fact demanded a lot of respect from everyone.
And when I looked at the name of the other baby, ''Ariana .F. Ethan'' was her name.
Ariana? Isn't that the name of the young lady living here?
They had different surnames, which means they weren't of the same parents, so why were they identical?
How were they able to take pictures of them together? Was this an editing? It looked too real to be edited.
I was confused.
The Dicksons didn't have twins, so what was this? What was going on in this house? And why was this portrait hidden?
"It could be a coincidence," I assured myself with a sigh because I didn't know any other means to explain this, so decided to let it slide for now, despite knowing that this case was critical. But that wasn't why I came.
I didn't come as an investigator, I came as a businessman to make business.
I'll look into it later.
I kept it back in the exact spot I had seen it before I rose to my feet and walked away from the sofa.
However, it seemed they had already detected my presence as they started descending the stairs one by one.
"Lord Alpha Kai!" They gasped upon seeing me, while I maintained my composure as I stared at everyone of them.
"Good day, Your Highness. Please have a seat," the man snapped out of his daze and gestured toward a sofa.
With my hands placed on my waist, I diverted my eyes from the bewildered family and walked over to a sofa.
I took out my phone from my back pocket before I sat down with crossed legs.
Their curiosity was palpable, understandable given that it was unusual for a Lycan Lord to suddenly appear and take a seat in a stranger's house.
"Your Highness, what would you like to be served?" the wife inquired, but I declined immediately with a shake of my head.
"Nothing," I declined.
My only objective was to complete my mission and leave promptly, without any intention of returning.
They all walked curiously to the sofa which was opposite to the one I was seated on, and they took their seats.
With everyone now settled in their seats, my gaze met with the young man who looked to be my age mat and was seated in between the two adults who I assumed to be the parents of the girl I met earlier.
"You," I pointed at the young man with my phone, and his eyes widened a bit.
"Me?" He asked with a squint forming on his face, but I ignored him.
"If you wouldn't mind, I want you to leave this room. I would like to speak privately with your parents alone."
I requested for the young man who had just entered to excuse us, and he seemed shocked by that.
"What did you say?" He asked with clenched jaws, and I momentarily made an invisible eye roll.
"Do you want me to repeat myself?" I asked, my voice as cold as usual, and a frown settled on his face.
He wanted to make a reply, but his mother immediately cut in.
"Obey him and do as he has said."
He averted his eyes from me and turned to his mother, before turning to the man who I assumed to also be his father, and with one last glance at me, he stood up to his feet, before he turned and walked away.
Presumably, he should be her elder brother, that's why I sent him away.
I didn't want any interruptions in what I came for, although there was no resemblance between him and the lady I wanted.
There was no resemblance among any of them, except for the woman sitting across from me and the departing young man.
I stood up from where I was seated and walked towards the door where I had placed a suitcase which was filled with money.
I picked it up and walked back to them.
Placing the case of money on the table before them, I proceeded to get straight to the point without taking my seat.
"Mr. and Mrs...." I paused, realizing I didn't know their name.
"Finn," her father promptly replied.
This is the family of the other child I had seen in that portrait.
Their bewildered expressions were hard to miss, especially in response to the money laid out before them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Finn, the reason I came here is because of your daughter," I stated, observing as their faces turned pale.
"My apologies for speaking without your permission, Lord Kai, but our daughter? How did you know our daughter? Please tell us, what has she done this time?" I sensed fear in their voices, but I remained calm.
"I need your daughter," I directed my words at her father, witnessing his stunned reaction.
"I'm sorry to ask, your highness, but why do you need her?" the woman inquired, and I diverted my eyes to her.
The shock and bewilderment on their faces were evident, but I was confident that I could persuade them with the right offer.
Observing their interest in the money before them, I probed further.
"Are you accepting my offer or not?" I asked coldly, rising to my feet, and preparing to leave.
"Your Highness, wait. How much is here?" the woman asked, and I knew that she was longing for the money.
"Hundred million dollars. I want your daughter in exchange for it," I stated plainly, my hand resting on my waist as I stared at them.
Her father appeared shocked, yet hesitant, while his wife displayed total eagerness.
It became apparent that she was not the girl's biological mother; perhaps she was a stepmother.
But who could resist a Hundred million dollars? Well, I certainly could without batting an eye, but they couldn't.
I watched as the woman whispered encouraging words to her husband, but he still looked hesitant.
"It's a hundred million dollars," she urged him.
"I know," he replied with a frown.
"Then... what are you waiting for? It's not as though you love her," his wife prodded, and a squint found its way to my face.
What did she mean by that? Wasn't the girl I wanted their child?
What was wrong with this family?
"Would you shut up, woman? Let me think," he snapped, ruffling his hair.
"I'll be taking my leave now," I announced, no longer willing to wait.
If they rejected the offer, it would be their loss, as I would obtain what I wanted by any means necessary, even though it was through an abduction.
"Your Highness, wait. I've accepted your request," the father said as soon as I turned to leave, and a sly grin immediately crept onto my lips.
"Good. Now sign these documents," I tossed a document onto the table, and they both began signing.
"Sign in every space provided for a signature," I instructed with a stern expression, observing as they complied.
I discreetly took a recorded video of them signing the contract of selling their daughter to me, knowing that the girl I was about to acquire wasn't naive.
Once they finished, I retrieved the documents and pushed the suitcase of money to them.
Without further ado, I walked out of the house.
They had willingly sold their only daughter to me, without her consent.
"What a family," I thought to myself as I shook my head.
She was now my rightful possession.
Well, I am a Lycan with both power and wealth. I can obtain whatever I desire.
After walking out of that strange house, I settled into my car and drove off.
~~~
Investigating the details of the lady, whose name I discovered was Ariana, I found out that she worked as a salesgirl in one of my popular supermarkets which wasn't part of my pack.
As the world's richest Lycan, it would be an understatement to call me a billionaire.
I surpassed that label, possessing unimaginable wealth.
However, money was not what I truly desired.
I had wished for my childhood to be normal as that of others, but instead it was a nightmare, turning me into a ruthless and deranged Lycan Prince.
I parked my car in the supermarket's parking garage.
I owned and directed the supermarket, but I hadn't visited in quite some time.
I had other companies to attend to, which took precedence over a mere supermarket.
Wearing a black hoodie to conceal my identity, because I didn't want to attract crowds to myself, I entered the bustling supermarket with a specific person in mind.
The place was bustling with customers, and a satisfied smile tugged at my lips.
It's still progressing.
Passing through the busy customers who were oblivious about who was in their midst, I headed toward a quieter corner and sat down as I continued to work with my phone.
I stared blankly at the screen of my phone, but when I decided to take a break, I lifted my head and saw her.
She hurriedly walked past me, as she attended to customers.
My gaze followed her, observing her every move.
The way she smiled at the customers while introducing new products to them.
I couldn't help but keep watching, unaware of the smile that had crept onto my face.
As soon as I realized it, I wiped away the smile.
I observed as she ascended the stairs with a group of customers, engaged in conversation as they chatted happily, but I noticed one of them touch her ass, while the rest which I assumed to be his friends chuckled.
They then disappeared into another room on the second floor, out of my sight, while my gaze turned cold.