Chapter 8 The Vendor

• Chapter Eight – The Vendor.
• Stephanie pushed the door open and shuffled her legs into it. She looked back and saw her boss following behind her.
• He had a disgusted look, searching around the dirty workplace, her mother’s old sewing shop.
• “My mom doesn’t use here anymore. For more than two years, I guess” she said.
• “In your defense, right? This place looks very bad. And you were looking for a job when you had something doing” he frowned, rushing to an empty seat.
• Stephanie rolled her eyes, should she just throw that fist she’d molded on him? He was really tempting her to.
• He used a cloth from the rack and wiped clean the seat, and gently sat on it being careful so it wouldn’t make him fall.
• It creaked and he jumped up, then sat back against slowly. His behavior reminded her of someone but she brushed it off.
• “Why inconvenience yourself when you can seat on a throne in your house?” she wasn’t still sure why he was here.
• “Well, it was urgent so start the gown for me. I need to leave early, unless you want me staying in your room while you stay on the couch”.
• Stephanie sighed, remembering how she got here. The urgent meeting to discuss was what he’d wear for a conference!
• She jokingly said to wear a men’s gown and he agreed, insisting she made one for him. Should she blame her mouth for speaking or him for asking when he could buy one?
• She had always wanted to be a fashion designer and work for wealthy men and women but this was different. This was totally different.
• She was good at babysitting but never with a twenty-four year old man. Who knew what else she signed in that contract!
• “I like purple” she felt a whisper in her ears. Her body ran cold as shivers trailed her spine. How did he always sneak behind her like that!
• “Purple doesn’t match with red. You need help” she sighed, switching the seams, “You know you’d pay me for making this gown for you?”.
• She turned to him, when he gave no response, frowning. He looked like he was in a trance, his eyes were fixed on the wall but he didn’t seem to be looking at it.
• “Nathan?” she called, his eyes darted to her and then went back to the wall.
• “Tell your mom to dismiss that man” he said.
• Stephanie raised a brow, what man? They were at her mom’s worksite, few building away from her mom, who was at the house.
• “Go now!” he added authoritatively and Stephanie found herself moving towards the door.
• She raised her legs at the door, peering to see if there was a man at the door with her mom. There was and he seemed to be a milk vendor but not the one who usually came. Glancing back at Nathan, who seemed still in a trance, she rushed to her house, half running.
• “Hey, wait” she stopped the man who was moving into the house, his eyes darkened on her, before brightening, “Hello? Who’s this?”.
• “Oh, she’s my daughter. Dear, It seems Patrick is ill so he, John, is replacing him temporarily” her mom retrieved the milk bottles from John.
• Stephanie scrutinized John, he looked like a normal milk vendor. What was Nathan saying?
• “Oh, um… right. Say hi to Patrick for me, okay John?”.
• “Yeah, Stephanie” he smiled, nodding.
• She smiled back and shuffled her legs back to the work site. What was with her boss? How did he even know her mother was with someone when he was inside the site with her?
• “Hey, Nathan. What’s that ab…?” her throat went dry.
• He was standing there, like the first time she met, seemingly dark energy swarming around him. Her legs feeling weak.
• “I told you to dismiss him” again, there was that rhythm in his voice.
• “Well, I.. I… why?” she blinked, his eyes had changed color, she was sure of it. He usual had a brownish yellow eyes but it seemed subtle blue.
• He turned back from her, sitting down, “Well, I don’t think you’d mind someone stalking you from now on, do you?”.
• Stalking her? Stephanie was already heaving heavily from the tension in the air and in his words, “He’s not a bad person. Or stalker. Just a milk vendor”.
• “Then how did he know your name? He called you Stephanie. Your mom only introduced you as ‘my daughter'?”.
• Stephanie thought on it. The man had actually called her by her name? But what if her mom had said it. Her mom talked a lot.
• “Wait, how did you hear my mom? Did you follow me?” it didn’t looked like he did, she went backwards, “How do you know these things?”.
• The veil of darkness around Nathan’s eyes fell as she went away from him, he sighed, “I’m just a careful person. Something you and your mom aren’t. I mean, she accepted me into the house without confirming if I’m really your friend. That vendor, I don’t trust him but… Whatever”. He threw his darkening aura to the wind.
• Stephanie gently walked back to the sewing machine, something was up with this guy, something supernatural. He was either a werewolf or what else was there? She lived in a world where Werewolves and Humans live together. Could they be some other creatures living in her world?
• “Did I scare you?” she turned to him, as he asked. His eyes were puppy doe size. She couldn’t help but chuckle.
• “You aren’t capable of scaring me. You’re one big baby, you know. Come over and tell me if this gown's length is enough for you” she sighed.
• He rolled his eyes, coming closer. An energy zapped through Stephanie's body as his hands rested on her shoulder but she ignored it.
• “I like it, thanks” he whispered on her ears again. He noticed the way her breathing hitched when he spoke, but they slowly released.
• He smirked before letting her be. Turning outside, his smirk fell for a frown. His sister never listened. Not to him, not to their mother.
• She had still gone ahead to send her Beta to investigate Stephanie.
• She was a harmless, even careless, young human who he wouldn’t want brutish creatures like werewolves swarming over.
• And his sister’s deal with humans were because they once hurt her mate. Basically the only creatures she vented hate upon were creatures who hurt her mate. She never really recovered from losing him.
• How she had lost him, he wasn’t quite sure. But it was some dark past in his sister’s life, one that makes him pity her whenever he got angry with her.
• But she shouldn’t hate humans or Stephanie, they were all harmless. And she should accept other humans since she accepted him, her younger brother, as human.
• Though, he wasn’t really… human.