After showering and changing, Adam came up with the idea of taking her to see the offices that he had bought. Ann agreed with very little hesitation. There was no point in wasting time moping about her losses.　　She had to adapt quickly and keep moving forward, whether she wanted to or not.　　Ann was curious to see what he thought would constitute a good working environment for her and as the final decision on whether or not to start a new company had been forced upon her, she also wanted to see what she had to work with.　　"I didn't think you would want to be in the same building as me for business purposes, especially after our last conversation on the matter," Adam said nonchalantly as he drove them toward their destination.　　The slightly pensive expression on his face and crease in his forehead told Ann that as casual as he sounded, he was clearly a little hurt by the thought that she didn't want to spend every waking second with him.　　"Don't take it personally Adam. I would ha

　　"There is no redeeming yourself now Ada. If the Coven demands that you are to be flayed alive, then as far as I'm concerned, they can take their sweet time doing whatever it is that they want to with you. You're a disappointment, a fucking disgrace!" Narcissa hissed venomously as a malicious smile spread across her face.　　"What's going on? Narcissa?"　　Instantly, Narcissa's face froze and after a moment's hesitation she stood upright and smoothed her clothes down, before plastering a sickly sweet smile on her face and turning to face the unexpected visitor.　　"Leopold, Darling, what a lovely surprise." She purred, her voice like silk as she faced the confused expression of her husband.　　"You didn't have to come all the way here, my love. We were just about to head home." Narcissa purred as she shimmied her way over to where Leopold stood uncertainly.　　She ran her hands down his chest and looked up at him coyly, a flirtatious little smirk on her bright red lips, and instantly all o

　　Ann allowed herself to cry for only a few moments. Ultimately, her father didn't deserve her tears. She grieved for her mother and the life that she had never had with her, and the happy childhood that was wrenched from her so painfully.　　There was no doubt in Ann's mind that she would eventually avenge her mother's death, but eventually wasn't now, and she was impatient for justice.　　Narcissa and Ada deserved to answer for the crimes that they were suspected of, but she needed solid proof, and as hard as Lexi and her father were searching for answers, so far their search had reached dead ends.　　Reluctantly, she removed herself from the comforting safety of Adam's arms and wondered briefly when she had become so reliant on him in her life.　　His eyes desperately tried to search hers as she pulled away, but she averted her gaze. The disappointment and hurt on his face was simply too much for Ann to bear.　　She knew that she should have been stronger, she shouldn't have cried over t

　　Ann and Adam made their way to the front of the building to wait for Eva and Matteus.　　Even when she glanced back over her shoulder, she still couldn't believe that this building was now hers.　　She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to fill all the floors, as her staff team was only small, but at least now, she had room to expand and consider other avenues to explore. She had always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and Adam did nothing but encourage her to explore all of the possibilities.　　"You're going to have to think of a name for the company you know," Adam said with a sly grin. "It would be better if you thought of a corporate name first so that when you expand in other areas, they can be listed under the same umbrella."　　Ann nodded thoughtfully as she squinted up at the dazzling sight of the building. It would make sense to make this the corporate headquarters, after all, it was big enough, and then each floor could be dedicated to various departments.　　She would have t

　　"Grandmother had a few run-in's with dark witches in her younger days, but she was lucky enough to have been friendly with the daughter of a light witch. She gifted her this with the promise that it would protect her and whoever wore it, from dark magic." Adam explained softly as he watched Ann run her fingers over the delicate design.　　"Adam... I don't know what to say... it's beautiful!" Ann exclaimed almost reverently.　　"She was fond of intricate designs and artwork, as I'm sure you can tell." Adam chuckled softly. "It's made from obsidian and moonstone and wrapped in platinum. If you open it up, inside is a depiction of Selene, the Moon Goddess, and her first children, the Lycans, and her second born, the Werewolves."　　Ann nodded wordlessly. There wasn't much she could say, it was truly a breathtaking piece.　　"I should have given you this earlier, Ann. At this point, I'm willing to try anything that has the slightest chance of being able to protect you from those vile women."