10. You Are Not Human

Zalina immediately withdrew her hand from Mrs. Nora's grip. She remembered the incident yesterday when she met a person dressed all in black.

"Don't you scare us!"  said Mrs. Roston.

"No, they're not bothering you for real. Two creatures are just paying attention. They're taking care of you."

"What kind of stealth is that?" asked Zalina.

Mrs. Nora was silent for a moment. Her eyes narrowed. "A furry stealth with copper-yellow eyes."

Zalina's mouth gaped in surprise at Mrs. Nora's answer. The creature mentioned by the woman was the same as the creature depicted in the "sacrifice" painting she touched in the museum.

"Maybe a monkey, dog, or wolf stealth. But why should they be watching us?" asked Mrs. Roston.

"I don't know, but this could have something to do with your ancestors or the creature loving Zalina."

"What? Oh, my life so far has been terrible enough. Must I also be loved by such a terrible creature? Mrs. Nora, do you know why I have to go through this?" asked Zalina, asking seriously.

Mrs. Nora smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes twitching. "It's your destiny. You have to find out for yourself why it happened to you."

Zalina's body slumped in the chair. Mrs. Nora's answer did not satisfy her. After the three talked for a while, Zalina and her mother left Mrs. Nora's house.

"You're still thinking about what Mrs. Nora said about the two creatures watching us?"  asked Mrs. Roston when Zalina was silent after arriving home.

Zalina nodded. "Didn't you think about it, Mom?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing we can do about it. It happened beyond our comprehension as humans."

Zalina thought her mother might not be too bothered that she could talk like that. But for Zalina, this bothered her. She lives in a world where everything is modern, but she seems trapped in another world.

Even so, Zalina agreed to work with Mrs. Nora. Her first day on the job was sitting next to the psychic and touching the hands of the clients who came.

Zalina thought this was ridiculous. However, that job might suit her right now. No one would denounce and insult her appearance, nor would anyone find her strange. Only this time did she feel his magic hand could be helpful to many people.

"Zalina, tomorrow we will go to the hospital. We got a call from a VIP client," said Mrs. Nora when Zalina was about to go home.

"Hospital?"

"Yes, someone contacted me to find out if their family would survive the operation or not. I need you for that."

"Okay, I'm going home now. See you tomorrow."

Zalina returned to her house by walking. She didn't realize that someone was following her, not by following Zalina's footsteps, but by the person moving from one tree to another, from one roof to another. Until she got home, the girl did not realize that a creature was following her.

Today is Linda's last day of work before she takes maternity leave. She had already prepared a temporary secretary for Jasper, who would take her place during maternity leave.

"One thing Mr. Jasper never liked was teasing her. You've got to keep that in mind if you want to keep working here." Linda messaged Jasper's new secretary.

The woman beside him looked amazed. "Does he already have a girlfriend?"

"I don't know," said Linda.

"Haven't you ever seen a woman come to visit him?"

Linda then stopped the movement of her hand and looked at the woman. "Emily, Mr. Jasper doesn't like to talk about personal matters. The only reason I can stay here is that we respect each other's privacy."

"Hmm, okay, I understand. But I wonder if a guy like Jasper Blackmore doesn't have a girlfriend. He wouldn't have trouble finding a woman to suit his liking unless he... Well, you know what I mean?"

"What?"

"Unless Jasper Blackmore doesn't like women, aka gay," Emily explained.

"Don't talk carelessly! Your words may give rise to untrue rumors."

"Come to think of it, it's bizarre if he doesn't have a girlfriend. I wonder how Mr. Jasper would react if I teased him. Should I be flirting naked in front of him?" Emily said with a smile.

The two women didn't realize that Jasper had been listening to their conversation. When he came over to them, Linda and Emily immediately covered their mouths.

"Linda. I don't like her. Tell her to go because I don't want to work with people who care about other people's lives."

Linda and Emily looked flustered while Jasper went straight into his room. Linda immediately followed Jasper's steps to protest.

"Wait, Mr. Jasper! I don't have time to look for a new secretary. Emily has experience as a secretary, and I'm sure she'll do a great job."

"But she talks too much. I'm sure she'll be gossiping more than doing her job," Jasper said, taking off his coat before sitting down.

"Can't you pretend it's just a casual chat between women?"

"By suspecting me of being gay? Oh, no, Linda. I don't want cheap gossip about me."

"Then I can't help you, sir. Today is my last work day, and there's no turning back."

Jasper himself was confused about what he should do. He needed a secretary to help with his work. However, he didn't get along with the new secretary that Linda brought in.

"A-ah," Linda suddenly groaned while holding her stomach. "Oh, my stomach."

Jasper got up to find out what had happened. "Why?"

Linda slowly walked over to the sofa. "I think I'm going to give birth soon."

"Hah?" Jasper looked shocked and panicked.

"Please take me to the hospital!"

"You should call your husband," Jasper said.

"I'll call him later when I'm on my way. Ah, this hurts. My stomach hurts."

"I'll call your husband. Give me the number!"

 "There's no time to wait for my husband to come."

"But I don't know what to do with this. I'm a single man, and I've never experienced this."

In pain and anger, Linda said, "Take me to the hospital right now! Who do you think made me feel contractions in this place? I should stop working. What an insensitive boss!"

"What? Are you scolding me?"

"No time to argue!"  cried Linda impatiently.

In less than half an hour, Jasper had taken Linda to the hospital, and the doctor immediately took care of the woman.

When Jasper was about to return, he suddenly saw Zalina with Mrs. Nora. Mrs. Nora's odd appearance piqued Jasper's curiosity, so he followed them secretly.

From a distance, Jasper watched the movements of Zalina and Mrs. Nora. And finally, he knew what Zalina was doing there.

When Zalina finished and left the room, Jasper immediately approached them.

"Zalina!"  Jasper's voice sounded like thunder.

Zalina and Mrs. Nora turned their heads.

"Jasper?"

The two women were shocked when suddenly, Jasper grabbed Zalina's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Jasper asked.

"I'm at work. Why?"

"What kind of work? Being a psychic?" Jasper asked with sharp eyes.

 "Y-yes, is all I can do to make money."

"Stupid! Did you know it could put you in a dangerous situation?"

"What do you mean? I do not understand."

Zalina was surprised. She felt Jasper's grip tighten.

 "Let's go!" Jasper grabbed Zalina's arm.

"B-but--"

"Excuse me, can we talk, young man?" Suddenly, Mrs. Nora interrupted to stop them from leaving.

Jasper looked unkindly at Mrs. Nora. "Just say it!"

"Just the two of us," continued Mrs. Nora. She gestured for them to talk elsewhere.

Jasper agreed, and he ordered Zalina to wait for him. "Wait for me here, don't go anywhere!"

Without waiting for Zalina's response, Jasper followed in Mrs. Nora's footsteps. They talked in a park in the middle of the hospital.

"Young man, why did you forbid Zalina from working with me? She enjoys doing it."

"That's not the kind of work for her. You can't take advantage of Zalina!"

"Why? You said it was dangerous for her. Can you explain it to me!" Mrs. Nora asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't want people to know about her abilities and get her into trouble."

"Is that the only problem?"

"Yes," Jasper answered curtly.

Mrs. Nora took a deep breath and then smiled

lopsidedly, returning Jasper's sharp gaze.

"Are you one of those creatures? The one who always watches over and follows Zalina?"

"What do you mean?"

"Admit it, young man. You are... not human.

You are stealth, or what people call a werewolf!" Mrs. Nora said.

Mrs.Nora smiled triumphantly because she had dismantled Jasper's identity and found a creature that had been considered only a myth.

Jasper gave a mocking smile, which made Mrs. Nora cringe slightly at the sight of the dark aura on his face.

"I'm sorry I had to disappoint you. You guessed wrong. You'd better learn a lot more as a psychic."