***NOTE; So I recently learned that pregnancy is more sensitive to alcohol in the first trimester, which Annie is in. I apologize for my mistake and I will rewrite this whole event in the future. Bear with it for now cause I've a dozen of things to do and can't rewrite it at the moment. ☺️☺️****

The guards watching the door refused to let me in.
I was upset.
I was beyond furious.
How dare they?
Is this how they would treat us in the future?

Due to my drowsy state, I held myself back so as not to create any drama. After all, Jack was on my side and he was in there dealing with the representatives of Angel's Heart.
If I caused any trouble, he would-

'Since when did you become so timid?' a disappointed voice asked.

'I'm not. I just don't feel like quarreling right now,' I answered walking away towards the elevator.

'Tsk! This deal involves a transaction of your weapons. How can they lock you out?'

The voice was right. If I was to give them access to such powerful weapons, they ought to respect me first.
I halted on my ground and slowly turned around.

"Take them down!" I breathed an order to Matt who had been following me.
He had presented the option earlier, but I had refused. Now that I wanted respect, I had to take it by force or they'd never see me as a fair partner.
No.
I didn't want to be their partner.
I wanted to be their leader.

"Unit Zero, roll in!" Matt communicated through his smartwatch, and then he disappeared from my side.

I waited in that lonely hallway, arms crossed, and with some air of arrogance hovering above me. After a minute, my watch beeped, a signal from Matt that the path had been cleared.
A smug smile surfaced as I began my walk back to the meeting room.

At least five masked agents from unit Zero were in sight. The guards who had blocked my path earlier were nowhere in sight, and the door was wide open, with Matt standing next to it.
He ushered me inside with his left arm while keeping his right behind his back.

Heels squeaking, I made my way inside the room, swaying my waist side to side like a supermodel. I was here for some respect. And for my man.

The first sight I witnessed upon entering the tense room, was Jack standing beside the woman he had arrived with. She was clinging to his arm possessively, as if she owned him.
Without the mask, I had the chance to study her real face.

Pretty yes, but her arm on Jack's made me dislike her in an instant.

Other than the two of them, there were three other people present.
They stared at me questioningly, demanding an answer.

"Sorry, I'm late." I smiled mockingly while helping myself on the chair next to Jack's.
"Please, sit, this welcome is too warm."

"What is the meaning of this?" One of the three men questioned, sending knives of glares at me. "Who are you?"

Before answering his question, I glanced over at Matt and nodded, asking him to close the door and guard it with his life if need be.
"Who am I?" I repeated calmly, before rising from the seat to join the standing crowd. "Are we having the meeting on our feet? If so, it may be tiring for the two of you," I taunted throwing a glance at the two older men who seemed to be in their late sixties.

"Excuse me!" The younger one barked, rage coloring his face red.

"Annie? What are you doing?" Jack asked in a furious mutter.

I frowned at him before my eyes fell on their entwined arms. "Dear Jack, why are you so quiet? Do you not know me as well, hm?"

"Could you-"

"Honey, who is this?" The woman asked scowling at me like a bug she could step on any time.

"Honey?" I scoffed crossing my arms under my breasts. "Looks like I've missed out on quite some details."

Oh boy! I was now losing control over my emotions. Hearing her address him so affectionately made me want to pounce on her and rip her face off.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Annie Raynatt, head of Dark Shadows, here to close the deal between our two countries."

The shocked reaction on their faces was so satisfying. It felt like I had slapped their mouths simultaneously. Quite thrilling.

"Jack? Why does she have your na-"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Jaack!" She pouted tugging his arm gently. "Is she really the head of-"

"Excuse us, give us a minute."
He pulled his arm away from her grip before facing me. "Let's talk."
From the dense frown on his face, I could feel what he was about to say to me would not be pleasant. So I declined.

"Talk about what? How about we deal with the business at hand first? Then you can explain to me why you have another woman with you!" I yelled.

"Annie, you're drunk."

"I know. But I also know that Angel's Heart has no respect for me. I arranged this damn party. And they have the audacity to lock me out of this meeting." I diverted my attention towards the men staring at us wide-eyed. "If you want war with Dark Shadows, you're more than welco-"

"Annie!" Jack hissed grabbing my shoulders and spinning me to face him. "Look at you. Is this how you represent us? I wanted to deal with them myself so you won't have to."

"Fuck you!" I screamed shrugging his hands off of me.
I raised my index finger at him, "You've been gone for so long. I've moved heaven and earth to look for you. And here you show up, not a word of-"

My face was cupped, before my lips were covered by another pair. He shut me up with a kiss, right in front of those strangers.
"Trust me," he whispered moving away from my face.

That kiss left me numb all over. It ignited the lust that I had been suppressing for weeks.
My intoxicated state only made it worse.
"Jack," I cooed sliding my arms around his waist. "Let's go home."

"We will."

"I...I..." My voice began growing distant from my own ears and my vision turned blurry. The world around me started spinning till nothing could be seen or felt.
I succumbed to the force pulling me into the abyss where I floated in the darkness for what felt like an eternity.