Chapter 27: A Warm Embrace
The cat trap’s design was simple.
The cage had only one entrance with a trigger mechanism inside. Once a can of cat food was placed within, any hungry cat drawn in by the scent would step on the trigger and become trapped.
Then, they could transfer the captured cat to a carrier, replace the can of food, and set the trap for the next one.
The problem was...
The area wasn’t spacious enough to set the trap. And if they placed it at the entrance, the noise from the occasional passing car would likely keep the cats from coming out.
"Vivian."
Eleanor Rhodes looked around and said with a helpless sigh, "There’s no other way. We’ll have to move everything out of the warehouse and block the entrance to keep the cats from rushing out while we’re working."
"Right!"
Vivian Lowell had no objections.
They had done this sort of thing plenty of times before.
This place was just dusty; it wasn’t actually that dirty.
Having agreed on a plan, the two began to prepare, putting on gloves, masks, and dust-proof coveralls.
"Here, the gear!"
Eleanor had come fully prepared. She had brought a complete set of gear for both of them, and she unzipped a large bag on the spot and took it all out.
Vivian moved quickly. Once she and Eleanor had everything ready outside the warehouse, she turned around.
And saw...
Julian Faulkner had already taken the lead, carrying out several wooden crates. They were filled with junk and covered in a thick layer of dust.
He, however, didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
...
Vivian was dumbfounded.
’That bespoke suit Julian’s wearing is worth a fortune! If it gets torn, even if he doesn’t care, I’ll be heartbroken for him!’
"President Faulkner..."
Vivian went over to stop him. Seeing a smudge of dust on his chest, she instinctively reached out with her gloved hand to pat it clean.
"Let us handle this. If your suit gets dirty..."
"Give them to me."
Vivian tried to push Julian aside.
But he didn’t give her a chance. He smoothly pulled the gloves right off her hands and put them on his own.
Julian’s hands were huge.
Vivian’s pink gloves were clearly too small for him.
Yet he didn’t seem to mind one bit, continuing to move things with clean, efficient motions.
...
Seeing that she couldn’t talk him out of it, Vivian had no choice but to help alongside him.
Just then, as Vivian lifted a wooden plank, a small kitten that had been hiding underneath was startled and shot out.
The kitten was incredibly nimble, practically scaling the walls of junk as it scrambled away.
"Tanya!"
The moment Vivian saw the cat, she shouted for Eleanor, signaling for her to come help catch it!
Eleanor was still clearing away other items. At Vivian’s shout, she whipped her head around, but the cat had already zipped right past her, speeding off in another direction.
It was heading right for where Julian was helping.
He worked fast and had already completely cleared one corner. He heard the commotion behind him, and in the next instant, the cat was right in front of him.
Julian had no experience catching cats, but relying on his own agility, he reached out and snatched the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
"MEOW, MEOW!"
Held by the scruff, the kitten began to struggle, trying to bite Julian, but its teeth only clamped down on his thick glove.
Vivian immediately dropped the plank she was holding and rushed over to Julian.
In Julian’s hand was an orange and white cat, a domestic shorthair.
When she reached him, the cat’s little pink-padded paws were still flailing threateningly, but its eyes were filled with fear. It was clearly terrified.
"It’s okay, it’s okay,"
Vivian cooed softly, reaching out to take the kitten, but Julian said, "I’ve got it."
As he spoke, Eleanor arrived with the cat carrier.
Julian never loosened his grip. Still holding the cat by its scruff and ignoring its teeth clamped onto his glove, he placed it directly into the carrier. The entire motion was as smooth as flowing water.
Vivian was deeply impressed.
’Who would have thought she and Julian would have such good chemistry?’
’Looks like...’
’Eleanor’s veterinary hospital really needs to hire a male employee!’
’All this heavy lifting can be his job from now on!’
As she thought this, Vivian’s gaze toward Julian softened with relief, as if she were looking at a prime candidate for some "hired muscle."
’Too bad.’
’This particular candidate is not only agile but also sharp. Can’t just drag him back to do manual labor. The only way is...’
Just as she was lost in thought, perhaps startled by the previous commotion, another kitten that had been hiding among the shelves sensed danger and made a run for it.
Just like the last one.
This kitten also tried to scale the junk, but it seemed less agile. It leaped, slipped, and tumbled to the floor.
It landed right between Vivian and Julian.
The kitten had suddenly trapped itself. It looked around in a panic, wanting to run but not knowing which way to go.
A smile touched Vivian’s lips.
’Silly little kitty,’ she thought. ’Perfect timing. Now, fall into my clutches!’
As she thought this, Vivian reached out to grab the kitten’s rear, just as Julian reached out to grab its scruff.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, both of them crouching down at the same time.
Caught off guard, Vivian stumbled right into Julian’s arms.
!
Julian’s embrace was warm.
As her head rested against his chest, she thought she could hear his heartbeat.
It had been steady, but it suddenly started to race.
"Careful."
Julian’s sigh came from right above her head.
He was probably worried she would fall, so he placed a hand on her arm to help her up.
"Mmm... Oof!"
The faint scent from Julian’s chest filled Vivian’s senses, making her head feel fuzzy. Supported by his hand, she stood there in a daze.
Eleanor was quick to react. Seeing the cat had been caught, she helped put it into the carrier.
She thought the crisis was averted.
But the dazed Vivian didn’t notice a splintered piece of wood at her feet.
She stepped on it, lost her balance, twisted her ankle, and pitched forward.
"Vivian!"
Eleanor instinctively moved to catch her, but her hands were full with the cat carrier.
Just as Vivian’s head was about to collide with a wooden shelf, Julian turned around.
He was standing very close to her.
With just a small sidestep forward, he caught her, and Vivian fell completely into his arms.
The same position, the same faint scent. As Vivian landed in his embrace, she looked up at Julian in astonishment.