Zoey longed for sleep, but the rumble of a car engine outside jerked her awake.
Rising to part the curtains, she noticed a flurry of activity at the vi opposite hers, with people moving things in and out as if they were uprooting their lives in the dead of night.
She furrowed her brow. Were the neighbors moving out? But she hadn''t heard a peep about their house being on the market.
And then she spotted the crew of workers sanitizing and arranging the ce, carting in swanky furniture pieces.
Zoey lingered on the balcony for a moment, curious about who would soon call that ce home.
She returned to bed, sumbing to sleep.
The next morning, while munching on breakfast downstairs, she overheard Miranda: "New folks moved in across the way. I did some snooping-turns out that ce never even went up for sale. Some loaded buyer swooped in, dropped a cool four million, a hefty markup, and the sellers were over the moon. Sold it that very night, moved out before dawn. No idea who the newbies are."
Four million?
Who would cough up that kind of cash?
No wonder the sellers left in a jiffy-it was like winning the lottery.
Miranda sounded envious. "If only they''d bought our ce. Ah, some folks have all the luck."
Zoey passed her some vegetables. "Mom, eat."
Miranda''s heart softened a bit. "Zoey, your dad and I are ready. The bank wants us to head out tonight.”
"That soon?"
"Yeah, the hotel needs us to confirm our booking pronto, or it''s a thousand bucks down the drain." Zoey felt a pang of sadness. "Okay, I''ll help you pack after work."
"No need, honey. You''ve got your job. Don''t bete."
As Zoey arrived at the kindergarten, she spotted Henry waiting outside the gate.
He didn''t venture in.
She parked swiftly. "Henry?"
"Zoey."
Under his eyes were dark circles; clearly, he hadn''t slept a wink. Her heart softened.
Henry did care for her, and he was sensible-keen not to let their rtionship hinder his career.
Zoey was equally pragmatic. She wouldn''t let romance derail her ambitions. They were quite the match.
A smile flickered across her lips, her eyes twinkling.
"My parents won a trip to Europe; they jet off tonight. How about we have both our families meet over lunch, sort of like an engagement?"
Henry brightened, scooping her into an embrace, relieved.
"Perfect, Zoey. Thank goodness you didn''t say no."
He cupped her face, leaning in for a kiss.
A ring horn interrupted them.
"Beep beep beep beep! Honk honk honk!"
The incessant honking was a clear sign of agitation.
Henry paused, looking toward the sound, his joy fading as he saw the emblem of a familiar luxury car.
He kissed Zoey''s cheek softly.
"See you at noon."
Blushing, Zoey nodded.
Henry drove off quickly.
Meanwhile, in the other car, Fitch gripped the steering wheel
seething as he watched "ghtheft as he watched Zoet
retreating figure.
belongs to
In the backseat sat Nn, oblivious to the scene outside, but acutely aware of his father''s sour mood. "Daddy?"
Nn called out.
Fitch''s expression softened immediately as he stepped out to lift his son.
"Daddy''s heart hurts."
Nn wrapped his arms around his neck, concerned.
Fitch bounced him gently. "Yeah, I''m
ming down. But tonight, we''re
right across from youre
mommy. Closer to here?
Nn''s eyes filled with caution.
"Does she dislike me?"
"Of course not. How could she?"
Really?
If she didn''t dislike him, why wouldn''t she want him?
If she didn''t dislike him, why couldn''t she recognize him when they met?
Documentaries said blood ties were powerful, that you could spot kin in a crowd.
Mommy hadn''t spotted him. That meant her love wasn''t strong enough.
To her, he was just another kid.
"Daddy, does she..."
"Yes?"N?velDrama.Org content rights.
"Not want me?"
Fitch''s
Nn tighter. "No, that''s not
just just dislikes me, nottimet
t belongs to sweet